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Unscrambled Eggs by Nadia Brown
“Unscrambled Eggs by Nadia Brown is a great collection of poems written about nearly everything you could think of. Her unique voice and methods of description set her poems apart from anything else I've read. She has written these poems about things she is very passionate about and that shows through when you read them. For many, these poems are easily relatable, and you'll keep turning the page until you're through. This book will be enjoyed by anybody who appreciates the art that is poetry.”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-07-23. -
Simple but Soulful
“Overall, a satisfying first collection that will no doubt grab the hearts and minds of readers who are looking for clean, simple lines of poetry that speak of soul growth, natural wonders, inspiration in the everyday, and the process of transforming loss into understanding. These poems are wise--and often short, straightforward in their use of language and image--as they reflect on the speaker's life experiences, people she has known, her cultural ancestry, and the soul lessons she has learned.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-06-01.
The poems in Unscrambled Eggs remind me of the poetry of Lucille Clifton for their tautness, their focus on ordinary life and experience. In her poem, "Liquid Muse," Brown describes well her approach to writing the poem: "tell me what do your imageries speak/ what good are handsome metaphors/ when profoundness eludes your pen/ I have no fancy rhymes/ my poetry will not boast of windmill autumns/...but at least I offer more than words." She is writing for every man and woman, without pretention or pretense. She writes from her Being, hard and true about what she sees (and knows) in her life. For example, in "The Writer," Brown writes of an adolescent girl living in poverty who dreams of being a writer: "You seem beyond your fifteen years/ quite older than the strawberry jam girl you are/ but underneath your myth of make believe stars/ you are like every one else/ trying to figure their place to dam a need/ along this stretch of creation/ where days are no longer trusted/ and nights don't care much for anyone."
There is also a musical quality to these poems that remind me of song. Take, for example, "Only a Girl," the lines in the final stanza: "If only I followed you with earnest/ I would not shake like December limbs/ or fetter my wings with snow," or the first lines of "There Were No Bells": "She said there were no bells/ only her clam hands/ and fretful feet rattled in the eve." Beautiful imagery, a somewhat unusual syntax that marks Brown as an original voice, and a lovely rhythm that moves like spoken song. Only a handful poems in this collection fall short of their full potential, such as "Sea of Poor," where the speaker is onto something right and true, yet the words are possibly too abstract to create strong feeling: "In a country of gold and ledger/ lives a sea of poor/ living in calamity/ and discontentment." However, I think this collection will be a welcome and loved edition to a reader's bookshelf, especially outside academia and among "ordinary" readers--people just like you and me.
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5 years in prose....
“Nadia Brown has given us 5 years of her life in prose - the disappointments, joys, expectations and concerns that have made up that time. The poems that she offers are quite different from other commercially available collections of prose out there, ranging from short little bites of life, like "Pebble", to others more like short essays - such as the particularly affecting "Before I Knew Better". However what they all have in common is a touching thread of sadness woven throughout.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-05-04.
If you enjoy modern poetry this is a lovely and heartfelt collection. It's the sort of book that you can leave lying around and pick up and dip into when you feel so inclined. It would make a lovely gift for a friend who is having a time of some reflection - many of the poems will have resonance for someone who is undergoing some life change.
All in all quite an acomplished collection, well worth your time.” -
Written with wisdom and insight...
“Written with wisdom and insight...
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-02-04.
Nadia Brown writes with deep wisdom and insight in her book of poetry, Unscrambled Eggs. In her poem Unscrambled Eggs, she states what many need to learn: we cannot change the past. Sometimes is a poignant look at life in today's culture. Like MS Brown, I sometimes wonder if I should have been born many years earlier. Pebble is one of my favorites in this collection. We are small and insignificant in the vastness of the universe. Brown reminds us of the plight of the poor, regardless of how we attempt to close our eyes to them.
I enjoyed Nadia Brown's book immensely. She opens her heart and soul to readers, sharing her deepest thoughts. Brown has great artistic talent. I encourage her to continue her efforts.
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Real Poetry with Unimaginable Depth
“Nadia Brown has written an exceptional book of poetry that presents itself with a true honesty that is sometimes lost in today's world. The emotion filling the pages thrums with a raw intensity - a glittering feast of life and thought. Brown has taken real life and put it before the reader without the pretense of typical poetry. No fancy rythmes or pretty phrases. Just an honest dish served up - grease and all. Rarely does one read a writer with such honest talent for drawing on the emotion, the pulse, of life.
An amazon user wrote this on 2008-07-22.
I highly recommend this book. This is a Five ***** Star Book!
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