Folake Taylor’s The Only Way is Up: The Journey of an Immigrant gives interesting perspectives on various topics from a woman who is not native to America but is well versed in American culture. Born in Nigeria, raised in the U.K. and living in the U.S., Folake Taylor’s viewpoint on things such as being a Christian, obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight, and the positive effects of traveling around the world, comes from the wisdom of experiencing different cultures up close and personal. This can be very relevant to the American reader seeking to gain a better understanding of what can be achieved in life in on American soil.

What makes Taylor’s book a powerful document is that the author gives her personal blueprint to a life filled with more success and less stress. Taylor moved to the US from the UK and went on to become an MD by staying true to God, being patient and being persistent. If the reader is seeking solutions to getting out of a rut or confirmation that they are going in the right direction, this book is perfect. If the reader is not looking to change, this book may quickly become boring unless you like reading a good story.

A lot of the things Taylor discusses are not groundbreaking, and she explains that early in The Only Way Is Up. With a great editor, this book can really take off. What holds The Only Way is Up back small things like sentence structure and concise idea flow. One funny mistake in this book is a section where Taylor speaks about the probability that a female will marry a professional athlete. For her example, she makes the point that it’s unlikely that any person will easily marry a professional basketball player. Instead of using NBA, she uses MBA. The first time I thought, “Maybe she’s saying that a person is unlikely to find a mate that has a Master’s in Business Administration.” The second time she used MBA in the context of an NBA player, I couldn’t help but shake my head and giggle at the medical-doctor-turned-author. It is like when my wise mother talks about cell phone technology, just as cute as it is wrong.

What makes The Only Way is Up such an easy read is Taylor’s voice. I didn’t feel like I was sitting in a creaky, wooden desk while Taylor points at me with a ruler telling what’s wrong with me and what’s right with her. Instead, I felt like Taylor was sitting on the couch with me sharing her wisdom. When she shares her experience with motherhood, I didn’t feel like she was trying to teach me anything. Instead, I learned from Taylor as she expressed the joys and challenges of raising her beautiful daughter. Although I’m a married man, Taylor’s advice on being a single woman and finding a potential husband was very enlightening. During this section and the one about her childhood in Nigeria and the U.K., Taylor gives a glimpse into the possibilities of growing up outside of the U.S. Those same recollections of her past also serve to show how the difference in environment and experiences leads to a different outlook from the average American reader.

Although Taylor’s parents are both highly-educated, well-traveled professors and Taylor is well-travelled, her life is not without struggles and trials. What sets her The Only Way is Up apart from other books in its genre is she does not focus on the negativity of her struggle as an immigrant or as a person of color. Instead, those trials and tribulations are points of reflection for betterment. There is a point in the book where she discusses her life principles. The one about knowing one’s history stood out. Although self-explanatory, her reasoning for you learning about your history and knowing your place in it were eye-opening when put in the proper context: a Black woman of Nigerian and English descent actively learning about African-American history to help her better understand the struggles and some of the problems that Black people go through in America.

A great way to know who you are as a person and to better understand your culture is to travel to another country. Many times, Americans in general and African-Americans specifically, can not see the forest for the trees in terms of their place in the world. We can not see the barriers we set in front of ourselves because of being wrapped up in our day-to-day activities. The beauty of reading The Only Way is Up is being able to read about the experiences and perspectives of a person who is not from here. Taylor has a way of ebbing and flowing between reminiscing and advising that blends so well together that the reader might get wrapped up in the literary ride and learn a thing or two.

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The Confessional Heart of a Man is the debut poetry collection from The Greatest Poet Alive (GPA). Leading this collection of lyrical introspection is an intensely lusty poem cryptically entitled “A Thousand Times”. The mixture of word forms an enchanting imagery of an infinite desire. With the second poem, “Even In Death”, I was reeled into the power of GPA as a wordsmith. I could visualize his view on love with a bone-chilling clarity. Instead of keeping that momentum rolling with something like “Love Letter” or “Death of a Love”, GPA caught me totally off guard with a crack high in black-and-white entitled “Anticipation of My Love”.

