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Violence/Joy/Chaos

Jane Marshall Fleming

4.65 · Rating details · 23 ratings · 12 reviews

This debut full-length hybrid collection of essays and poetry explores the moments of joy and chaotic hilarity that mingle with the experiences of trauma and trauma recovery. Jane Marshall Fleming writes with a boldness and shows the beauty in every moment of her life amidst the darkness of violent chaos, embracing joy just as much as darkness. Moving from a backdrop of a ...more

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Paperback, First Edition Print, 154 pages

Published April 4th 2020 by Rhythm & Bones Press (first published April 1st 2020)

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Apr 01, 2020 Taylor added it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, blog-tour, college-years, from-publisher, read-in-2020

Thank you so much to Rhythm & Bones Press, LSBBT, and the author for providing me with an advanced ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

“…THERE IS A THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE. THIS COLLECTION IS ABOUT THAT THIN LINE.”

I didn’t know what to expect when I first picked up my copy of Violence/Joy/Chaos . If I’m being honest, I was lured in by the enchanting cover art created by the author’s brother, Jordan Aman. I was drawn to the dark chaos of the birds, while simultaneously being comfo ...more

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Apr 10, 2020 Ruthie Jones rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lone-star-book-blog-tours, kindle-book

"I was a child playing hopscotch without the chalk lines to hold me in."

Violence/Joy/Chaos by Jane Marshall Fleming is a visceral collection of poems and essays about a life of heartache, joy, pain, drugs, loss, and healing. The raw emotions pouring from this collection is breathtaking and disconcerting. Jane’s young life has been spread across valleys and mountains—atmosphere and earth. This outpouring of honesty is unchained and floats across the pages and into the reader’s mind and heart. Bot "I was a child playing hopscotch without the chalk lines to hold me in."

Violence/Joy/Chaos by Jane Marshall Fleming is a visceral collection of poems and essays about a life of heartache, joy, pain, drugs, loss, and healing. The raw emotions pouring from this collection is breathtaking and disconcerting. Jane’s young life has been spread across valleys and mountains—atmosphere and earth. This outpouring of honesty is unchained and floats across the pages and into the reader’s mind and heart. Both violence and joy are displayed chaotically yet still with a clear, illuminated path of forward motion.

The author’s unvarnished presentation of emotions, actions, and choices is riddled with both melancholy and hope. We are all burdened by loss and anxiety, and Jane captures her own experiences to show us that we are not alone, even when the darkness closes in. Drugs have played a large role in Jane’s experiences, altering her mind and sending her into highs and lows. Through it all, Jane constantly runs barefoot, despite the danger of cuts and bruises to tender soles. This image of bare feet that are both vulnerable and strong is striking throughout. The pleasure of the earth under each foot, drawing its magnetism into the body, beautifully captures Jane's connection to the ground and that feeling of being solidly anchored, even when her life becomes unmoored. The constant bleeding and healing of her feet show that while we suffer our burdens, we also heal and are made whole again, time after time. This cycle mimics the seasons of life, of the earth, of the cosmos, and Jane shares with us her small place in all that chaos.

These essays and poems in Violence/Joy/Chaos are boisterous and tumultuous; however, the story remains intact as Jane outlines events through both prose and verse. This short collection of one woman’s turbulent journey is quick to read but will linger and permeate the mind and soul. No one is immune or exempt from such chaos, but how we endure the journey and eventually peek out from the other side are what define us and what give us courage, strength, and hope to carry on. Jane has unabashedly given us this gift of her organic truth so that we can reflect on our own chaotic journey of violence and joy.

I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review. ...more

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Apr 03, 2020 Ariel Hess rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Disclaimer: This review is solely my opinion. I was provided a copy of this book from Lone Star Literary Life partner in exchange for my honest review. The comments in this review do not reflect the views of the author or the publisher. The copies used in this review are finalized copies sent to me in exchange for my honest review. #partner #LSBBT

There aren't too many words that I could use to fully describe how beautifully written this book of poetry is written. This book of poems flows wonde
Disclaimer: This review is solely my opinion. I was provided a copy of this book from Lone Star Literary Life partner in exchange for my honest review. The comments in this review do not reflect the views of the author or the publisher. The copies used in this review are finalized copies sent to me in exchange for my honest review. #partner #LSBBT

There aren't too many words that I could use to fully describe how beautifully written this book of poetry is written. This book of poems flows wonderfully together as the author allows the reader to be transferred into her life. The highly descriptive writing style allows for the emotions of the author to be transferred onto the page. It is such a challenge to portray such raw emotions in such a way that not only captures the attention of the reader but also provides a connection between the reader and the storyline. There are moments during the reading that feel her anger, sadness, grief, love, pain, and finally freedom. You feel as though not only is she free from herself. Although her road to recovery and freedom was tumultuous it is truly enlightening to take on the journey to her discovering herself. The most beautiful part of this book is knowing that although she finally was able to find true love she still struggled daily with control. That is inspiring to know that it is okay to struggle even after you become free. Here dialogue with herself is powerful and shows the reader the true power of words. One of the most important conversations you will have is the one you have with yourself.

