Literal

Defining Moments

Poetry - General
54 Pages
Reviewed on 10/02/2016
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Arya Fomonyuy for Readers' Favorite

Literal: Defining Moments by Victoria A. Hudson is an unusual piece of poetry, unusual in its form and unique in its style. As one reads through the political poems, one doesn’t only get the impression that the poet plays with words, but one equally understands that the words are well crafted to paint a political landscape that represents what the United States is going through at this point in history. The poetry features words that convey important values, those values every American is called upon to embrace, especially honor, duty, and integrity.

Victoria A. Hudson’s poetry is an invitation to readers to take responsibility vis-à-vis the current political game. The diction is carefully chosen and each word is given its significance in a context that is both political and constitutional. Very interestingly, the author offers a transcription of the US Constitution as “it was inscribed by Jacob Shallus on parchment,” a document that many American citizens, even some politicians are not versed in.

Literal: Defining Moments is a work that showcases the poet’s courage and her desire to educate the citizens of her country. It wouldn’t be wrong to describe this piece as a “rendering bare” of the political reality. The poet picks powerful words, political words, perhaps words that readers hear and use every day without paying much attention to what they mean; then she lays them bare, stripping them with other words that shed more light on them and make them come across as powerful and meaningful. This is the kind of poetry that entertains, educates, and creates a moral and political consciousness that is most desired for these trying times in US history.

Tshombye K. Ware

Literal: Defining Moments by Victoria A. Hudson is an book unlike any other, which brings attention to the political arena in a different light. The core of this project focuses on the 2016 election. The author's extensive definition of words challenges readers as they are faced with a decision of morality. The style of the book is quite unique and rich with knowledge. Readers will not only walk away with a profound knowledge concerning the US Constitution, for those who haven't read it, but readers will also walk away with an understanding that will open their minds. This alone will allow one to discern the season we are living in, and to easily see through the facade often illustrated during the presidential campaign.

Readers will learn of those who vowed to abandon the Republican Party due to the leading candidate for the presidency. The author added eleven principles of leadership to ignite the flame with those born leaders. These eleven principles can be applied to all arenas of life. The pictures added create a sense of pride in seeing those who fought for our country. Patriotism at its finest. This is one of those books that must be read slowly and carefully in order to fully digest the vast knowledge contained with these few pages.

Ryan Jordan

Literal: Defining Moments by Victoria A. Hudson is a volume of free form poetry that firmly links all of its considerations with definitions. The poems themselves are extremely short and vivid, and select works are picked out and defined at the bottom of the page to draw interesting conclusions about the way the words are working in present society. There are also quotes to help solidify the message of the poems, such as one from the Harvard Republican Club discussing how Donald Trump is a threat to American survival and as such will not be tolerated.

Literal: Defining Moments by Victoria A. Hudson is way more about the message than about the form, and it felt simultaneously fluid and stream-of-consciousness as well as chaotic and reflecting the exact form of the situation it was detailing. I did enjoy the way in which the poetry was linked with definitions, and I think many of the messages in the text were well defined and difficult to argue with, but too many sections didn't relate to actual poetry. The actual poems themselves were rather short and took up only a portion of the already short volume. It goes so far as to pull forth the Constitution and lay it all out before describing ways in which Donald Trump has directly attacked or disregarded it for his own purposes. This text seems to be trying to drive a political message home and, for the right audience, I think this will be an interesting and provocative piece of literature.