REVIEW: "i am the rage" by Dr. Martina McGowan
When I was around 30 I decided that, in relation to most characteristics, people can be divided into two distinct groups.
Someone is either an early bird or night owl.
Either a saver or a splurger.
Either indoorsy or outdoorsy.
I clung to these cut-and-dry categories because these divisions — the ability to split people into two diametric groups — helped me find sense in a world that so seldom made sense.
Because there was comfort in categorization.
So much comfort, in fact, that, for a time, I created my own categories.
The most prominent of these self-discovered dichotomous divisions relates to how people handle upset.
When people become upset, they either respond in anger, or respond in sadness.
They either lash out and cause damage to others or they internalize their anger and cause damage to themselves.
From the moment I developed this belief, I have understood that I fell into the sadness category. If something bad happens, I am significantly more likely to cry than I am to yell.
I was not, then, prone to rage.
But the ground upon which I developed this theory seems to be shaky as, in recent years, I’ve undergone a bit of a shift.
Now, I find myself feeling an anger that I didn’t understand before. And this new emotion that I have little experience in dealing with has proven most problematic lately. In the last year, as the world has shifted and spun and fallen to pieces, I have found myself increasingly rageful.
And I know I'm not alone.
Right now, in America, rage is everywhere.
You can see it as people take to the streets, as people engage politically, and as people express themselves artistically.
These expressions, regardless of which form they take, provide a means of connecting and commiserating and crafting a community understanding. It was this type of connection I was seeking — this reassurance that I am not alone in this new-to-me anger — when I picked up i am the rage, a collection of poetry penned by Dr. Martina McGowan.
In this collection, McGowan goes on a virtual spelunking expedition, traversing the treacherous terrain of what has too long been a cavernous racial divide within our country.
She explores contemporary topics, like the murder of George Floyd, as well as injustices that have plagued this country for generations, like the practice of racial profiling. She discusses allyism and anti-racism, pain and anger, sadness and frustration.
She explores this complex topic in a manner that is as artful as it is passionate.
As frustrating as it is necessary.
As saddening as it is rage-inducing.
In the weeks and months since so many people have finally become aware of a race problem that was always there, I’ve ventured beyond my traditional genres, exploring non-fiction and middle grades fiction and, now, poetry. I was seeking something that would capture in writing the passion I felt but couldn’t articulate.
And this collection of poetry does just that.
Like most readers and writers, I turn to words when I want to understand something too… big… for me to wrap my head around. Usually, I find the clarity that I seek. But, up to this point, my search had proven fruitless.
Maybe it was because the issue was too large, too complex, too unfathomable. Whatever the reasons, I found myself still struggling to form any real understanding.
While I cannot say that, having set down this slim volume of poetry, I now understand the complexities of the race issues that plague our country and know how to solve them, I can say that I am better in tune with my emotions.
That I better understand my own rage.
What McGowan has done here is pen a robust collection of poetry that will speak to readers in all stages of their developing understanding of the complex issues that divide our nation.
The only thing I was left wishing was that there was a little more intentionality behind the order of the poems in this collection. Or, if there was a deliberate order, if that had been made a little more clear to the readers because to me there didn't appear to be one. Had there been a little more clarity as to the order of the poems in this collection I think it could have been even more successful in taking readers on an important, albeit difficult, journey.
As is so often the case, I believe that readers will all walk away from this collection with something different.
In the days since reading this powerful collection, I have found myself pondering the concept of categorization — thinking about my own need to label and divide. As I have contemplated the concept, I have come to realize that, no matter how much I might feel that dividing people into groups helps me understand the world, the hard-to-swallow truth honestly might be that the world isn’t understandable. I’ve come to realize that holding on to the belief that clear dichotomies exist is part of the problem. Because those classifications are built to divide in a world that so clearly needs to be united.
I’m interested and eager to see how others are impacted by this poetry. And I’m desperate to see a long-overdue change in the world in which we live.
This collection receives 4 out of 5 cocktails.
Do you ever read poetry? This is, honestly, the first collection I’ve read since...maybe...college. If you’re a fan of poetry, what pieces or authors would you recommend for someone looking to spend more time with the genre?
That was an interesting departure for me. Let’s see what I pick up next. Subscribe to updates in the sidebar and follow me on Goodreads.
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*I was provided a gifted copy of this title by the publisher*
