Searching for the Truth by Maranda Russell is a quick read with a powerful punch. The poems and prose within will make you question your beliefs, and take another look at what you think you know.

‘Before Your Eyes’, the very first poem of all, really made me stop and think, and then agree. It’s a little look at that moment right before death.

While most of these poems are serious, there are also light-hearted ones that make you laugh, as well as think. My favourite is the 2nd Alice in Wonderland haiku. Too true, perhaps a caterpillar smoking a blunt isn’t the best person to guide you. Then again, maybe they’re the best after all?

Ms Russell seems to favour free verse, a style I am partial to. Her statements, values, and opinions, set down lovingly in verse, spoke to my heart. Many of these opinions are ones I share. ‘Religion is a Box’ could have been written after my own life. She seems to find dogma as stifling as I.

She speaks often of the disconnect we, as a species, have with nature, be it wild nature, or our own. People can be so into labels, and entrenched belief that they forget- underneath, we are all human, and we are connected to the greater world, for ill or for good. I especially found ‘Schrödinger’s Cat’ to be very profound, and oh, so true.

I did find the formatting frustrating. The selections almost seemed to run one right into the other, demarcated by bold type titles, though perhaps it was the fault of the file type.

If you like poetry, and relish a challenge to entrenched thought, to deep-set belief, if you are brave enough for eye-opening, possibly life-altering verse that will put your brain muscles to work, check out Russell’s Searching for the Truth. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

Highly Recommended

***This book was reviewed for Reader’s Favourite