Broken Silence by Jamieya B-Johnson

B-Johnson had a very painful experience in marriage. She turned to writing poetry as it helped her through the difficult times. She includes a few pages that tell her story by way of introduction and then the next part of the book contains her poems and a few encouraging prose notes with Scripture. The next part of the book contains encouraging short devotionals. The last part contains longer readings of the insights she has gained in her spiritual walk.

She writes generally in the free verse style with some internal rhyming as she expresses her pain, confusion and ultimately her trust in God. Here is a sample of a few lines from various poems:

Unrealistic expectations stuffed in a suitcase with my name on it

I'm saddened at the indulgence of multiplicity in sinful engagement that

left me grieving as if I never existed.

Falsely accused of the nuisance lies try to portray

Against all odds fighting the old and new

I think my favorite poem is title “So Long Dear Friend...” My favorite line from that poem:

I see growth chasing after me with a love unconditional

I am not much of a poetry fan, thanks to a discouraging high school English teacher. I do appreciate, however, B-Johnson expressing her feelings in poems, even if I do not understand some of them. I recommend this book to those who have deep feelings they long to express. This book is a good example of expression with a view to helping others. I really liked the devotional readings in the second half of the book. They were very encouraging.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Jamieya B-Johnson started her writing career in her high school years in a small town in Indiana and is the author of several books. She is a poet and story-teller who uses life experiences to provoke people in thinking and believing. Her passion has always been to help hurting people understand that there is life after pain. She is a wife and mother of four children.

Book Venture Publishing, 86 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Authors, Large and Small. My comments are an independent and honest review.