A WARRIOR'S CRY

A collection of flowing, psalmlike poetry about maintaining faith in the face of affliction.

In a prologue, debut author Enderson briefly and tenderly describes some key aspects of her life, many of which serve as underlying themes for the rest of her book. They include her love of sculpting pottery, which she uses to describe her relationship with God, and the strength she finds in the art of boxing, which she uses extensively as a metaphor for the ongoing fight of faith. The impetus for these verses seems to have been her 26-year battle with an unspecified autoimmune disease, which she says causes her “overwhelming sickness” and “horrific pain.” The book is made up of humble, pleading prayers in a format that’s somewhere between prose and poetry. She accompanies these with verses from the Old and New Testaments, calling upon God for deliverance from constant moments of suffering and evil. Given Enderson’s personal history of pain, it’s no wonder that many of the pieces here have a dark, sorrowful, and even spiritually violent tone. Even so, the author somehow manages to hold onto hope, and her perseverance and personal faith in Jesus Christ shine through. The unorthodox format strays from conventional capitalization and punctuation, but this hardly diminishes the message and, in fact, sometimes enhances it (as in her use of “i am” for her own voice and “I Am” for Jesus’). Her wise use of consonance, assonance, and alliteration, as well as her judicious choice of vocabulary, adds depth and makes the book a delight to read. Many readers, especially those who are facing their own “dark dark black black night,” will enjoy the flow of Enderson’s words and find encouragement in their meaning.

A delicate dance with a clear, uncompromising message that “There is no white towel in the corner of belief.”