Review of Love Verses Hate

[Adan Raed Abu-Hakmeh]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Love Verses Hate" by James Mr. Speaker Sears.]

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2 out of 5 stars

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The book "Love Versus Hate" is a collection of fifty-five poems written by James "Mr. Speaker" Sears Jr. Organized in seven chapters, the poems range from discussing the love of Christian beliefs, food, love of friends, sexual relationships, and romance. The chapter titles inform the reader of the themes of the poems. Most of the poems follow a coupling rhyming scheme, which is easy to read. In a few poems, the author ingeniously uses the placement of the words on the page in an illustrative manner, such as in "Beauty is a Beast" or "The Warning Shot." The artistic placement of the stanzas does not affect the reading of these poems, as the words are still read from left to right.

Upon review, I rated this book a 2 out of 5. The main reason for this rating is that a significant number of the poems spoke of women in derogatory ways in some of the stanzas or throughout the entirety of the poem.
Regarding the poems with misogynistic statements or themes, a repeated phrase throughout the book calls out women who have "fake hair." Some other stanzas emphasize the author's repeated derision towards women who have fake nails, tattoos, or wear tight clothes. Multiple poems make derogatory comments regarding the smell of natural bodily functions, claiming that women are not clean if they do not shower every day.
In addition to the degradation of women, a few poems explicitly discuss sexual intercourse. The poems that discuss intercourse are unambiguous and raunchy. A few of those poems are written as if the subject is seeking a relationship, some of the other poems are written as if the subject is in a committed relationship, and others are written as though the subject is ready to end or has recently ended a relationship. In two of the poems, the subject threatens violence against the partner.
Finally, a few poems have statements that are homophobic or transphobic.
Despite these recurring themes, a few of the poems, such as "Soul Food Loving" or "Apple Pie," are delightful love letters to food and family. These poems match the overall theme of the book of poetry, which is the discussion of love in many forms, hate, and the lines between the two emotions.

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Love Verses Hate
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