THE WORLD NEEDS LOVE

A collection of inspirational prose, poetry, song lyrics, and meditations.

In his slim nonfiction debut, musician Hillsman presents readers with a punchy mélange of works on a wide variety of topics. The opening, titular poem offers musings on love (“Love is so beautiful / Love is wonderful / Love is a wonderful thing”), but the focus of the collection quickly widens and wanders to other matters, including subjects as diverse as a call for a united Africa to stories of a taxicab driver and a tribute to media mogul Oprah Winfrey (“You always work hard for what to show / In hot, cold, and also snow”). There’s a heavy Jamaican theme running through the collection, including pieces about “The Real Jamaican Women” and “The Real Jamaican Men” and commemorations of reggae icons, such as Frankie Paul and Dennis Emmanuel Brown. There are also pauses for simply worded prayers (“My lord let all my dreams and aspirations manifest in me”) and opinions on the nature of women and romantic relationships. The tone throughout is upbeat; “Always have a positive attitude,” Hillsman writes at one point, and it’s this mindset that readers will likely enjoy the most about the collection. However, there are a few distracting errors: “Time Magazine is a season campaigner,” he writes at one point, instead of “seasoned campaigner,” and he refers to “Time Square, a significant location located in Manhattan,” instead of “Times Square.” The rhymes aren’t always convincing, either, as in one of the recurring “Hillsman Corner Quotes”: “Some people will tell you they care / But in reality they won’t share / Some people will never say they’re sorry / But in their heart is pure hatred they carry.”

An uneven but ultimately cheering series of poetic reflections on life and art.