Title: 50/50 Chance of Monster Love!
Author: Rochelle Baxter
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 1796064904
Pages: 58
Genre: Poetry
Reviewed By: Tiffany Ezuma
Pacific Book Review
A delightful mediation on life and true love, 50/50 Chance of Monster Love! by Rochelle Baxter is a collection of poetry for the true romantic showing that love can overcome all things. The poems included are about Dee, a woman who experiences the love of a lifetime only to find a greater love in the maternal love for her son. Through her journey, Dee gains more confidence and self-assuredness as a woman, which leads her to helping others.
The author has a simplistic use of language that leaves space for the reader to map their own life circumstances and experiences into the poetry she’s created. She often ends poems with the line, “The rest is history!” which make for a fun refrain throughout the poems. Each poem is paired with a beautiful piece of black and white photography that compliments the poem and gives a visual realization to it.
Baxter makes an interesting choice by including Dee’s backstory at the end of the book rather than the beginning. By doing it that way, the reader is first given the chance to let the poetry speak for itself as Dee moves from rejoicing about romantic love to extolling her role as a
mother to her son. The information about her unavailable lover may have colored the reader’s experience reading the collection but including it at the end does give some insight that will add another layer on the second reading of the book.
Overall, Baxter’s poetry is a quick and uplifting read. Standouts of the work include “Noah, My Rock!,” “A Cherry on Top!,” and “Superhero Love!” This collection will make for a nice gift or read for those who enjoy reading about love and overcoming obstacles.
