May 2, 20222 min read

Poetry MADE IN AMERICA

Updated: Jan 14

Ultra-Modern Book Review of Different Sides of the Same Coin: A Collection of Poems by Chyrel J. Jackson and Lyris D. Wallace

Different Sides of the Same Coin: A Collection of Poems by Chyrel J. Jackson and Lyris D. Wallace was such a prolific verse because it offered a personal and poetic autobiographical look into the lives of two African American lyricist sisters. From the Geechee dialect to the sisters' use of Negro spirituals to introduce each chapter, this collection of poems accurately represents the Black experience through MADE IN AMERICA lenses. We learn from these poets that they are black women who are daughters, sisters, mothers, aunts, wives, and poetic activists. Both sisters delve into the themes of self, family, strength, motherhood, womanhood, death, love, and so much more, but they attack these topics in uniquely different ways. Chyrel L. Jackson writes at the beginning of the book. She has a lovely and familiar Harlem Renaissance style to her poetry. Being African American and raised in Harlem, N.Y., I was instantly comforted by the familiar type of poetry. If you are feeling down, then these poems will lift you back up with the power of spoken word. Chyrel wrote candidly about love, relationships, loss of relationships, death, the Black man, the Black woman, the Black family, and Black people's struggles in America. With Lyris D. Wallace's part of the book, I was immediately taken back to the days of hanging out at the Nuyorican Café in my 20s. She employs many different styles of poetry. It is also a little bit darker but always with a spark of hope. Lyris deals with humans' complexity, emotions, and psyche by letting you into hers. She deals with the casualties of life as well as their triumphs. Her poetry is not straightforward; more emotionally resonant.

There is something in this book for everybody.

I did not think I would love every poem, nor did I think I would form a relationship with each piece. Both sisters' writings are so raw; one sister lets you into her heart, the other into her soul.

Ultra-Modern Book Marketing only goes up to 5, but since we have TWO amazing authors, it's 10.