I Hear Gaea - Book Review

I have to say that I found this work simply breath-taking from the first poem on. Tessa Crigger focuses on issues of conscious living, anti-racism, natural resource consumption, the necessity of finding alternatives and the importance of the individual. At the end of the book, she gives readers a glimpse into her personal life, which I think was helpful in understanding the author.

Her unique style made me feel teleported to a warm night, a warming campfire and sitting quietly while listening to ancient stories and lessons orated by elders. It was a wonderful feeling.

Tessa insists upon the power of the individual: "act upon these things and turn no more blind eyes, become what we were meant to be and at least give it a try". Her passion for the health of the planet is quite admirable.

I was honestly so taken with what Tessa had to say, I even wrote the following quotes out for my bulletin board: "Nations are built upon it and wars are fought to keep it, when all along we should be looking for a way to heal it" and "The children must be given more than a picture or a museum, the nature of our planet cannot be found in a coliseum".

Though a little long, her poems had many valuable thoughts to share and did not seem to ramble or get redundant. I truly believe her work will help influence others to make an effort for a positive change. Just like ripples in the pond, each one of us can have a very real and important impact, even with the smallest of actions.

Letter to Maya Angelou - Review

Letter to Maya Angelou is a book that is intended to entice the reader’s attention and provoke them to delve into deep thought on environmental and society issues.

One hundred breath-taking, intimate photographs of nature scenes have been included in this book. Beautiful shots of flocks of birds just taking off in flight, enchanting forests, stunning autumn color and incredible sunsets were enough to make me a fan of the book.

The photos are accompanied with poetic verses, which, unfortunately, did not strike a cord in me. Honestly, I did not even understand many of the verses. Overall, though, it was clear that the author’s intent was to encourage openness to adventure, the opportunity for growth and participation in issues that matter. I really liked a few statements in particular, "Let your heart be your guide, and the brain a tool" and "It’s always a holiday when you love".

Oluwadahusi is a man who has been juggling many hats for some time - from being a lawyer, author and poet, to the more rewarding efforts as a teacher and father. He warns his readers that "any apparent disorder in any of the text, lack of punctuation" was done with the intent to provoke the reader to fill in the blanks for themselves.

ISBN#: 1420820486
Author: Oluwadahunsi
Photographs provided by: US Fish & Wildlife Service
Publisher: Author House