Review of Secondary Worlds

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Melisa Jane
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Review of Secondary Worlds

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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Secondary Worlds" by Aaron Gedaliah.]
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5 out of 5 stars
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Secondary Worlds is a poetry book by Aaron Gedaliah. It is inspired by the "secondary worlds" concept and the human condition in general. The poems cover four main themes: the personas' general reflections and moods, reminders of how time flies, depictions of atrocities humans commit in the name of religion, and general ranting about life.

Poems are always close to my heart, as they aptly depict the human condition and have deep meanings despite their often brief nature. This book, Secondary Worlds, appealed to me in two major ways. First, I liked that the poems were grouped into distinct themes. Grouping related poems into sections made them easy to follow, enhancing my understanding. Second, I liked the effects the poems had on me. I found most of them deep, inspiring, and thought-provoking, and I also felt they talked to me directly.

Although I enjoyed the whole book, some particular poems stood out to me. For example, in "The God Game," the persona boasts of how he (or she) is a "vengeful instrument of God's darkness." [pg. 51] It was interesting to see how the author used sarcasm in the poem to aptly depict the lengths people can go to commit and justify their crimes in the name of religion. "Yom Ha Shoa" and "Elegy for Maria Trinidad" are other examples that have similar themes. The fact that these poems capture real issues we face in society today will make them enjoyable to fans of thought-provoking literary works.

My favorite aspect of this book was the section that reflected on how fast time slips away. "Sighted Blindness," one of the poems, couldn't have been more apt in describing how modern-day distractions can prevent us from living in the moment. Before we know it, time has gone, leaving us wondering how fast it did so. These poems reminded me of the need to be present and savor each moment, and I'll definitely be rereading them from time to time.

All in all, there was nothing I disliked about this book. I found no errors in it, so I can conclude that it was perfectly edited. Therefore, I am glad to award Secondary Worlds by Aaron Gedaliah five out of five stars. This book earns my perfect rating due to the above-mentioned positives and the fact that I didn't find anything to dislike about it.

I highly recommend this book to fans of free-verse poetry, which has thought-provoking themes. On the other hand, some poems touch on sensitive religious topics, and although I can't categorically say it is best suited or unsuited for people of a particular religion, open-minded readers will appreciate it more.

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Secondary Worlds
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Post by Natalie_Taylor »

Honestly, a book exploring the cross-sections of religion and science sound incredibly interesting, but I fear that A) I am not a fan of poetry, free-verse or not, and B) that only 6 chapters feels inadequate to fully discuss the nuance of this topic. Congrats on BOTD, though.
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Post by Mikhaelah Zeigler 1 »

I didn't think I was a poetry fan , however recently I've been drawn into thought-provoking poems like you describe here. It sounds like I would enjoy this read, heading over to Amazon now 😁.
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