There are many subjects covered in The Confessional Heart of a Man. GPA touches on “baby momma drama”, serving time in the penitentiary, the “n-word” and many others. But GPA is at his best when he expands the possibilities of love and lust with his vivid imagination and control over a vast vocabulary. Even poems like “Stolen Moments” and “Metaphor” are intriguing in their approach to the otherwise mundane or socially wrong. In “Stolen Moments”, the way GPA phrases the adulterous sentiments of a man speaking to his mistress is a lyrically beautiful as any marital bliss. “Metaphor” meanders through metaphors to express uninhibited lust taken out of a female suitor.

Throughout The Confessional Heart of a Man, GPA proves that he is much more than an erotic hustler of prose. The book has four main themes: love/lust, relationship problems, incarceration and black power. He covers each easily. Poems like “Dedication” and “My Thoughts as a Woman” stood out in the crowd because they showed the depth of GPA’s intellectual muscle. His openly discusses the difficulties of relationships gone awry. His love/hate relationship with the “n-word” is just as expressive as his thoughts on black nationalism. He even sheds an unapologetic light on Black genocide at the hands of the police.

It is easy to tell that GPA is a spoken-word poet. The words are there, but I knew that there is a unique way that the poems are supposed to flow. It was like reading a rapper’s lyrics without hearing the song. I’ve had the opportunity of hearing him perform, so I knew reading and witnessing were two different things.

The Confessional Heart of a Man was hard to read because the word order he chose is easier to hear and understand during a performance, but that same word order is hard to read. All in all it is a good book of poetry by an established and intelligent poet that any poetry lover will find something to love.

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I have to admit that when I started reading Real Thoughts by N.S. Ugezene, I was frustrated. Although the main character stayed true to the title by expressing his thoughts and feelings on various topics, I couldn’t  figure out why I should care about his “plight” as a reader. (And I never figured out why people called him Pascal and other times KP.)

Pascal was a twenty-something man surviving in Pamona, CA, the best way he knows how. His mother stayed on his case, his dad made him out to be the ultimate momma’s boy, his step-father didn’t like him and the female friends that he accumulated came and went. He wasn’t too much different than most people at that age in that respect. What piqued my interest was his use of words because I understood the gist but wasn’t used to the way Real Thoughts read.

With a stack of “dirty magazines” to ease the tension created by his string of girlfriends and other females, Pascal stumbles through the typical growing pains of a young man staying at home with his parents while pursuing a college degree and trying to make his money stretch from paltry check to paltry check. His musings on things like people being materialistic, generational gaps in attitudes and proper diet are not ground-breaking, but they show the depths of Pascal’s critical thinking skills.

As I traveled through the pages, the one thing I could gather from Pascal was the fact that he had tons of opinions. What made this journey difficult as a reader was the painstaking detail in which Ugezene plotted Pascal’s day-to-day activities. If Pascal’s thoughts were the meat of the story, his daily routine made Real Thoughts overweight with irrelevant fluff.

His girl problems, money  problems, mall visits and time with his boys annoyed me like  fingernails being scraped across a chalk board. That annoyance slowly  gave way to intrigue. I wanted to know more about his background. I wanted to figure out why I couldn’t easily wrap my mind around Pascal’s experience.

Half way though the book, it hit me. Ugezene, and by extension Pascal, is Nigerian-American, born to Nigerian parents and raised in the United States. From this standpoint, I became intrigued with getting an inside look into a sub-culture of Black America that I hadn’t really put much thought into.

It started to make sense why he “fragranced” himself after showering rather than “putting on cologne”. Pascal’s journey into manhood was framed in a duality. He was an insider and an outsider at the same time: he is a part of the African-American culture, yet he was looked at as being different by his older Nigerian family. Although I was curious to read more about Real Thoughts‘ Nigerian-American angle, I was not enchanted.

