Elih, Turkey has established its own set of laws that seek to control and dominate the population, in the name of Islamic law. This does, of course, affect women’s lives most of all, as the regime of the RTK (the ‘Morality Police’) targets women in an attempt to keep them docile and subservient.
Recai Osman is the heir of a billionaire who lacks direction in his own life. Then, the unthinkable happens and he is forced to wander in the desert, alone and helpless until a Jewish father and daughter take him in to help him recover from injuries he has sustained and has no memory of receiving. While in Recai is in their care, the RTK brutally attacks Rebekah, the daughter, and Recai is left to pick up the pieces of his newly crumbled and torn reality. After years wandering the desert in search of a new life, Recai is drawn back to the life he abruptly left years before. He returns with a new consciousness and understanding of the brutality and oppression of the ruling class of Elih. It is then that he discovers that he must fight against the system in superhero fashion by protecting the women who live there. While carrying out his vigilantism, he inadvertently draws more people into his plan of protecting those who need it. Soon, there is a complex network that is aiding him and encouraging his efforts. Tyler gives us a triumph in feminist literature, while supplying a believable ‘superhero’. Recai possesses no overt unearthly powers, but instead relies on his faith in knowing of what is right and wrong. In reality, he is just a man standing up for what he believes in, within the confines of the predetermined regime. The humanity which is displayed throughout the story is what makes it a success. Tyler is also not apt to shy away from graphically violent scenes to save those who wish to hide from the realities she discusses in the story. While the graphic scenes are not what one may want to read and have so forcefully pushed in front of them, they are necessary to be delivered in such a manner in order to keep us from hiding from the brutal truths in the lives of her characters. Shadow on the Wall is a brilliant work, that inspired me to write my essay for you. Tyler masterfully weaves complex issues of violence against women, religious oppression, and vigilantism into a cohesive, straight-forward look at the issues. Every one of the many characters is equally important within the story, and their position is easy to sympathize with on some level- even if their actions are not. This is a work that shows the extremes to which the ruling class will go to keep their positions solidified, as well as the ability to control the population with fear, domination, and violence. This is a success in what is sure to be an engaging new series from a powerful new voice.
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Slow Turning
William D. Monroe Jr. ISBN: 978-1453774830 CreateSpace Copyright © August 2010 $14.95 Paperback 95 Pages Poetry is hard to review. It’s very personal, and sometimes a poet likes to hide secrets or special meanings in their verse. They play on words and patterns and rhyming schemes. In the end, interpretation is often left up to the reader although the poet has often exposed a soft inner piece of themselves through their expression. That is certainly the case with Mr. Monroe’s collection of songs and poems called Slow Turning. Monroe was sexually abused as a child and obviously grew up in emotional turmoil. Professional guidance and strong faith in God brought him out of this turmoil and has helped him to lead an emotionally stable adult life. As he says in the dedication of this book, his “Slow Turning” is complete. At first, one might find some of the subject matter in this book disturbing – just as disturbing as those who prey on children. Monroe uses verse as a healer though. Yes, exposing the truth all the while but his intention is not to shock. Only to speak truth. He follows each poem or song with a brief explanation on where the poem came from. These asides are often extremely brief, somewhat of an after thought that you’d expect Monroe to say out loud after reading you the poem. Some of the songs are even followed by guitar chords. I have to admit that I enjoyed the poems that didn’t rhyme more so than the ones that did. The rhyming couplets are often trite and predictable. For example: I stand alone this season, Not knowing where or when. I’ll find another reason To feel new love begin. Sounds a tad bit sing songy, and since some of the content is meant to be sung you could almost put every verse to music. But then Monroe gives us verse like this: I once had a vision but did not believe That visions could ever come true. My confidence wavered with each step I took, And I carried doubt through my youth. While “true” and “youth” do rhyme a bit, it’s not as predictable here and so the verse has a bit more depth to it. Overall, I was well pleased with Monroe’s collection. It’s obvious that he has put his talent to good use. He has used his words as a healer for himself and hopes now to reach out to others like him. At 95 pages, this is a quick read – with the poems and songs on the left hand page and Monroe’s afterthought or brief explanation on the right side. For those who have been victims of sexual abuse, or if you know someone who has, Monroe’s book may provide hope. And for those who might just enjoy simple poetry with a motivational meaning behind it, give Slow Turning a chance. #5 Self-Publishing includes self-promotion. Ummm, yep. Search the web and whore yourself out. It's what the competition is doing. Just don’t be a snob. Everyone has written a book these days so if you are attacking forums with “Read my book!” you are probably going to get ignored. You need to get reviews, plain and simple. Contact book bloggers. Start a twitter account. Start a Facebook page or blog for your book. First and foremost, get people to read your book and help you spread the word on the web. If you do this, #6 on the list will indeed happen naturally.
#7 A literary agent isn’t necessary. I thought this was a bit Self-Publishing 101. That’s why it’s called self-publishing, and it's kind of a given. Am I wrong? #8 is important. Yes, you can win awards. Just know a lot of self-publishing awards go to more than one book at a time. So, know the fine lines before you start bragging that your book was THE winner. Also, don’t be afraid to change your book cover and put a badge on the cover showing what award you won. #9 Know your audience comes hand in hand with #1 and #2 which I’ve already discussed. If you pick a niche and know your competition, then you will certainly get to know your audience. And by doing #10, if you do it right then you will get to know your audience as well. Go one step further though and get to know them personally. Create an e-mailing list and send out email blasts. Know your fans on Facebook. In other words, get to know what they are reading when they aren’t reading you. This will show you your competition and may help you develop new marketing leads. Overall, this is a great list for beginners! Lots of information that kind of goes hand-in-hand though but some important bullet points that even seasoned self-publishers could use a refresher course in. |
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