Title: Apocalyptic 2020: Crisis to Tragedy
Author: Saundra T. Russell RN MA RDN
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 9781664153325
Pages: 368
Genre: Poetry
Reviewed by: Tony Espinoza
Pacific Book Review
If COVID-19 and the entire Pandemic and the year 2020 have taught us anything, it is that nothing in life ever stays the same. Life is always changing, and we must change with it, or else risk becoming lost in the sea of change which follows. Having to adapt to combat the virus, to learn to survive on our own, and so many other lessons were sadly forced to be learned, and so many have had to endure loss in the face of the tragedies 2020 brought us. As Hugh Prather once said, “Just when I think I have learned the way to live, life changes.”
In author and poet Saundra T. Russell’s Apocalyptic 2020: Crisis to Tragedy, the author explores the haunting events of 2020 through poetry and prose. From the Coronavirus and social distancing to the 2020 US Elections, social unrest, the Black Lives Matter movement and the tragic loss of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the author explores
the events of that fateful year, how it impacted and forced us to not only change but examine our lives, and how the aftermath is playing out today.
The author has done an incredible job of balancing beautiful and moving words with the heartbreak and painful moments of 2020 and beyond. The impacts of these events are still being felt today, and we as a society are marching towards great change, yet not without obstacles, as the protest on the Capitol prove, showing that change doesn’t come easy. Early on the poet brings readers to the emotional and physical affects social distancing has on us all in the poem “What-What of the Times,” while later on tackling the very important issue of sexual violence, and speaking up against harassment in the poem “Sexual Harassment,” and then balancing the somberness of the first half of the book with poems of hope such as “Be Humble and Kind: It Conquers All.”
This is the perfect book for those who enjoy poetry, especially those who blend poetry and prose with modern-day events, modern history, and the emotional and physical effects of these events on us all. The author does an incredible job of balancing the emotional aspect of 2020 and the events within the year along with the history and social movements which spawned up within it. As a fan of this genre, I was drawn in with the author’s beautiful writing and soulful approach to the topics found within.
A memorable, engaging and artful book of poetry, author Saundra T. Russell’s Apocalyptic 2020: Crisis to Tragedy is a must-read book. The author-poet really has a wonderful way with words, detailing the subjects the poems talk about while adding creativity and passion into the writing itself, making this book really highlights the 2020 events and how it has impacted us all. Although current in its impact now, this will become a “time capsule” for people to reflect upon decades and generations to come.