As a reviewer, I found myself at the crossroads with Real Thoughts. There was one thing that I simultaneously liked and disliked about this book. Ugezene’s use of Pascal to express thoughts about world events didn’t translate well when framed within Pascal’s mediocre life. Reading about his thoughts and his minute-by-minute twenty-something life was not enjoyable. On the other hand, Pascal’s use of the English language as a Nigerian-American was fascinating in and of itself.

Since Pascal’s life was repetitive, Real Thoughts seemed to end abruptly. It was like I was driving down long road only to fall off a cliff that came out of no where. Real Thoughts never got into a progressive flow, so the chapters could have been placed in any order to achieve the same effect.

I think Real Thoughts would have done better as a book of essays by Ugezene, since it became easy to figure that Pascal’s life closely resembled the author’s. But I also think there is a niche in the making with Ugezene helming a genre for a new generation of Nigerian-American readers that grow up with Hip-Hop and the Internet.

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Go Into The House is Rodney A. Winters’ first, and hopefully not last, gift to the literary world. The author journeyed through a daunting marriage only to emerge a divorced man with a powerful testimony. This book is not a book about deliverance. The author’s testimony is not hinged on God bringing him out of a horrible experience that he caused. Instead, the book shows the keeping power of God.

The duality of the title, the symbolism of the book’s cover and the message within impressed me with the overall cohesiveness. Winters breaks down the various meanings the phrase “go in the house”. One of most relevant meanings to his testimony is the author having the fortitude to live in the house regardless of the chaos his ex-wife caused for him and his children. The book cover directly ties into this. Taken from the ground level, you see  a man standing stiff in a rigid stance while his children are playing in the background.

The other, more spiritual meaning to “go into the house” centers around the parable of The Prodigal Son. Winters broadens the character of the older son. Most people portray the older son that stayed with the father as being selfish for questioning the lavish party enjoyed by the wayward son. Winters perfectly gives enough information and perspective to broaden the older son’s experience and possible next move in the name of the Lord.

Many times, we ask questions like, “Why me, God? What did I do so wrong to deserve this?” This book is a valuable asset to both men and women who can’t quite put their finger on how to exit a spiritually exhausting relationship and stay strong in spite of it all. Winters’ faith in the Lord’s Will and His Plan simply defied logic. The average man, and even above-average man, would have lashed out when faced with this blatant infidelity.

For those who love to read drama with seemingly impossible plot twists, Winters experience with his ex-wife is literally unbelievable. There are many moments he shares that will make you physically shake your head in amazement. Winters’ intention is not to villianize his ex-wife by detailing her indiscretions. Instead, the author’s openness gives him the room necessary to teach the reader a more fulfilling way to navigate the pain of being betrayed, misunderstood, disrespected and devastated by a person you love and thought loved you.

As an author, Winters is the master of the “give and take”. He gives you pieces of his life that are truly stressful to read, much less live through. Then he puts his literary arm around your neck, pulls you in close and takes you to a Christian way of letting go and letting God. Winter’s voice is crystal clear as he explains his situation and applies his understanding of biblical principles.

The lessons and perspectives present in this book can not be found in the churches’ Married Couples classes. There is a good reason for this. As pointed out in the book’s introduction, people who have gone through divorce are not usually deemed qualified to teach because of their failed marriages. Go Into The House is a valuable extension not only of Winters’ experience but also his teaching ability. What becomes easy to see is his ability to be open with the complexity of the adultery he went through and the simplicity of God’s solutions.

The back cover states that is “not just another book on marriage”. This is true. The perspectives Winters share in this book are broad but not vague. Winters states that his intention is to provide men with a means of better understanding their pain. As he shares his knowledge of the bible, his reflection on his life experiences and the lessons he learned, a reader can apply Go Into The House to any relationship. Whether it’s parent/child, husband/wife or employer/employee; Winters’ ability to teach and preach comes through brilliantly in written form. Go Into The House is not a self-help book; it is a conversation.

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Scattered Lies, the debut novel from Madison, gives the reader everything that makes Urban Fiction delicious. On the surface, this novel is full of high-priced cars, upscale backdrops and inner-city squalor. The entertainment factor is high, but the psychology of and interaction between the characters of Scattered Lies is what will make this a great read. Madison created characters with deep, dark layers giving the reader plenty to digest.

