(Collage graphic of titles by Aberjhani courtesy of World News.com)
Most formal reviews or critiques of books by Aberjhani currently exist in the form of hard-copy newspaper, journal, and magazine articles from the previous decade. A change of formats, however, has gotten underway with recent online posts of reviews focused on some of his earlier work as well as more recent titles.
One notable update is Education Book Mix’s video review of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance posted on YouTube. The automated voice sounds jagged at moments but the year 2013 marks the 10th anniversary of the publication of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance and the review on Education Book Mix underscores the book’s importance.
As Noted on Goodreads
Canadian Richard Van Holst, writing on the Goodreads author and readers community website, posted recent reviews of both Aberjhani’s first book, I Made My Boy Out of Poetry, and his more recent popular title, The River of Winged Dreams. While Goodreads boasts than several million members, many of whom often post reviews, Van Holst happens to be among the site’s top 10 best reviewers.
In the review of I Made My Boy Out of Poetry, he described the collection of short fiction and poetry as “brash, bold and daring.” He further notes in the same review that “Aberjhani's vivid style makes a powerful impression. But more importantly, he writes as one who is aware of where he comes from and of his function as a writer.”
Van Holst’s reading of The River of Winged Dreams came after I Made My Boy Out of Poetry, prompting the this response: “They are both intense and packed with meaning. There is still a sense of being mystically connected to nature. The spirituality is still rooted in body, time, place and family, but manages to transcend them.”
Much of the author’s observations are consistent with various online responses to single poems, stories, and articles by Aberjhani posted on the Internet. The following are links to the full reviews:
Richard Van Holst Review of I Made My Boy Out of Poetry
Richard Van Holst Review of The River of Winged Dreams
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