Official Review: Signals From the Left behind

[lavellan]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Signals From the Left behind" by Steven Michalove.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Signals From the Left Behind is a collection of poetry by Steven Michalove. Michalove offers a personal look into himself and the world around us. The main themes described in the collection are love, nationalism, faith, and nature.

Important topics are discussed within this book. I personally enjoyed where Michalove provided his insights into the meaning of war. One poem that did a great job of this was entitled “Don’t Ask Me Why”. The poem switches between imagery alluding to nature and war. Michalove wishes to describe the meaningless of man’s pursuit of power and how we should instead focus on love and nature’s beauty. Two inclusions that I enjoyed were the dedication and introductory letter provided at the beginning of the work. They gave me needed background information regarding Michalove’s father and his religious faith. Michalove and his family are of the Jewish faith. Having prior knowledge of this made it easier for me to determine which poems were alluding to the struggles of the Jewish people. For example, “Dream Becomes Reality” discusses the horrors of the Holocaust. Additionally, I enjoyed the photographs that accompanied the poems. They reflected the mood of each poem perfectly and added visual appeal to the collection.

In terms of faults, the vocabulary used in the collection was an issue at times. One example included the overuse of sordid. Using a word with a similar meaning would have helped with the flow of the poetry. Additionally, Michalove’s science and engineering background showed in the language used. Layman readers might have difficulties reading some of the poems due to the use of technical terms such as sigma and vector. There was also one poem that felt out of place. “I Wish I Could Heal Your Cat” seemed more like a letter to a friend than a poem. I also felt that the poems were repetitive at times. Many of the same themes and ideas were examined repeatedly.

Signals From the Left Behind contained errors. They did not seriously impact my enjoyment of the book, but the errors indicated that it still needed to undergo professional editing. Most of the errors dealt with misspelling and apostrophe misuse. For example, husband was misspelled in the dedication.

I rate Signals From the Left Behind 3 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed the thought-provoking poems and imagery provided in the book. However, the editing issues and vocabulary keep me from giving the book a higher rating. I would recommend the book to readers who enjoy poetry and imagery alluding to nature. Audiences who enjoy straightforward narratives and have strong nationalist ties may not like this collection.

******
Signals From the Left behind
View: on Bookshelves

Like lavellan's review? Post a comment saying so!

[kandscreeley]

Wow! Sounds like a pretty good collection, but it could definitely use some help. I would be embarrassed if I misspelled husband. I'm glad you were able to enjoy this, but poetry is just not my forte. Thanks for the review, though.

[Marissa Michael]

I was thinking of putting this to my tbr list until I came across that there are technical terms in the poetry. I think I'm one of those people who enjoy straightforward narrative. I have to pass this one and thank you for your review.

[Nmesoma]

I love poems and if it's from someone who studied engineering then that's a win. Your review was wonderful, loved it!

[daniya__shah3]

The use of jargon sounds like an issue. However, I loved how you have reviewed the poetry in detail. Amazing review!

[strawberrysab]

"husband was misspelled in the dedication" I feel so sorry for the poor husband lol
Great review anyway! I'm very picky when it comes to poetry, but I might give it a try.

[lavellan]

I was thinking of putting this to my tbr list until I came across that there are technical terms in the poetry. I think I'm one of those people who enjoy straightforward narrative. I have to pass this one and thank you for your review.

Thanks for your response! The technical terms are nothing too major, but they appear often enough that they may be confusing for some readers.

[lavellan]

"husband was misspelled in the dedication" I feel so sorry for the poor husband lol
Great review anyway! I'm very picky when it comes to poetry, but I might give it a try.

Thanks for your response! I was taken aback as well. I think that the collection is a good choice if you are interested in allusions to nature and love.

[Faithmwangi]

This book does sound interesting. I have never been one for poetry but i might give this a try. Thanks for the great review.

[topdan30]

A peopm from someone who studied engineering? will sure want to read. Thanks for the review