Category: Poetry

A Book Review

I started reading this book directly after The Keeper of the Key by Nicole Willson, and I read about fifteen pages then. I wanted to start fresh the next day without remnants of gothic horror on my brain, and this is what I did. I like to give the books I read my full attention. This occurrence was no different.

I will never understand the mind of an abuser. I will never know how someone can knowingly attempt to damage another. Maggie shares a bit of her experience through poetry in Pieces of Me, and reading through some of the poems . . . I know it took courage to do so.

Here is the review I shared on Amazon and Goodreads for it:

“It Takes Courage To Free One’s Pain

And then share it with the world. That is exactly what Maggie Watson has done with her collection of poetry, Pieces of Me.

There are many poems within this collection I could highlight, and since I am old-school, I literally highlighted phrases and made comments/notes in the margins.

Reading one’s triumph over their abuser in the form of poetry is a testimonial experience. I felt as though I was watching the writer release her pain with every poem shared.

Starting off slow, a few of the poems in the first section didn’t hit me nearly as hard as the poems in the second and last section. But I most definitely felt something–it stirred up emotions within me I thought had been buried.

I commend the writer for being vulnerable enough to share with the world a traumatic life-event that didn’t ruin her outlook on how she lives, but instead gave her the strength to fully live.”

If it were up to me, the world would be rid of abusers in every form. A book of poems such as Pieces of Me should not have to be written. Still, I am glad the writer/author shared her experience as a form of testimony and also included other instances not directly linked to her that so many people have experienced.

The world in which we live is a horrible place under the surface. But there is always a spark, a glimmer, a modicum of love and care waiting to spring forth. I believe Maggie wants that for everyone–love springing forth. And I also believe her writing will help facilitate that.