Book Review: IMPERFECT ECHOES: Writing Truth and Justice with Capital Letters, lie and oppression with Small (Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson)

Title: 
Imperfect Echoes: Writing Truth and Justice with Capital Letters, lie and oppression with Small
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Paperback: 148 pages
Publisher: HowToDoItFrugally Publishing (August 25, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-1515232490
Genres: Poetry Anthology/Social Justice
Available at: Amazon 

BOOK REVIEW

CAROLYN HOWARD-JOHNSON'S IMPERFECT ECHOES IS JUST PERFECT 

Narcissus knows her reflection

well. She forgets to peer

under burkas, in our jails,

in the beds of the abused,

deeper, deeper into the pond...

                                             —Howard-Johnson, Carolyn. Narcissus Revisited. Imperfect Echoes.

First things first, proceeds from sales of Imperfect Echoes: Writing Truth and Justice with Capital Letters, lie and oppression with Small are donated to the non-profit human rights watchdog, Amnesty International USA.

Reading Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Imperfect Echoes made me want to write poetry. This Los Angeles award-winning poet lays out the landscape of her contemplative thoughts, feelings and reactions with such honesty and deceptive simplicity that they have the effect of offering a peek into her private journals. Yes, it would be wonderful to succinctly express my impressions in a well-crafted poem; however, what puts this poetry on par with leaping tall buildings (and thus out of my novice's reach) is the fact that each poem herein manages the feat of conveying personal and universal relevance at once.