Official Review: Hear Me Roar by Sandra Leon Gonzalez
Posted: 30 Jun 2020, 06:31
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Hear Me Roar" by Sandra Leon Gonzalez.]
Hear Me Roar by Sandra Leon Gonzalez is a collection of poems that speaks to the heart of the reader and debates the root cause of many issues. The author addresses topics such as love, sex, gender, bodily autonomy, religion, and judgment. This is by no means a comprehensive list but showcases a few of the topics in the book. Additionally, while it was written in 2019, the author also discusses some topics that are painfully apparent in 2020. Amidst the chaos, many of us are searching for love, strength, acceptance, and unity. These themes are present in many of the poems, specifically in "We Are One." Here, the author urges readers to not focus on color, religion, status, birth order or right, or even politics, but to focus more on our commonalities. This idea of acceptance thoroughly permeates this piece of work.
I found many of the poems to be powerful and uplifting. It was amazing to read and I loved it. As a woman, I found I could relate to much of what the author discussed and I enjoyed the book the further I got through it. In particular, I loved the poem "My Choice" that talks about saying no and how one's body is their own. It reinforced many thoughts and feelings and was representative of an issue many women face. I liked how the author was able to discuss an important subject in just a single page. Perhaps many of these issues are that simple.
I also enjoyed that the author really seemed to dive deep into these topics. She has clearly thought them through and tried to present them in an easy and understandable format. Her messages shown through and touched me.
In all honesty, I couldn't find a thing I disliked about this book, aside from the occasional grammatical errors. That said, at times, the author does mention God which may turn some people away. However, the author is not forcing this on readers. Generally, she mentions God in relation to herself. In fact, in one poem, she even says, "I respect your choice of how to believe." So, for those that are leery of religion- and spirituality-based books, it appears to be unfounded here.
Overall, I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. This book of poems did not get the full four stars given the grammatical errors found, but they did not overwhelm the book. Another proofread could easily eliminate the issues. I would also recommend this book to those who enjoy poetry or an easy read. I had no trouble getting through the book and quite liked it. That said, readers should be aware of the potentially sensitive nature of some of the topics (i.e. sex and gender, race, religion, etc.).
******
Hear Me Roar
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Hear Me Roar by Sandra Leon Gonzalez is a collection of poems that speaks to the heart of the reader and debates the root cause of many issues. The author addresses topics such as love, sex, gender, bodily autonomy, religion, and judgment. This is by no means a comprehensive list but showcases a few of the topics in the book. Additionally, while it was written in 2019, the author also discusses some topics that are painfully apparent in 2020. Amidst the chaos, many of us are searching for love, strength, acceptance, and unity. These themes are present in many of the poems, specifically in "We Are One." Here, the author urges readers to not focus on color, religion, status, birth order or right, or even politics, but to focus more on our commonalities. This idea of acceptance thoroughly permeates this piece of work.
I found many of the poems to be powerful and uplifting. It was amazing to read and I loved it. As a woman, I found I could relate to much of what the author discussed and I enjoyed the book the further I got through it. In particular, I loved the poem "My Choice" that talks about saying no and how one's body is their own. It reinforced many thoughts and feelings and was representative of an issue many women face. I liked how the author was able to discuss an important subject in just a single page. Perhaps many of these issues are that simple.
I also enjoyed that the author really seemed to dive deep into these topics. She has clearly thought them through and tried to present them in an easy and understandable format. Her messages shown through and touched me.
In all honesty, I couldn't find a thing I disliked about this book, aside from the occasional grammatical errors. That said, at times, the author does mention God which may turn some people away. However, the author is not forcing this on readers. Generally, she mentions God in relation to herself. In fact, in one poem, she even says, "I respect your choice of how to believe." So, for those that are leery of religion- and spirituality-based books, it appears to be unfounded here.
Overall, I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. This book of poems did not get the full four stars given the grammatical errors found, but they did not overwhelm the book. Another proofread could easily eliminate the issues. I would also recommend this book to those who enjoy poetry or an easy read. I had no trouble getting through the book and quite liked it. That said, readers should be aware of the potentially sensitive nature of some of the topics (i.e. sex and gender, race, religion, etc.).
******
Hear Me Roar
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon