Official Review: I Am The Dancing Girl by Roxanne Zusmer

ALynnPowers · Post by **ALynnPowers** » 09 Jul 2020, 15:53

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "I Am The Dancing Girl" by Roxanne Zusmer.]

4 out of 4 stars

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I Am the Dancing Girl is a collection of poetry by Roxanne Zusmer. The poems vary from whimsical rhyme to free verse, with a few samples of narrative poetry as well. Zusmer writes about her own experiences and emotions from adolescence through adulthood. With over 70 poems within the book, it’s impossible to summarize them all, but some common themes include coming of age, feeling out of place, self-acceptance, friendship, and love.

I try to avoid talking about the author when I review books, but in this case, the book and the author have a very strong relationship. It was easy for me to feel connected to the author through her poetry. I don’t know her personally, but I feel like I could describe little pieces of her personality (she daydreams a lot and has anxiety) and appearance (she’s a tall, thin woman with red hair) just based on little hints that popped up here and there across multiple poems.

Although Zusmer’s experiences span across a time period of 60 years, I personally feel that these emotions are timeless. A modern 16-year-old would be familiar with the feeling of loneliness even while surrounded by tons of people; a 40-year-old knows the same feeling. Those same feelings existed when Zusmer wrote about them in her younger days. If I learned anything from this book, it’s that human emotions remain consistent despite the passage of time.

One of my favorite poems was a narrative that appeared near the end of the book. At first, I thought that the change in style would disrupt the flow of the book, but a few lines later, I was hooked. It was a quick story of how the author struck up a conversation with a stranger, but such a simple action made a lasting impression. That particular poem had the same lasting impression on me.

While free of profanity or other explicit language, this book would be best suited for adults and older teenagers who have the ability to interpret the heavy use of symbolic language within the text. I am sure that there are some hidden messages and symbolism that even I was not able to understand in depth. The title itself is a slightly vague metaphor, and the poem of the same name conjures images of a little girl trying to find hidden pictures in paintbrush strokes in order to calm herself. More in-depth specifics are left for the reader to interpret.

I am glad to give this book of poetry a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. The book appears to have been professionally edited, and the writing is impeccable. Although I didn’t enjoy a few of the poems as much as I enjoyed others, I can't even point out any poems that I would classify as “not good” or poorly written. I would certainly read more from this author. I definitely recommend this book to all poetry lovers.

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I Am The Dancing Girl
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Harty Muli · Post by **Harty Muli** » 05 Aug 2020, 05:55

I like that the poems relate very strongly to the author. Thanks for a wonderful review.

Elvis Best · Post by **Elvis Best** » 05 Aug 2020, 08:37

I do enjoy reading poetry collections, but the cover of this book really creeps me out. Thanks for the informative review though. Good job!

gatuguta2030 · Post by **gatuguta2030** » 05 Aug 2020, 15:31

The poetry book is a read I would enjoy anytime. Narrative poetry is quite captivating. Thanks for the great review.

cyriladavan · Post by **cyriladavan** » 06 Aug 2020, 04:52

It is good that you did not hesitate talking about the author. I remember my poetry teacher saying that a poem should possess the watermark of a poet.