Beyond the Stripes
by Justin Harvison
PLOT SYNOPSIS (from the back of the book)
I titled this book Beyond the Stripes because we all have some sort of battle wound. Many of our painful memories are not visible to the naked eye. Yet, your scars being visible or invisible to natural sight have a story. The stories that are overlooked are those that are not told. This is an attempt to increase people’s courage through my transparency.
Age Range: 12+
Content Notice: N/A
Faith Based: Yes
ISBN: 978-1543140507
Rating: 
THE BOTTOM LINE
Harvison shows vulnerability through a wide variety of poems about real life.
THOUGHTS
Beyond the Stripes has some great content. The poems engage sensitive and real topics, offering Harvison’s honest look at the joys and trials of life. It’s a short read in word count but takes some time to ponder and digest. Perhaps this is true of all books of this variety, but I wouldn’t know because poetry is not my normal wheelhouse. I like the idea of liking poems, and yet my personality and tastes seem to preclude me from getting into them. Nevertheless, this book was good enough that it kept my interest, even for someone not normally drawn to verse. If you are someone who enjoys poetry, I believe this one is worth your time.