Review of Shitolian
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OB Brian
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Review of Shitolian
[Following is a volunteer review of "Shitolian" by O Persaud.]
Shitolian by O Persaud is a collection of poems that address topics ranging from serious ones such as racism to ridiculous ones revolving around punctuation. The poems have been grouped into five categories based on their themes. While the book's title suggests a poor living status, most poems encourage people to go beyond what society sees of them.
The first group of poems is called "shitolian" and discusses themes of racism, greed, politics, social status, etc., topics that are not new to citizens of sh*t. For instance, the first poem in this set, "black and white drinking fountains," deals with racial prejudice. This poem gears at abolishing racism by emphasising that while we may drink from different fountains, the water flows from the same pipes.
The second category, "the Creator," discusses spiritual and psychological issues. It talks about God, human experiences, and people's responses to different situations. An example is a poem, "Who made it," that questions whether misfortunes are God-send and seeks to understand the purpose of ill luck in one's life.
The third set, "the colony," explores insects such as bees and ants, and animals such as mice, and compares their traits to humans'. The fourth section is called "punctuation," where the author personifies punctuation devices and uses them to vent his feelings. The last category is "writer's block: a book of shitty poems," which include humorous poems that bear on the word "sh*t."
This anthology is a fun read that you must have. The author passes across his intended message while entertaining readers, which I loved the most about the book. He uses simple English, making the poems easy to understand. Additionally, the author uses symbolism in most of the poems. The symbols are familiar things that enable readers to relate to the situations that the poems describe. For instance, in the poem "happiness," he says that being happy is a parachute whose purpose is to safeguard against disasters. Thus, the message in the poem is easy to understand and remember.
Another strong quality of the poems is their vividness. Although the poems are short, the author vividly describes them, enabling readers to form a mental picture of the environment surrounding each poem and rendering them irresistible. Besides, the use of profane language shows the intensity of the author's feelings about some of the topics discussed in the book.
There was nothing to dislike about Shitolian. Strong language is paramount in showing the author's emotions and invoking a similar response in readers, making it an integral part of the book. Also, in most poems, the author uses lowercase letters, and when it suits the situation, he switches to uppercase. Consequently, I do not see them as errors but as an allusion to a deeper meaning of the poems.
That said, I award Shitolian four out of four stars. I recommend it to readers who enjoy poetry. However, children and readers who hate profanity should steer clear of this anthology since adult language is used greatly.
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Shitolian
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Shitolian by O Persaud is a collection of poems that address topics ranging from serious ones such as racism to ridiculous ones revolving around punctuation. The poems have been grouped into five categories based on their themes. While the book's title suggests a poor living status, most poems encourage people to go beyond what society sees of them.
The first group of poems is called "shitolian" and discusses themes of racism, greed, politics, social status, etc., topics that are not new to citizens of sh*t. For instance, the first poem in this set, "black and white drinking fountains," deals with racial prejudice. This poem gears at abolishing racism by emphasising that while we may drink from different fountains, the water flows from the same pipes.
The second category, "the Creator," discusses spiritual and psychological issues. It talks about God, human experiences, and people's responses to different situations. An example is a poem, "Who made it," that questions whether misfortunes are God-send and seeks to understand the purpose of ill luck in one's life.
The third set, "the colony," explores insects such as bees and ants, and animals such as mice, and compares their traits to humans'. The fourth section is called "punctuation," where the author personifies punctuation devices and uses them to vent his feelings. The last category is "writer's block: a book of shitty poems," which include humorous poems that bear on the word "sh*t."
This anthology is a fun read that you must have. The author passes across his intended message while entertaining readers, which I loved the most about the book. He uses simple English, making the poems easy to understand. Additionally, the author uses symbolism in most of the poems. The symbols are familiar things that enable readers to relate to the situations that the poems describe. For instance, in the poem "happiness," he says that being happy is a parachute whose purpose is to safeguard against disasters. Thus, the message in the poem is easy to understand and remember.
Another strong quality of the poems is their vividness. Although the poems are short, the author vividly describes them, enabling readers to form a mental picture of the environment surrounding each poem and rendering them irresistible. Besides, the use of profane language shows the intensity of the author's feelings about some of the topics discussed in the book.
There was nothing to dislike about Shitolian. Strong language is paramount in showing the author's emotions and invoking a similar response in readers, making it an integral part of the book. Also, in most poems, the author uses lowercase letters, and when it suits the situation, he switches to uppercase. Consequently, I do not see them as errors but as an allusion to a deeper meaning of the poems.
That said, I award Shitolian four out of four stars. I recommend it to readers who enjoy poetry. However, children and readers who hate profanity should steer clear of this anthology since adult language is used greatly.
******
Shitolian
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
