In this collection, Benjamin Zephaniah focuses upon diverse topics, ranging from the mundane'A Day in the Life of Danny the Cat' to the more serious issues raised in 'A Killer Lies'. However, Zephaniah's true craft lies in his ability to manipulate his subject in order to catalyse the reader into deep spirals of thought. At first glance, his poetry appears rather simplistic although, under further scrutiny, the reader is left pondering his words days after this initial reading. This audio collection is invaluable here, as the 'creator' conveys his interpretation of his poems by adding the relevant accent, intonation, tone and tempo. The reader gains a real sense of the intended meaning and of the raw emotion embraced within these lines of artistic creation. Nevertheless, Zephaniah fails to breach his poetic purpose, which is to be absolutely honest about everything. In poems such as, 'Talking Turkeys', this honesty comes a little closer to home and the reader is left questioning tradition and accepted values that have been taken for granted.
This collection of poems would provide a secondary school English teacher with valuable resources, as it raises several questions about identity, race, politics, animal rights, the environment, cultural difference, language barriers, family and relationships. Benjamin Zephaniah stretches the boundaries of the poetry genre by underrating established poetic conventions and replacing them with a doctrine, whereby he writes honestly and from the heart.
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