Review of Bringing my words to light

[Rachael S 1]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Bringing my words to light" by Afroz Martino.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Bringing My Words to Light by Afroz Martino is a collection of poems about the author’s life and family.

I took a different approach when reading this book. I was immediately struck by the first few poems and how personal they appeared to be to the author. I flipped through the book and found the "About Me" section at the end of the novel. So, I read the ending first, and it was the best decision ever.

The author describes her journey growing up with her parents in Pakistan, their journey to Greece, and then again to Australia. She describes the difficulties of lack of money, war, and religion and how they affected her growing up. The author then transitions to her adult life and the difficulties she and her husband faced meeting and getting married. Finally, the author details her life with her four daughters and the struggles they faced raising their children, especially when one of the girls was born with some significant disabilities.

I absolutely loved how the author included the "About Me" section in her book. When I went back to reading the poems she wrote, they took on such a different meaning. I knew her mother; I had met her daughters, and I could take that experience and completely relate to the poems and stories she was telling. Even more importantly, the author included some beautiful family photos and memories.

My favorite poem in this book is the one she wrote about her daughter, Alicia. Alicia was born with a hearing impairment and learning disabilities. The author describes how the doctors did not believe that Alicia would not be able to speak and would have difficulties walking. The author then writes a poem about how Alicia is her hero and a champion, and how incredibly proud she is of this daughter who was not supposed to be able to walk, competing in the Special Olympics and winning a gold medal. Other than the incredible accomplishment and a mother’s pride, there is a beautiful photo of Alicia holding up her gold medal. This was my favorite part of this book.

While a majority of the poems in this novel are about Afroz Martino and her family, there are several poems included that are not family-related that bring a balance to this book. As with the poems about her family, the author includes photos to illustrate her thoughts and meanings.

I am not normally a fan of poetry. Typically, they can be difficult to get through. However, there was nothing I did not enjoy about this book. I could relate to almost all of the author’s poems. I think because there was such a beautifully written summary at the end describing the author’s life, I was able to understand the emotions and people the author was trying to summarize.

I will happily rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. In addition to enjoying reading this story, I did not find any grammatical or spelling errors. This novel appears to have been professionally edited. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves poetry. Reading poems can evoke powerful emotions that change each time you read them. I look forward to reading and rereading this book.

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Bringing my words to light
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[marta baglioni]

I saw this book in the review section and was really tempted. Given your enthusiastic review, I am certainly going to buy this book.
Thank you

[NancyDrew12]

This book seems very personal. I enjoy when authors share their lives. Great review!