Review: Maps for the Modern World

Maps for the Modern World by Valerie June Hockett

Valerie June Hockett is a singer songwriter who performs under the name “Valerie June”. Her music is a blend of folk / blues / gospel /country. I had not heard of her before checking out this book, but I’ve since searched her out. She currently has three studio albums. Her latest album includes the beautiful song “Call Me A Fool”. You should go find it on YouTube and take a listen.

Anyway, this book is her first book of poetry. The topics are meditative and heartfelt, but also playful. Most of the poems have accompanying color line drawings by Hockett. They are broken into five themed sections.

Many of the poems are meditative, but there are topics like social justice, music, and poetry itself that are sprinkled into the mix.

Poetry is outside my usual choice in reading material, so I took a chance in picking this book up. But I’m really glad I did. Some of my favorites from this collection are “Perfectly Imperfect”, “For You”, and “The Words” and there are a bunch of others that I liked as well.

I rate Maps for the Modern World 4 Stars – I really enjoyed the poetry and the drawings, and was glad to find out about a new (to me) musical artist too! Anyone who is already a fan of the music of Valerie June will like this book, as will fans of meditative and somewhat whimsical poetry. I also think anyone willing to take a chance on a book of poetry, and who may be looking for something inspirational would also appreciate this book.

 Maps for the Modern World links

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