Christine is clearly a skilled technical poet, which she couples with the ability to select beautifully crafted words and a deep understanding of the Bible stories and their context.
Silent No More: Bible Women Speak Up is a collection of 35 poems of varying styles and formats, including the odd haiku thrown in to the mix, taking the reader through a chronological journey in which women of the Bible tell their own stories.
Her deep understanding of the Bible and the fresh outlook on the circumstances that the female subjects would have faced, combine to offer a deeper insight into their stories. In addition, there has clearly been much research into the cultural background of each story.
The first poem in the book, Eve’s Lament, is spectacular, voicing the raw emotions that Eve must have felt at losing her firstborn son. And feeling that she was to blame.
The subsequent poems follow the order of the books of the Bible, selecting the stories of a range of women. Often laced with humour and irony, some of the poems very effectively reflect the issues the Biblical women faced, not dissimilar to some issues still facing women today. Their stories are relevant now. It is clever and intelligent writing.
Bible stories are full of love and loss, which make them great topics for poetry. The poems bring a personal viewpoint to the stories, allowing the reader a little additional insight into circumstances that may be easy to skip over when reading the Bible narratives. They offer the reader the chance to stop and think about the individuals.
As well as being a good read, this poetry book could be creatively used in Bible study groups, church settings or even as a devotional – they would certainly garner inspiration and conversation.
Silent No More, by Christine Kohler, is available here.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, but was under no pressure to provide a favourable review.
