Review of Shine a Light

Jodeci 007 · Post by **Jodeci 007** » 01 Mar 2022, 20:02

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Shine a Light" by Nicky Corcoran.]

2 out of 4 stars

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Shine a Light is an anthology, consisting of over twenty poems written by Nicky Corcoran. In these poems, the author takes us through several of her real-life experiences, from growing up in the 1960s to recent times. Through her stories and inspirations, one thing is clear: we must join hands and do better to make ourselves and the world a better place. We kick off with the poem, "Adolescence," which gives us an insight into her view on the changes to her body, vulnerability, and fears that she experienced in adolescence. In the same vein, other poems call to mind the different ways life throws us unforeseen challenges that can be overwhelming. Nevertheless, we must learn from our mistakes and do better.

While the author mostly explores things from her perspective, the first aspect of the book I like is how relatable it is. From the fear of growing up, mental health, and the significance of education to menopause, happiness, and relevant issues in the world, like racial discrimination, hate crimes, religion, sexual orientation, child abuse, and sexism, the themes explored in the poems cut across areas in life that readers will find easy to connect to, even to the point that it'll feel as though the author is speaking directly to them.

The author favors a free-form style of poetry and utilizes simple sentences, so the messages behind the poetry are very easy to grasp. Her passion in passing her messages is admirable, and she does well to communicate the urgency of working together to tackle the issues that affect the world. A good example was in the poem, "Come Out," which highlights how difficult gay people have had it in a world where they constantly face discrimination. It was even shocking for me to learn that the WHO once listed same-sex attraction as a mental illness, and Nicky Corcoran does a brilliant job of providing victims of this discrimination with positive encouragement to come out and live their lives.

Unfortunately, the book was not well organized. The author includes a brief explanation to inform readers of her inspiration for the poems. While I found these explanations insightful, it was confusing since I couldn't tell when a poem was concluded because there was little or no spacing at certain points. I also found a lot of errors while reading through this concise read, which made my reading experience even more difficult.

Overall, the book touched on several relevant and relatable themes and evoked a range of emotions while interestingly providing a unique perspective on some of the topics. Therefore, I enjoyed the book's contents. Its presentation needs a lot of work, however. On that note, I will settle for rating Shine a Light two out of four stars. If these issues are rectified, the book will be perfect. Readers who enjoy insightful poetry will find this book interesting.

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Shine a Light
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Mathurambiga Maniom · Post by **Mathurambiga Maniom** » 03 Mar 2022, 08:41

Reading poems in a story is quite unusual for me, however, the review which shows us that the author portrays her story from her point of view in a poem at some certain parts that are easily understandable, indeed draws my attention. Thank you for the amazing review and I hope to read this book soon.

Pauls_ · Post by **Pauls_** » 03 Mar 2022, 13:12

The book explores matters which can be related to our daily life experiences. I love well written poems. I hope to read it when it is properly edited. Thanks for the honest review.

Blessing Odii · Post by **Blessing Odii** » 03 Mar 2022, 14:07

I love the message and inspired words poem delivers. Interesting review.

Reading_Jack · Post by **Reading_Jack** » 03 Mar 2022, 16:18

I love poems! And I love the subject this book addresses. Thanks for this review.

Florence Buumba · Post by **Florence Buumba** » 04 Mar 2022, 01:55

I enjoy reading books on real life situations even though there is a challenge because the truth may never be written when embarrassing situations about oneself cannot be exposed for fear of societal judgement.

Mbenma Esther 080 · Post by **Mbenma Esther 080** » 05 Mar 2022, 02:46

I enjoy reading poems. Thanks for the review.

cutemami · Post by **cutemami** » 06 Mar 2022, 16:31

The themes explored in this book are very deep and i would like to see what the author has to say about all those different themes. Thank you for the great review.

Umesh Bhatt · Post by **Umesh Bhatt** » 11 Mar 2022, 20:44

Poems are the depiction of our softer sentiments and as per the review the book is able to meet this objective. Thanks for an honest and nice review.

Aisha Yakub · Post by **Aisha Yakub** » 16 Mar 2022, 05:39

I agree that the world would be better if we collectively make it work. Anthologies are exciting to read. Great review.

Petronila O · Post by **Petronila O** » 17 Jun 2022, 09:28

Fictional book depicting a true life experience some of which are so personal and the the collection of peoms show how vulnerable we are when nature through fate off our ways ...

Eva Nyaburi · Post by **Eva Nyaburi** » 17 Jun 2022, 09:29

I love that the author chose to share her life moments, both happy and sad, through poems. The book touches on important life concepts and offers positive encouragement. Great review.

Caaaaraaaamel · Post by **Caaaaraaaamel** » 17 Jun 2022, 09:30

The book relates to issues and matters related to daily life. I love the message passed in the poem .Great review

Michelle Menezes · Post by **Michelle Menezes** » 17 Jun 2022, 09:31

I'm usually not a fan of poetry books, but I'm curious about the poems on sexual orientation and sexism. I also like it when writers use simple language while writing poetry, as it helps everyone understand the thoughts that are being conveyed. This comes across as a great book!