Clearly rooted in a deep grasp of himself as a part of a continuum that stretches throughout the history of Africans in America, Jaquair Gillette's spoken word poems tell the world about the realities of the "throw-away" , "go away" and "ho away" people. The ten-poem collection is bold in its rhetoric. In fact, honesty compels me to clarify that not every American is ready to see what he sees from the Paterson, New Jersey streets. To call this urban literature is to cheat the scope and scale of the writer's insights. The book is more the voice of this generation, a cry that this nation is beyond broke. Gillette challenges readers to engage with their communities and fix it.

I am sorry this work was released for nearly a year ago. I have a large stack of titles, but am pleased to see how the poet/producer/actor uses language to stake his place and ours in the world.. For good or ill, readers cannot help but see themselves in his words. The author provokes thought and debate about how much humankind has strayed from a positive path onto a road likely to lead to destruction.

"Imprisoned by the fictions of man, I need an escape route," he declares in "a selection titled, The Inspiration". He continues, "See I've been railroading this Underground all in anticipation. For that proclamation of 'Mind Emancipation' ".

Gillette is clear in his outrage over injustices. Yet, his writings are not merely protests. The author prods readers to hear how the American Dream has proven a cheat. In that he is betrays himself as a disciple of the late Newark, New Jersey literary legend, Amiri Baraka.

His play, Dutchman, which premiered in 1964, ignited an international dialogue about race and the exploitation. As a seminal work in what became the 1960s Black Arts Movement, the play and later film inspired debate over the exploitation of the White woman as a means to oppress African Americans. Baraka's final controversy touched off over his 2001 poem, "Somebody Blew Up America", condemned as anti-Semitic and anti-American.

In that, Gillette's critiques of the nation and topics such as violence, poverty, greed, lies, and White Supremacy are equally direct and point to topics that at times will make some readers question the 30-something poet's direction, motives and loyalties. Those who go through all of the poems will see that his vision is aimed at hope.

"Imagine what we can be if we raised all of humanity," he writes in "We Are the Solution", the final poem. He earlier states," I believe we can be what we want and what we dream."

Wow, now this is moving, grippng writing. Striking poetry. I've been trying to focus on read that expand my mind to include other viewpoints and walks of life that I can't myself experience. Defiance and Desperation most certainly fits the bill. As a white person, I will never have the same frame of reference for the experiences of people of color that the writer pulls from in this book. I'm very glad that I was given the opportunity to read this galley, it was an eye-opening and important read. I would recommend this to any poetry fan who isn't going to shy away from important subject matter.

Defiance and Desperation is a poetry collection that packs a powerful and impactful punch about society. that mines the depths of our reality, expressing thoughts, ideas, and possible solutions to the issues facing the world we live in. It also details the plights and struggles of all Black Indigenous and people of color. This poetry collection brings hope and humanity to the world. I would recommend that everyone reads this poetry collection.