Wolf Woman & Other Poems


Poetry - Inspirational
88 Pages
Reviewed on 06/09/2022
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers' Favorite

Wolf Woman and Other Poems is an enthralling collection of 50 poems covering 50 years of Jo-Ann Vega's life. Divided into three parts, the poems act as a form of memoir as Jo-Ann recounts the different stages of her being, from Becoming/Discovering (1970-1980) to Unfurling My Wings (1980-2000) to Awakenings (2000-2020). Once Again speaks about the daily rigors of life where one finds comfort in one's love for another human being. Woman Child is the story of a woman trapped within the confines of her own set boundaries. In Premature Death, the narrator mourns the murder of a close relative and wishes to have known them better when they were alive. The narrator calls upon her inner spiritual guide in times of turmoil in Wolf Woman. Coping shows how people express themselves through their preferred artistic medium.

Drawing inspiration from her own life, Jo-Ann Vega pens some beautiful poems that are bound to strike a chord in your heart. In this poetry collection/memoir, Jo-Ann leaves nothing unsaid and lays bare her soul as her poetic verses take readers through the ups and downs of her life, which make you ponder and force you to introspect. The poems deal with themes of love, family, romance, loss, heartbreak, passion, and much more. Despite the stylistic similarities and universal themes, each poem feels unique and brings something of its own to the narrative. Wolf Woman and Other Poems is a mesmerizing collection that I thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommended to poetry lovers.

Manik Chaturmutha

Wolf Woman & Other Poems by Jo-Ann Vega is a poetry collection in which the author recounts the challenges and difficulties she faced. This collection covers everything she experienced, from leaving her native country and coming to America to finishing her education amidst warlike conditions to coming to terms with herself and speaking her truth. It shows the challenging journey of the author as an independent woman with perspective and as being gay. Three parts make up the collection, with different timelines of her life accounted for in each.

Jo-Ann Vega has done an incredible job of portraying her emotions through poetry. One can effortlessly feel the anguish, pain, and sorrow in each poem. Considering that this collection was forty years' work, each poem is well written and relatable. She has done a fantastic job portraying the grief of losing someone we love dearly and how that loss can affect someone. Some poems were difficult to understand. Knowing the full extent of the author's suffering or the challenges would have been a plus. For me, the poems lacked the angst required when someone who had been silent for a long time decided to express themselves. But, despite any shortcomings, Wolf Woman & Other Poems is a perfect blend of love, loss, grief, and moving on. If you liked the book "The Poet X" by Elizabeth Acevedo, you will love this book of poetry.

Jennie More

Wolf Woman and Other Poems by Jo-Ann Vega is a collection of poems that details the personal experiences of Vega and her family, living as immigrants in America. Vega was different from what her culture expected of a young woman. Instead of marrying and having children, Vega never yearned for that. She was an outspoken and dissenting woman who had to learn to become comfortable with who she was. In addition to the typical teenage pressures, she also had to face the expectation imposed on women by her culture and society. As the odd one out, Vega details the journey to finding herself and how death changed the people around her and inadvertently changed her perception of life. Deaths and relationship losses that affected her personally and deeply all figure strongly in these poems, as she carves her way, independent of expected norms.

Wolf Woman and Other Poems by Jo-Ann Vega is a beautifully written coming-of-age collection of brilliantly bold and emotionally resonant poems. It’s the story of how one woman who was always alone and considered strange became independent, confident, and knowing. In one of the poems, she speaks of traveling during bad weather and how foolish she was not to heed the warnings. Still, after arriving home, she felt proud because she “had braved the unknown." This signifies a start in her journey of self-discovery and the risks she would continue to take. The more difficulties she conquers, the more she moves closer to her destiny of becoming a Wolf Woman. I think every woman will see parts of herself in Vega’s poems. I could relate to the bold steps Vega took and women must often take to live up to their full potential to become powerful in their own right, powerful beyond measure.

Self-Publishing Review

Celebrating a lifetime of creation and perpetual growth, Wolf Woman & Other Poems...is a poetic memoir that hums with ongoing curiosity...powerful and deeply personal pieces throughout this well-curated collection.

Story Circle Network

Jo-Ann Vega's latest anthology, Wolf Woman, presents a moving testament to her gift for illuminating and confronting human emotions in their simplest form...goes forward courageously and writes with such intensity and honesty...the wolf woman of Vega's dreams is granting her 'freedom, r=creativity, and connection' as she emerges as a writer with great stories and talent to share with others.

https://www.storycircle.org/book_review/wolf-woman-and-other-poems