Scattered Lies starts in the middle and works its way to the beginning and the end simultaneously. This is one of the things that makes the novel such an interesting read. Most of the characters are related to each other in multiple ways. As the characters reveal bits and pieces through strong dialogue, the plot twists unravel and will make the gears turn inside of the critical readers’ minds. If you have to go back and re-read parts of Scattered Lies, rest assured that it is not due to poor editing. The complex plot twists keeps the reader engaged.

Although Greg is not the central character in terms of the amount of pages dedicated to him, he can be directly or indirectly attributed to the tangled web of events the author Madison has put together. Greg is a locked up master-mind of a criminal enterprise. More than just a common street thug, Greg’s vision for what was possible for his Melrose Projects crew is infinite. Greg attempts to set his people up for legal success gained mixed results. The intricate mix of personalities, abilities and sense of loyalty is what will separate Scattered Lies from the average Urban Fiction book.

Gabrielle is Greg’s loyal wife and a successful lawyer. Her parents are ashamed of her decision to marry a convicted criminal. Her love for Greg is as genuine as his love for her. The bond gives her the strength to be married at a distance. The monthly conjugal visits are great sexually but not enough to convince her to have children. Gabrielle met Greg while hanging out with her cousin, Denise. The bond with Greg was instant but is later strained when Gabrielle starts to figure out exactly how Greg landed in prison.

Denise, Greg’s protege, shows the most promise out of Greg’s associates. Instead of becoming a statistic, Denise became the exception to the rule. From teenage “good girl gone bad” to ruthless killer to a mature business executive, Denise is a testament to the fact that bad people can come from good families and good things can come from bad people. In the hood, she is known for making people who cross her disappear. At her day job, she is known for keeping everything under control and getting things done no matter what. However, she can’t stay away from street thugs with nothing to offer besides mind-blowing sex. She’s seen it all from being pimped to contract killings to multi-million dollar real-estate deals, and Denise still manages to keep a job strictly for the health benefits.

Tony is a nobody in the hood who is at the helm of a platinum-selling music career with the help of Greg’s direction and connections. With average looks and an overboard ego, Tony lives a life that most wanna-be rappers would die for. He is able to obtain a beautiful girlfriend who is equally successful in her R&B career. His sexual addiction makes it hard to enjoy his girlfriend. Unlike Denise, he has a rep for being a pushover in the streets.

In her debut novel, Madison shows her mastery of melding together name brand items with high level psychology. The characters in Scattered Lies know enough about each other to know that there is more to know. It is that surface tension that keeps the reader afloat amid infinitely deep plot twists. The realistic dialogue is matched with issues that will hit home with many readers: family favoritism, being in love with old flames, skeletons in the closet coming back to destroy stability, among others.

The additional characters and scenarios perfectly accommodate the flavor and complexity of Scattered Lies. Denise’s niece Morgan deals with issues that most teenagers struggle with such as teenage sex, being a critical thinker at a young age and being treated differently because of beauty. Gabrielle’s clientele also engages issues like money laundering practices by wealthy people and rich women who are sexually addicted to boy toys from the hood.

There were two things that did not sit comfortably with me: the book’s cover and the book’s ending. Past the fact that “shattered” rhymes with “scattered”, the only connection I could see between the book cover and its story was that two shards of the broken glass had an image of a microphone (Tony, the rapper) and a woman wearing an unbuttoned shirt with a pearl necklace (presumably Denise, but possibly Gabrielle). However, this cover is much more welcomed and classier than just posting up a pin up model. Scattered Lies’ ending was shocking, but not satisfying. Given the lives of the characters up to that point, I struggle to see how ending the story that way brings closure to the various plot twists or opens the opportunity for sequels.

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(One of the first ten people to comment on Mark Curry’s author interview will win a FREE copy of Dancing with the Devil from JoeyPinkney.com)

He has recorded with the biggest stars in the music business. He wrote many of the hits that made Sean “Puffy” Combs one of the richest men alive. On the surface, the multi-million dollar empire that Puff built looks like the stuff of dreams.

