Official Review: I Am The Fire That Flares Up Again

[amybo82]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "I Am The Fire That Flares Up Again" by Jonathan Douglas Duran.]

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I Am the Fire That Flares Up Again by Jonathan Douglas Duran is a collection of prose and poetry focused on life, love, religion, and death. The author opens with a poem as the prologue. It sets the tone for the book, with a dismal mood but strong emotion and powerful imagery. Next is a series of short stories that read like unmetered poetry. The author makes it clear that he is strongly opposed to materialism and traditional religious beliefs that encourage hate. In addition to poems and short prose, he also presents his ideas through a series of scripts.

At first, I was distracted by some of the technical elements. I felt like the poetry needed more of a structure, and the selective capitalization seemed to be an error. However, as I kept reading, I realized that these changes were intentional, and I saw how they had an effect on the overall mood of the collection. The author has an excellent grasp of how to correctly use elements such as grammar and word choice. He also uses poetic license in misusing these elements to help get his point across. There are a few scattered (seemingly) unintentional spelling and grammar errors that could be caught with one more proofread. Above all, I appreciate his use of alliteration throughout the book.

The author effectively communicates his ideas, both through his story and the way he has written it. For example, in “In a Lonely Place”, he utilizes white space to help tell the story. One of my favorite pieces was “Proof”, which contained a list of distractions that I am sure anyone can relate to. “Medium” is a reflection on religion that points out hypocrisies and beliefs that just do not make sense. “Fade in Fade Out” is a script with a very poignant look at life, reminding us, “You want to do something? Then [just] do it…quit drinking, quit smoking, start writing, start living your life the way you want to…you control your actions, your choices are your own and you hold all the power to change your lot” (p. 99).

I would recommend I Am the Fire That Flares Up Again to someone who likes to mix it up. Because there are a variety of styles of writing, it is a pretty quick read, but the topics covered are heavier than your average novel. The author is not shy about voicing his opinion, and he backs it up with logical arguments. The scripts make for easy reading, and the well-developed characters leave you wanting more—in a good way. Readers who enjoy deep, meaningful writing and who do not mind an author’s use of poetic license will really enjoy this book.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The messages in the book were moving, and the technicalities of the writing really added to the robust emotions. Throughout the book, there are pieces that are disturbing but extremely well written, with excellent suspense and underlying meanings.

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