Review of Harmony

[sayjil gordhan]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Harmony" by Apala Banerjee.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Harmony: The Saga of the Earth by Apala Banerjee is an anthology of thirty poems, all centered around the theme of nature. There are three chapters: the author begins with poems about the seasons, then explores the love for landscape and agriculture, and the last chapter, which comprises half the book, focuses on environmental crisis. The author lures the reader in with vivid imagery and connects the reader with how nature contributes to everyone’s wonderful experiences. A series of whimsical sketches are also provided, which are captivating throughout the book.

The poems are short and written simplistically so that the reader is able to immediately grasp the essence of the poems. It is evident that the author arranged the poems with purpose, and one can easily see this from the change of tone. Considering current environmental states such as climate change and pollution, the average reader would expect tones of pessimism or melancholy. However, the tone of the chapters began in optimism and wonder, which transformed into informativeness and persuasiveness to convey imperative action. One of the ways in which you can tell this is by the fact that the earlier chapters tend to rhyme and have the rhythm of a song compared to the somber later chapters.

The author does hold humans accountable; for instance, “Easily caught, many suffered, becoming sailors’ stew,” when describing how the dodo bird had become extinct. This stuck out to me because I do not think most people are familiar with why the dodo bird is extinct and how much humans are to be directly blamed for certain extinct animals. The author presents this information subtly, so as to be more informative than accusatory, in order to convince people that “countless species at risk today, so please contribute before they all go away.” This is the type of message people need to understand—that environmental care is not just about conserving resources, but also about protecting creatures in the environment that maintain harmonious balance.

This book resonated deeply within me as an animal lover and someone who supports sustainability. I think it’s important to continuously pick up books that enlighten you about the Earth but also ones that inspire you to appreciate the Earth and its creatures, like this one. This book is short and simplistic, but it is one I would suggest to every reader because it broadens the mind and does not carry the message in a way that would be an imposition. I recommend this book to lovers of poetry and nature. I think this book can be read by children and adults. I have no negative views or criticism of the book. I rate this book a five out of five stars.

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Harmony
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[Gerry Steen]

I enjoy reading poetry because the vivid words of the poet can be interpreted to fit my experiences. This brings emotions that are in my heart. The images come to life. I like that the author celebrated nature and its beauty to lead up to our responsibility of being worthwhile stewards for Mother Nature. Thank you for reviewing this book of poetry.