Customer Reviews

Eyes Free

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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You haven't experienced spoken word until you've experienced Taalam Acey. Words fail to describe the effect this man has on the mic. And off. When he says, "someone or something is protecting me", believe it. I still find him inspiring to this day.

Eyes Free is powerful on so many levels. It is a raw collection of pivotal events, places, people and other phenomena that will evoke a gammet of emotion. I found myself laughing one minute (the humor is off the chain) and going "dayum, T!" the next, all the while turning page after page after page into the wee hours of the night. Eyes Free chronicles the travels, trials, tribulations & turmoil of one of the world's finest jewels.

He covers early origins from the oral communication carried over on slave ships, to early poets like Phyllis Wheatley, to Harlem Renaissance and Langston Hughes to The Last Poets. The imagery is so vivid, one feels as if they are right there with him, especially on the night he fell in love with spoken word.

Eyes Free is sensual, seductive and scorching. These "spells" Taalam "Conjures" are no joke. Please take this journey through the eyes of one of the most powerful voices on this planet.

Taalam. Thank you for sharing and showing yourself to the world. In giving so much of yourself, the love you are getting and will continue to receive is but a single drop in an ocean of gratitude for your presence in this here universe. I truly believe and know our ancestors are pleased. Peace*blessings.

In his candidly written memoir EYES FREE, celebrated spoken word artist Taalam Acey paints an extremely intimate self portrait and allows the reader a raw, unabashed view of his life story. With his straightforward and unencumbered prose, Acey does a remarkable job of affording the reader access to his innermost thoughts and feelings.

EYES FREE is a story of triumph and the ability to change life's challenges into opportunities and then making the most of those opportunities. The author affirms this time and again as he takes the reader through his life's journey, frankly detailing his beginnings as "a child of some of the most god-awful blight the modern world has ever known."

Whether divulging the vivid details of his promiscuous lifestyle before, during, and after his failed marriage, relating the gritty details of his stint as a rapper and then drug dealer, or simply relating his experiences garnered during his travels as a spoken word artist, Acey manages to maintain a smooth, clear writing style that very effectively holds the reader's attention.

Rich with fascinating anecdotes and thought provoking observations, EYES FREE is a thoroughly engaging read and a true testament to the remarkable storytelling ability of Taalam Acey. This author writes with a fluidity of expression that leaves the readers hard pressed to put this book down.

Reviewed by Autumn
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Seldom is a book with such honesty and depth entertaining...Taalam has managed to captivate the reader on page 1 and leave them longing for more on page 300. Here is the history of spoken word cleverly woven into the life's journey of one of the most compelling poets ever to grace a stage. Impossible to put down and a must read for anyone who has ever been, loved, or wanted to love, a black man.

Taalam Acey gives a brutally honest memoir in Eyes Free. His story is inspirational. Just when he lost everything he owned and was ready to exit this world by his own hand he found poetry. Poetry pulled this remarkable man from the brink. If you've seen Taalam perform you know how he can move you. How he can make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck or leave you speechless with mouth wide open. To think that he was once so down and out and ready to check out. Eyes Free takes us on his journey into spoken word, poetry slams, the ins and outs of performance poetry. He lived a hard life and kept striving to be the magical poet he is today. Surely there must be some force that does protect him. Thanks Taalam for sharing this part of yourself. I look forward to Eyes Free the poetry collection. Eyes Free won Best Poetry book 2004 from Mahogany.
Reviewed by
Dawnny

To quote a section in the book in which he describes his wife"I credit her with putting that life-or-death edge on my poetry.." That quote also applies to this book. Every sentence lives with a power and determination which cannot be denied. It must be experianced. I 1st saw Acey at a poetry club during his trip to Chicago in Jan 2000 and was blown away. Yes in the interest of full disclosure I am a fan and there are times when an editor could have helped the manuscript but it's a flawed masterpiece just like it's author.