Back 2/1: I Invite You Into My Serenity: A Collection of Poetry and Prose

Deborah Chenault-Green
iUniverse (2008)
ISBN 9780595483426
Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (7/09)


Dramatic and exciting are the words for this collection of heartfelt poetry by Ms. Chenault-Green. In a nice little package of 120 pages, she has brought the reader closer to God and humanity. Her verse is colorful, varied and diversified. She takes you to the streets, with the drug dealers and shows you the horror of it. Then on another page holds you to her bosom and pours out her heart. She tells tales of family, pride and respect; while the killing goes on outside her door.

Deborah pens her life in this book, a life of sadness, joy and confusion. She tells stories of her childhood and the changing neighborhood, conditions not always ideal.

But when she talks of days gone by she takes you there as if it’s real. She has a way of writing that is both streetwise and informative. Using recollections of her family and their words, she brings the reader into her home. She flashes back to better times when the neighborhood was vibrant and alive - a time when doors were left unlocked and people were not afraid to venture out.

From those recollections, Deborah brings the reader into the reality of how things changed. How it all went south when the highway came through and how the neighborhood went downhill from there.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The quality of the book, the content and the superb artistry of the author; make it well worth the read. I recommend “Back 2/1: I Invite You Into My Serenity: A Collection of Poetry and Prose” by Deborah Chenault-Green to all ages because it will bring more people back to the enjoyment of poetry.

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