Review of Train of Thoughts

Josephe-Anne · Post by **Josephe-Anne** » 20 Dec 2021, 00:27

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Train of Thoughts" by Veronica Thornton.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Climb steep mountains, navigate through dim tunnels, and feel every bump on the track as you enjoy Train of Thoughts by Veronica Thornton. This intriguing book consists of poems, short stories, and essays. In her poetry, Ms. Thornton uses clever rhymes, comparisons, and pop culture references to bring her thoughts to life. In her prose, she paints vivid pictures and expresses the sentiments that many of us share. Her essays cover relevant issues that American society is currently facing. She offers her unique perspective on matters of race, feminism, and economic disparity. Ms. Thornton’s works analyze a variety of topics. Her tone is mostly optimistic, and her confidence is inspiring. Her writing will surely make your imagination run wild.

Depicting the “train of thought” idiom, the cover image features a photo of a freight train. The design is not particularly artistic, but it effectively conveys the message. Love, loss, perseverance, sexuality, societal problems, and political issues are the main themes of the writings. In the poems, some of the verses rhyme, but others do not. There are quite a few sexual innuendos. There are a couple of instances where borderline profanity is used, but there is no violent content.

There were several pieces that I enjoyed. “Telling Times” is my favorite tale in this collection. It is a futuristic science fiction story involving people called “Memory Keepers” and a group named “The Disappointed People of America Movement.” Troublemakers threaten to destroy the utopia that was created by the advanced human race. I love the concept and the characters so much that I would really like to see the story fleshed out into a novel. “Numbers Game” is a brutally honest short story describing the reality of applying for government assistance. “Under the Influence” is a poem that describes the pressures young women face when dealing with unrealistic beauty standards that were influenced by Barbie dolls. I like the creativity that the author displayed by using unusual metaphors and puns.

However, there are several issues with this publication. In the essay entitled “Diverse Opinions on Diversity,” Ms. Thornton discusses problems related to gender, race, and social status, but I wish she had acknowledged that age is also a relevant factor in the workplace. As a person of color, I think that Americans of all races should be more grateful because they have access to privileges and opportunities that people in underdeveloped countries lack. Furthermore, there are so many successful African Americans who defied the odds and beat the system. Ms. Thornton even mentions Former President Barack Obama in the essay, so she could have focused on more of the positive changes regarding race relations. I also noticed inconsistent capitalization at the beginning of each new verse. Sometimes the first word is capitalized, and sometimes it is not. I realize that this was a stylistic choice, but the frequent capitalization inconsistencies and the omission of punctuation marks was distracting. In addition, I found more than ten errors in the text.

I have decided to give Train of Thoughts by Veronica Thornton three out of four stars. I deducted a star due to the number of errors that I found. The text needs a fair bit of editing. Nevertheless, I found Ms. Thornton’s literary works quite fascinating. Her poems often reference nature and cause you to reflect on your own life experiences. “Leveling the playing field” is a common refrain in many of the pieces in the book. I recommend this publication to those who enjoy edgy poetry, short stories, essays, and social commentary.

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Train of Thoughts
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Shivansh_Reviews · Post by **Shivansh_Reviews** » 22 Dec 2021, 13:53

Although this seems like a really nice book, it really is not my type, so I think I'll skip this one out. Thanks for the insightful review though.

MsH2k · Post by **MsH2k** » 29 Dec 2021, 19:18

Based on the cover, I would not have guessed this book contained such a wide range of thought-provoking entries and formats. I understand what you mean about acknowledging positive advancements while still working on the never-ending changes for improvement.
Thank you for your thoughtful review. Have a safe and healthy new year!

fancis1 · Post by **fancis1** » 30 Dec 2021, 04:50

The poetic tone of optimism and confidence in painting vivid imaginations of current societal issues makes reading this book "Train of thoughts" worthwile and compelling. Thanks for the review