A brilliant collection of poems from the perspectives of famous historical people. Inspiring, educational and thought-provoking, the poems bring history alive. There are well-written biographical notes at the end of the book. I hadn’t heard of a few of the people before, so I enjoyed being introduced to them.
So, what are the ghosts angry about? What happened to them while alive, how history has dealt with their reputations, or how we still aren’t learning from past mistakes. I’m glad that they’re angry. It makes for dynamic, impressive poetry, engaging with feminism, colonialism and the environment in particular.
My favourite poems were those about Neanderthal Woman, Tutankhamen, Genghis Khan, Mary Shelley, William Shakespeare, Homer and Joan of Arc. However, all of the poems were so good and none felt out of place. I liked that the poems were literary without being pretentious, which makes them suitable for all readers. I think this book would be a great resource to help history students with what can be a dry subject. Although there is powerful language used, there’s no swearing, so I’d say it’s suitable for teens. Finally, I want to mention how much I like the cover design. The ghosts’ expressions are compelling you to open the book and find out why they’re so furious.
In summary, an excellent achievement and I hope the author will write another collection.
Independently published in 2021.
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