Praise for Listening to Africa:
“In Listening to Africa, Diana M. Raab makes a pilgrimage from the ‘familiar neon of home’ in Amercia to Africa, bringing her family, her passion and her pen. Her moving words carry us with her in narrative poems replete with vision, humor, and irony. In her inner and outer journey, the poet transforms fear and sadness into beauty and love as her heart opens ‘in this place which will remind you of your reason for living.”
“Diana M. Raab takes us on a joyous poetic journey of words and photos. She juxtaposes her wisdom, essential wellness, and depth of feeling to explore four-legged friends, illness, and hope, making this an extremely powerful collection.”
“Diana Raab’s Listening to Africa is a narrative poetry collection that vividly describes her travels to the heart of Africa, where she and her family traveled to experience the beauty and fascination of another world. During her safari, she observes the distress, the delight, and the dignity of the humans and animals who live there and parallels them to her own quest for health. Susan Wooldridge says this about the collection, “the poet transforms fear and sadness into beauty and love as her heart opens ‘in this place which will remind you of your reason for living.’ “
“This thought-provoking, moving poetry collection captures the essence of all that is Africa and more. Travel alongside Raab and her family as they take off from America, visit Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, and ponder the author’s reflections of all she’s learned as her family heads back to the States. This is a collection you’ll read more than once.”
“…I liked those poems best in which she loses herself in her environment and into the other world of Africa…I did also appreciate her viewpoints and astute observations of the difference between life in the West and places she visited. I hesitate to give a rating to this book as reading poetry, I find, is such a subjective experience. This however, is a very interesting record of a woman’s journey outside of herself, seeing herself in a different country and world, and recording it in poetry.”
“…I measure poetry by how deeply it brings me home, making me present to my own life. “Listening to Africa” makes me feel more deeply and cherish my moments more preciously. It is a book with poems I’ve already read several times, and still find myself wanting to read again; and that’s my measure of a book of poetry worth owning.”
“…As for myself, I enjoyed this collection very much. Diana has included photos of her trip, which added even more of a personal touch…I found these poems to be intimate and thought provoking. The verse flowed smoothly and I was easily lost in her words.”
“This book of poetry is heart-felt and beautiful, a rarity and honor to read.”
“I love the idea that this collection follows her journey to Africa and shows the area through her eyes. The poems touch not only on her journey, but her health and family. She paints a picture with her words that makes you smile, moves you and actually makes me want to take a trip somewhere myself!”
“In a short book of poems, Raab captures the splendor and the sorrow of Africa. She records her physical illness and open spirit. One does not have to visit Africa to fully engage in this story poem. It is full of lyricism and truth.”
“I don’t think I have ever read a book that packed so much emotion into so few pages. This poetry collection, written by Diana M. Raab isn’t just about her trip to Africa with her family. The poems are about her healing and what her life and family means to her…”
“…I was impressed with the way the author took such simple and sometimes profane concepts and scenes and turned them into an intriguing line of poetry. While this is not classic poetry or even rhyming poetry, I think everyone can take a few moments and read this for himself or herself. It is well worth the time–the book is short, easy-to-read, and full of pictures.”
“So with the light coming from inside the house spilling out over my shoulder I started to read Listening to Africa by Diana Raab. Now I love poetry and hearing her words in my head was great. But I felt it needed to be out loud. So soon I was reading Diana Raab’s poems to the birds around me…
“Listening to Africa is a book of poems which comes from the heart and opens your eyes to the ferocity and gentleness of life. It’s a gift to be able to express such complex emotions in such an elegant, yet straightforward manner…Taking to heart the lesson to enjoy each moment, love deeper, and to truly appreciate all we have, Listening to Africa is a powerful book which will touch your soul.”
“While I have never been to Africa myself, the author here seems to capture the feel of the country, the people and the culture of Africa in her poetry. Her poems are vivid and allow the reader to imagine and truly see the world and the situation being described. Through the words in her poetry I find myself wanting to go to this far off continent and see and experience some of the amazing things that the author has shared in her beautiful words. This is a great book that truly captures the essence of Africa!”
“Honest and raw, beautiful and moving, Diana Raab takes us on a journey through Africa and all of it’s primal horrors and beauty. She does not hold back, describing children that will have only “bribes of wellness” for medical care, a giraffe, grazing alone in a wide field, a balloon ride in the Namibian sky. These poems are about the essence of Africa, but also about her personal experience on the journey and throughout life. Her poetry dances and flows with witty rhythms and lyrical pictures. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection.”
“…Diana Rabb finds the heartbeat of Africa and the people and animal populace, views the poverty, feels the kinship, and stirs it all into transcendent poetry. Listening To Africa, as a book of poems, is.”
