What a lovely collection that spoke to many feelings I've had as a Black woman. I love the collection's cadence, sheer openness, and the way the words flowed. A beautiful collection that leaves you wanting more.

My Reaction: Great messaging... delivery was off putting at time.

I received a complimentary electronic copy of Pamela C. Nwokeji's, Lilac Bush: A Poetic Journey and Cultural Awakening for Future Generations from NetGalley.

The poems in this collection evoked several emotions within me. At times I was torn between the messaging and the delivery. The tone of the introduction, for example, had me leery because she leads with this notion that the Black community has essentially placed our own selves in our current societal state. While I get where she is going with this, I also struggle with the premise that if only we'd get off our behinds and work hard, we'd have better success at creating our own destinies. To say that we have all started at the same starting line in this race for social justice, and equality on all levels to be treated like human beings is blasphemous. I agree that we cannot lean on our past as a crutch but that we cannot ignore it or just throw it aside as if it has no bearing on our current state.

Poetry is personal and I think the author flourishes here in telling her story and the stories of others. She essentially is starting a dialogue by bravely sharing stories that remain unheard. There are several trigger warnings including: abuse, child abuse, abandonment, pedophilia, self-injury, loss of a loved one, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) racism and slavery. As much as this collection is heartbreaking and dark at times it is also hope-filled and refreshingly encouraging.

Thank you to NetGalley for sharing this poetry collection in exchange for my honest review. I hope you find this review helpful!

Lilac Bush
A Poetic Journey and Cultural Awakening for Future Generations
by Pamela C. Nwokeji
Pub Date 10 Mar 2022 |
Pamela C. Nwokeji, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles
Arts & Photography | Christian | Parenting & Families



I m reviewing a copy of Lilac Buah through Independent Book Publishers Association and Netgalley:


Lilac Bush welcomes each reader to go on a perspective-altering journey along with the author while taking in the poetic aroma of lilacs a symbol of renewal. The journey takes you from valleys of hardship and turmoil to mountains of sheer strength and hope, each poem serves as a beacon of awakening and cultural change.


Pamela C. Nwokeji, shares her her personal experiences growing up in an urban neighborhood to bring awareness to the ongoing strife endured by Black Americans through heartfelt narration.


More than anything this book was penned into existence with this one main vision in mind: to be a call-to-action for the future generations for societal change through stronger families, higher education, success and strength in God.




I give Lilac Bush five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Poetry is an artistic expression of one's emotions. There are no rules or boundaries to conform to with art. The words land where they may. Everyone has their own way of self-expression. I appreciate the explanations given by the author as to why she wrote this poetry. The rhymes are almost lyrical which made it easier for me to understand. This book also addresses important issues for parents. I appreciate the way some of the poems present a problem and provide a solution.

This poetry collection is deeply personal and addresses very important societal issues which are detrimental to the future of the younger generations. Each poem is paired with heartfelt modern art which makes clear the message of the poem. The poems I connected with most are "A Reason", "Nigga", "Never Alone" and a few others. Great collection!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Some poems were really good, some poems fell a bit flat for me. I think this poet has talent and I was finding myself wishing they would branch away from aabb or abab rhyme schemes. It worked a majority of the time but there were lines where the end word was a bit off / didn’t fit and broke the flow.

That being said, the messages and stories are the true heart of every poem and those were all solid! She is truly a storyteller and that comes off in each poem.

My only hesitation was in “Uncomfortable” Shells because I can’t tell if the author was stating herself that women can’t keep their legs closed or if that is how others simply perceive them. I read it over several times and the way it is formed sounds like it is an opinion of the author. I’m not entirely sure but willing to be corrected and adjusted my review if my interpretation is wrong.

content warnings are: abuse, child abuse, pedophilia, self harm, loss of loved one, OCD, racism, and slavery.

Lilac Bush is a collection of poems dealing with a wide range of themes including childhood, single parenthood, religion, child abuse and love. The poems are short and well written that someone like me who generally struggles when it comes to poetry can read, understand and enjoy them. The language is not unnecessarily complicated and each poem is accompanied by an illustration depicting what the poem is about. I absolutely loved these.

I also like that the author begins with a preface where she gives us some information about her background and the reason why she has written this collection. It helped me to understand why she has tackled some of the issues that she has written about. Debbie, Grandma’s Art Dresser and Her King were some of my favourites. I was not particularly keen on the religious ones, even though they were not preachy, I am just not religious.

At times, the collection is quite a heavy and at times depressing. The poems that dealt with child abuse and neglect were particularly hard to read, I had to put the book down several times so to take a break from it. Overall, I enjoyed the experience and I am definitely going to pick up another poetry collection before the end of the year.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this!

While Lilac Bush talks about some important things, as poetry book it just didn't work for me. I wish I liked it more, but poetry is a personal thing.

Poetry is a way to explore complex themes and messages in a way that can be so powerful and inspiring. I think that this collection does an amazing job of it.

The book is broken into sections. So There’s poems on dead beat fathers, God etc. each one so carefully worded and even without them being placed in said sections you can easily figure the message/theme out without much difficulty. Not only that they are written beautifully and they just tug on your heartstrings.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. "Lilac Bush" tells the story of the African American culture. Pamela C. Nwokeji illustrates the challenges and the ups and downs very well, this poetry collection is packed with emotion. Every poem is accompanied by an illustration, which is a very nice concept, but I didn't really like them or the design structure as a whole. The content was organised quite well and I like how each section began with a quote. One of my main dislikes is how focused this book was on religion. I knew that there will be some poems about religion, christianity and God, but they were a lot more than I though and not even only in the section, which was dedicated to religious poems. The poems have a nice rhythm to it and the writing style complemented the religious concept of the book. The book was not solely focused on the bad and the negative, there was a lot of hope and optimism, and I truly like this balance. Although this book is obviously created with the intend to tell the story of the African Americans, I think that everyone can find something to connect with in this book.