But after working with Puff for a decade, Curry discovered that Bad Boy Entertainment is not, as Puff promised, a place where dreams come true. No, rather it is a shell game comprised of contracts designed to rob artists of their time, dreams and publishing rights.

Dancing With the Devil reveals startling new details about key events in the fast paced, controversial (and sometimes deadly) world of Hip-Hop. In revealing the dark side of the industry, Curry hopes to provide a road map for reforms necessary to prevent artists ending up in poverty, in prison or in the grave.

“It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.” —Ecclesiastes 7:5

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Dancing With The Devil?

Mark Curry: Music is truly one of the most powerful tools we have to teach the world. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That’s what the music industry is now. It has fallen on hard times. Lust for power and money, it’s all greed. The industry is a shady business ran by crooks. I decided to write a book about it and the Devil is in the details.

To walk a mile in my shoes may be the best way to understand my emotions, perceptions and motives for writing Dancing with The devil. Joyful Music is a Powerful Heart Medicine and heartsick music can be infectious and poisoning. Hip-Hop used to be called “edutainment” because most rappers crafted their lyrics intelligently. Once it attracted your attention, it taught you knowledge and obedience.

I don’t even think the best artists are running anymore.

JP: What sets Dancing With The Devil apart from other memoirs by people who have experienced the entertainment industry?

MC: What makes my story different is what makes me who I am. My knowledge is from first-hand experience, and what I witnessed in the industry is how they attempted to pull the wool over my eyes as if I was a blind sheep.

I’ve dealt with “Puff Daddy”, one of the most powerful figures in the business, and not to many people can say they have. I viewed it from a different standpoint. I’m commanded to tell what I’ve witnessed, AND NOTHING MORE!

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Dancing With The Devil getting out to the public?

MC: More doing and less talking is always best. I didn’t complain about much because there was no one to complain to. The spirit of the good God dwells in me, and I traveled deep into my inner being and spoke with him.

We all are either children of God or of the Devil. Some people are EVIL by nature because it’s their character. I consciously reject EVIL and accept GOODNESS. I didn’t write the book to bring Puffy down. I wrote the book to educate those that are trying to get UP! Through my relationships, as I call it, “being connected to the true vine”, I was able to write this book and release it on my own.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Dancing With The Devil?

MC: “Every story has an end, but in life, every end is just a new beginning.” Timing was very important in this process. I had to go from the middle to the end. The end didn’t come until I realized who I was dealing with, or should I say who I was “dancing” with.

I knew that nothing good can come from something bad. That’s what Bad Boy Entertainment was, just a dark cloud hovering over my life. I had to move that mountain to clear my path.

JP: What’s next for Mark Curry?

MC: I plan on working with other aspiring artists and writing more books. I once was lost, but now I’m found and happy today. I have so much more to talk about. I’m glad that I learned the tricks in the industry, and now it my job to expose the foolery.

No man with a dream should have to travel this road that leads to nowhere if you read Dancing With The Devil and understand what you’re reading.

http://www.markcurrybook.com/
http://twitter.com/markcurrybook

P.S. Join the Joey Reviews Newsletter at http://joeypinkney.com/joey-reviews-newsletter.html.

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The questions centered upon book reviewers and their take on what makes a good book, paying for book reviews and other literary issues.

Here is the link: http://www.theurbanbooksource.com/features/reviewbasics-I.php

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What does a marine engineer and a high-end women’s boutique owner have in common? A swift bump on the head! Art Noble’s The Sacred Female is an erotic tale of sexual awakening for both the man and the woman. A chance meeting in the mall leads to a lifetime of love, laughter and melodrama.

Both Ricard and Jeanne experienced life, sex, marriage and children on their own accord. When they met, they were both secure in their respective careers and companionless households. After the usual courting ritual, complete with dates and the informational telephone conversations, the sexual aspect naturally creeps into the picture.

