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Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem Review
User Submitted Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem ReviewsDecember 16, 2008 An Excellent Gift Maya Angelou happened to be on the Oprah Winfrey Show recently, and I was again in awe of this amazing woman and her poetic wisdom and grace. She mentioned "Amazing Peace" as she was conversing with Oprah and I thought it would be an excellent gift for three (also amazing) women on my Christmas list. I ordered a book for each of my three friends as a Christmas gift and I know they will appreciate this wonderful, seasonal delight as much as I would, should someone purchase it for me. I believe this book to be one of the better gifts purchased this holiday season. December 14, 2008 A fine, gentle story of holiday goodwill emerges The lovely poem picturebook AMAZING PEACE combines a Christmas poem by Maya Angelou and a CD of Angelou reading the poem with a story by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. Her poem was first read at the 2005 White House tree-lighting ceremony and now is featured as a gorgeous children's book as it tells of a family who join with their multicultural community to celebrate the holidays. A fine, gentle story of holiday goodwill emerges in a pick especially recommended for family sharing. November 19, 2008 Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem This is a lovely book. It is beautifully written in the Maya Angelou format. It encompasses the true spirit of Christmas through the themes of war, peace and spiritual unity. I purchased it for my son who is almost 8 years-old, but I feel this book is best suited for an older child who has a deeper undersatnding of poetic language and can better understand these themes. A warm read for adults- expressing an all inclusive approach toward mankind and religion. January 15, 2007 Amazing Peace I first heard this poem when it was read on the Oprah Show by the author and the host. It was so moving and I think is it Ms. Angelou's best work. I purchased my copies to give as gifts to friends and to pass on the prayer for universal peace. December 25, 2006 A Scandalous, Shameless Marketing Scam and a Terrible Poem We all have very strong feelings about peace. Throughout human history, peace has always been lacking. We live in a time when our country is run by corrupt criminals who attack other countries for corporate profiteering. We also continue to live in a world where the three major religions all proclaim they are the one true religion and war on the other two. So, it is definitely a good time for a message of peace! But this beautifully bound little book containing a cliche'd, trite, and just plain bad poem comes up empty. A message of peace is not sold in a one-poem book for $9.99 as an impulse-buy merchandising scam at Christmas. If Maya Angelou had printed this poem in newspapers, or sent out postcards to the world on her own dime with this poem, I would have more respect for her intentions. But this book is the worst scam, one that plays upon our hearts and souls to milk our pocketbooks. I received this book as a gift from a friend who had bought it for everyone she knew. Her intentions were beautiful: a message of peace. The end of organized religion will bring us one step closer to a world where the are no wars in the name of God. For those of you who don't know, Christianity was created by the Romans as a method of controlling people. If you have to go through the priest to reach the divine "God", and the priest can tell you what "God" orders you to do, then the priest (the Church) has control over you. The truth is, the divine nature of this universe is inside all of us. We are all made of cosmic stardust, literally, because all matter on this planet was made from exploding stars. We are all sacred. All you have to do to reach the divine is sit quietly and reflect upon your own beautiful luminous nature. So if you want to give a beautiful message of peace, don't give $9.99 plus tax to Angelou and Random House. Just reach out with your own beautiful nature to those you love (and those you don't). Write your own poem, your own song, whatever. Make your own little book, and make it real. Work for peace. Volunteer. Get involved. It will mean so much more than Angelou's scandalous, commercialized marketing scam of a Christmas Poem. And if you want to read some real poetry, try Charles Bukowski. His stuff is infinitely better and you'll get hundreds of great poems for the price of one bad one from Angelou. November 9, 2006 Amazing Peace As is typical of Maya Angelou, a beautiful, inspiring book. I put it in my new granddaughter's time capsule, to be opened when she's grown. March 21, 2006 A Gift For One Of My Wonderful Sisters I did not get to read this book myself as it was a belated Christmas gift for one of my wonderful sisters, and she loves anything by Maya Angelou. I am pleased to say that she was absolutely delighted and said this was the most beautiful poem she had ever read. January 22, 2006 Britney Spears and Maya Angelou I have the sneaking suspicion that the same team of writers behind Britney Spears platinum single "Hit Me Baby One More Time," also wrote Maya Angelou's bestselling poem "Amazing Peace," Both are full of cliches and obviously attempt to make a lot of money by playing off our emotions, however, Britney Spears song is better because Britney Spears song actually has a beat, whereas Maya Angelou's poem is written in "free verse" (that's an oxymoron by the way) December 31, 2005 so disappointing It's commonly accepted that the Christmas holiday season has become the annual highpoint of consumerism in America, but how sad that this short-sighted foolishness extends so far into the upper echelons of even our literary establishment. Maya Angelou's 2005 holiday book is a good example. "Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem" did phenomenal sales in its first month of publication and is guaranteed to be a staple of holiday display tables in bookstores for years to come. It's a tiny hardcover book that will run you $9.95. Yet this poem is just 300 to 400 words (about the number of words on 1 page in an average novel) and is liberally stretched here to cover a grand total of 11 pages. And sadly, it's not even much of a poem. The book uses the holiday to make an uninspired call for peace--an admirable sentiment surely, but one can find dozens of Christmas carols that have more beauty in a single line than this entire book. And, finally, what does the love of peace have to do with cashing in on Christmas by means of a dull little poem? December 21, 2005 A Vision of Hope, Peace, and Love Ms. Angelou is certainly one of our national, no, global treasures. In this brief but poignant piece, she captures the simplicity of Christmas that overwhelms our human attempts to outshine its basic message with fluff and materialism. Unabashedly Christian in her message, she never stoops to sectarianism but celebrates the gift of love for all people; an inclusivity that gathers together, not separates, races and cultures, nationalities and even religions into one powerful embrace. Given that, this is not the typical "P.C." pabulum that one so often hears about how we should just all get along, but a marvelous prophetic vision of God's plan for humanity. I would highly recommend this book for just about anyone you longs to hear a word of hope and healing in the midst of a sometimes dark and troubled world. For more Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem reviews click here.
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