Reviewed by Lauren Beadle
Terminally Human, a chapbook written by Barry W. North, a St. Charles Parish author, is a collection of twenty-three poems that capture various moments in a human’s life.
The moments described in Terminally Human depict various experiences people have in their lives: a man having heart surgery, a parent forgetting her child and a girl having no respect for her body. The titles of each poem give the gist of what type of person the poem is about, such as “Model Citizen,” “Child of God,” “Whore,” “Cowboy” and “Modern Young Man.” The speakers in the poems comment from various perspectives of people and their flaws. These speakers not only observe themselves in various situations, but they observe others around them.
I enjoyed this collection of poems in Terminally Human very much because I liked that the author showed flaws that people may have. By seeing those flaws, I was able to learn from the mistakes that other people may have made, so I know not to make them myself.
Lauren Beadle is a sophomore in the Gifted program at Hahnville High. She enjoys playing softball, hanging out with friends and being outdoors.
Editor’s note: Book reviews are published weekly in agreement with Hahnville High School gifted English teacher Deborah Unger in conjunction with the Brown Foundation Service Learning Program.
Be the first to comment