What Jeanne and Richard experience during their first coital encounter, neither are fully prepared. Completely trusting Richard and his commands, Jeanne experiences the phenomenon of female ejaculation. This liberation caused them to separately and collectively view their world in a totally new perspective.

Richard immediately experienced a paradigm shift. Having the analytical mind of an engineer and the abstract understanding of a poetry lover, he transformed spiritually in ways he never imagined possible. His curiosity lead to deep introspection, extensive research, wonderfully exhaustive sex and spiritual enlightening. He shared all four fully and faithfully with Jeanne.

Jeanne’s willingness to let herself go completely to Richard opens up an untapped aspect of her womanhood. On that fateful night, Jeanne wanted to stop for fear of urinating in Richard’s bed. Her ejaculation opens a floodgate, not just of sexual juices but also of emotions and new realizations of her role in a relationship with a man and with God.

Prior to Richard, Jeanne was a hard-nose business woman, complete with her own boutique and luxury car. These things, which she worked tremendously hard to achieve, give way to a more fulfilling relationship with Richard. She had experienced what she thought was love with her ex-husband, but her new found relationship with Richard makes her life unstable all over again.

The Sacred Female is more than a story sharing love and great sex. This novel also deals with the ups and downs of being in a relationship, the spiritual connections of love and the hardships of trying to digest it all. Together, Jeanne and Richard mature exponentially each day. They begin to think alike and even pick up the phone when the other person is calling. Such rapid growth is not without its growing pains. The hardships of change and the unknown only bring them closer. Richard slowly allows himself to be identified as the more casual “Rich Andrews”, something which shocks all who know him.

Richard’s occupation provides an interesting side-plot in The Sacred Female. As a marine engineer with ten years of experience at the established Greenbrier Corporation, his career in both stable and fulfilling. This comes to an head when he realizes his signature is being forged on company letterhead for projects he didn’t approve.

This is a very interesting side-story in The Sacred Female. Prior to meeting Jeanne, Richard would have went to war. Instead, Richard navigates a course unseen by doing what feels right instead of letting his logic fuel his emotions.The way Richard sorts out his thoughts and actions in light of his new found connection with his intuition is almost as interesting as how that aspect of The Sacred Female comes to a close.

Even though The Sacred Female is a work of fiction, Noble draws upon extensive research and rich personal experience to keep things interesting. The Sacred Female is not a how-to book on humping a woman into oblivion. This novel is about aspects of a woman’s sexuality that goes beyond the limitations of the scientific and the procedural.

Noble allows his reader to learn by looking over Richard’s shoulder as he ties together Western Science with the knowledge and wisdom of ancient cultures from around the world. In his search for the explanation for the physical, he finds an answer that is spiritually beyond  qualifying in human terms. He is constantly pushed closer to God, and Jeanne follows his lead, opening up the “Three Gates” of sexual and spiritual fulfillment.

The Sacred Female is a strong debut from Art Noble. His literary voice is clear and direct, allowing the reader to enjoy the story unfold instead of getting bogged down in learning the meaning of new words. Noble’s penchant to the subtleties of conversation is full of movie references, witty jokes and rich dialogue. Although you will become quickly in tune and comfortable with Richard and Jeanne, you will not become bored.

You will experience the realistic ups and downs of a relationship as they get to know each other spiritually and are forced to grow. What starts out as sexually between Richard and Jeanne progresses to the intellectual. This desire for knowledge about the mechanics of female ejaculation is under-girded by the reality of a spiritual awakening that reconstructs the psyches of two people who were established in their professions and thought they were stable in their personal identities.

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With The Age Begins, Oneal Walters puts his heartbeats on paper. When a writer is a poet, the literature is filled with poetic elements. Oneal Walters is a poet that is a writer. The Age Begins is a poetic assemblage that shows, through verse and concept, the story of a working man who is also a struggling, educated poet. From “Born Again” to “Finding Pleasure” to “A Special Proceeding”, Walters gives the reader a candid peak inside of a poet’s perspective.

This is a poetry book that cannot be judged for simply being a poetry book, nor can it be judged by the illustration on the book’s cover. The cuddling camels and prodigious palace in a vast desert conjure Saharan images complete with flying carpets and magical lamps. Instead, The Age Begins is steeped in the complexity of love, the challenges of finding a fulfilling job and the toils of gaining respect as a writer.

From the poem “Passionate”:

The Age Begins reads like the soundtrack of the life of a person seeking truth with his poetry and precision with his heart. Like any true poet, the main character’s passion is for the artistic purity of writing. Walter deftly depicts the rejection by the hands of the gatekeepers of the publishing world. Then there are the people who claim they will help, but never do. There is also the underlying encounter between the main character and a female that brings a heightened level of sexual and intellectual complexity.

The reoccurring bus trips and genuine conversations with the female were especially poignant. The main character shares his innermost secrets, his innermost thoughts. The reader gets an exchange that is transparent and more enriching than the manufactured struggles of a romance novel. Walters manages to give the best definition of the concept of love I have ever come across in “Explain Love”.

From the poem “Strongest Female”:

There is a section of The Age Begins that deals with something that is very close to home for many people: the effects of an economic recession. Walters becomes a journalist in the true sense of the word as he details the ravaging effects that the lack of love and money can have on a marriage. Poems like “BETRAYAL” and “Curse and Be Cursed” tell the story of mental deterioration under the strangle of distress.

From the poem “Cursed and Be Cursed”:

All in all, The Age Begins is more than slick rhyme schemes that skim over abstract ideas in order to affront cuteness. If you are looking for composition that is more reality that fantasy, this is a collection of life’s poetry: brutally honest and deceptively beautiful.

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Tyra Denine’s Damaged Goods is powerful memoir that gives an inside look at the abusive environment that rob girls of their innocence in the poverty stricken neighborhoods scattered across America. You can judge this book by the cover. Before you can open Damaged Goods, you are confronted by the image of a naked woman. She is far from the eye candy Black readers have been spoiled with over the past couple of decades. Scratched up and chained to a box, she is a bitter pill–a reminder of a reality.

Chattel slavery lasted for over 460 years in America. Although Denine doesn’t discuss it directly, the effects of that holocaust can be witnessed in her autobiographic tale. The exhausting struggle for survival madeDenine’s mother into a mad mixture of one part love and three parts sadism. Growing up the middle child of five girls, Denine’s life was akin to a violently deranged Cinderella story. Physical, mental and sexual abuse came from all angles, not just her father and mother. Her uncles and neighbors also had free reign to beatDenine and her sisters for the smallest infraction. After her parents’ divorce, her step-father’s sexual advances while she was a pre-teen was just as disturbing as her choice to give her virginity before it was taken from her later in her teenage years.

As Denine matured into womanhood, and eventually motherhood, her life remained jagged. From the attempted rape during her teenage years to her Pro-Black ex-husband who had a penchant for White women, Damaged Goods did not fizzle out in terms of intensity. The pace slowed and the tone matured during the time she spends in the Navy, but the drama is ever-present. The effects of the abuse was seen in her low self-esteem, yet the strength and beauty of her soul remained intact. It is this strength and beauty that eventually emerged from its cocoon. That little girl with scars on her face from the slaps of her mother is now an author/publisher through God’s grace and mercy.

While portraying the ugliness of her life, Denine really sheds light on what makes her so resilient. Denine effortlessly blends her disturbing commentary with well-timed poetry. If Damaged Goods was a musical, the poems sprinkled throughout the book would be the soundtrack. With rhythms and rhymes perfectly in tune with her story, her poetry offers peaceful moments of reflection in a otherwise turbulent confession.

The prologue of Damaged Goods is so powerfully written, I wondered what the rest of the book could bring. As each chapter came and went, I felt like I was sitting in a room with Denine , glued to her every word. I listened, not because I was nosy. I listened because I was concerned about just how much she could bear before she lost her mind, her life or both. This is the perfect book for the person who thinks all is lost. Denine’s Damaged Goods is the perfect and fitting example of the cliche “everybody has a story”.

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