I cried, I laughed, and I gasped while reading this book of poetry. There were a lot of instances where the author captures the essence of each moment being described. Throughout this collection of essays and poems, you find yourself crying when she cries, laughing when she laughs, and rejoicing in those moments of triumph. We are all transferred into her life as she takes us on a long-awaited journey through the years and we watch her find her voice and discover herself. There were a few moments where I essentially had to stop and process the information that was delivered.

You can view the full review on my blog at Libraries Book Adventures ...more

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Apr 11, 2020 A.Borroel rated it it was amazing

The words. It's all about the beautiful and pristine and hurtful words that makes this book well worth reading. From the very beginning, the author does a great job of grabbing you in with her wonderfully used words that it just intrigues you to finish this book so that you can read more beautifully, tragic sentences. When the author writes about love, she writes it all down in a poetically induced atmosphere. And when she is hurting and clinging to the words of her ex-lover, she seamlessly mirr The words. It's all about the beautiful and pristine and hurtful words that makes this book well worth reading. From the very beginning, the author does a great job of grabbing you in with her wonderfully used words that it just intrigues you to finish this book so that you can read more beautifully, tragic sentences. When the author writes about love, she writes it all down in a poetically induced atmosphere. And when she is hurting and clinging to the words of her ex-lover, she seamlessly mirrors her feelings onto her pages.

The author was able to redirect me into her life while reminding me of my own young adult life. She brought out memories of past loves, past friendships and how, as I'm in the middle of my 20's, things are still changing and a single moment in my life can either be remembered or forgotten. One part of the book that really choked me up was when she was describing looking through old photos of friends and how she never thought that the last time she would see those friends would be in this picture. I always think about that. How some old friends of mine saw each other for the last time and we didn't even realize it. Reminds us all that we are not invincible to time.

I commend the author for writing down her life situations and her feelings. It's not an easy thing to do, but she was brave enough to write down all the joys, the love, the highs and the lows and kindly let us know about her dreadlocks phase. She is raw and she is real and she makes you feel like you are not alone, which is especially needed right now through these crazy times. And her ability to be so honest with her life, makes you just want to read until the cow jumps over the moon.

I also just loved the way that the author moves around her writing style throughout the book. In one chapter, you usually read an essay styled story and then a poem and then sometimes it felt like I was reading slam poetry and then back to essays. It really keeps the reader engaged and it was great on transitioning from one part of her life to another.

I would recommend this book to any young or even middle-aged adults who love poetry or just looking for something relatable and true. It was a real honor to read this book with its beautifully written words and its heavy topics. ...more

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Apr 11, 2020 Becca rated it it was amazing

If you’ve experienced trauma of any dimension,
If you want to cry,
If you’ve experienced loss,
If you’ve found self love to be a challenge,
If you love poetry,
If you don’t love poetry,
If you feel the earth as more than mud and grass,
If you’re struggling with addiction,
If you’ve experienced heartbreak,
If you’ve struggled with abortion,
If the rain against your skin feeds your soul,
If you feel alone,
If you love good literature,
If you want to read a book cover to cover,
Buy this.
Never have I felt so emb ...more

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May 06, 2020 Lannie Stabile rated it it was amazing

I gotta' admit I'm not a creative non-fiction kind of reader, but there's just something about this collection that wooed me. It's honest and powerful and, though a lot of unimaginable things occur, surprisingly relatable. Jane, thank you for pulling your ribs apart and letting me in for awhile. ...more

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Apr 11, 2020 Lone Star Literary Life rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: essays, poetry, texas-author

Featured on Lone Star Book Blog Tours. Lone Star Blogger Team average rating: 4.75 stars. ...more

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Mar 04, 2020 Cat ♡ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

In her hard-hitting full-length chapbook debut, “Violence/Joy/Chaos”, Jane Marshall Fleming offers to “let (her) teach (us) how to read (her)”. In poems and essays that chronicle trauma, grief, and recovery, she does just this. Early in the chapbook, Fleming states both that “survival is to love oneself despite violence” and that “recovery is loving oneself violently”. These statements came to me as a reader at a time when I needed them most.
There are several triggering topics discussed in this ...more

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Feb 09, 2020 Vincent Rando rated it it was amazing

Violence/Joy/Chaos is a striking portrait of a young woman, a memoir of the fascinating path her life has taken thus far. More poetry than prose, the sense of who this remarkable woman is comes through on each page. Her highs, her lows, her joys, her sorrows- all is delivered in a way that makes you feel you've known her forever. It isn't reading for the faint of heart. She doesn't shy away from her pain, instead delivering it as she feels it. This makes it stand put amongst auto-biographical wo ...more

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May 01, 2020 Stacia Aman rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: mature adults

Jane Marshall Fleming boldly practices radical vulnerability in this autobiographical collection of essays, narratives, and poetry. She masterfully and carefully reveals her personal stories though vivid imagery and at times brutally raw staccato that her editor, Tianna provides on single pages- perhaps because I as the reader either needed to stand at a distance from the words or needed encouragement to breathe and continue the course. I am perhaps different than other readers, because I'm Jane ...more

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May 01, 2020 Jordan Aman rated it it was amazing

A shining beacon of hope for trauma survivors, written with artistic sophistication I haven’t seen before 5/5 I would recommend this to anyone and everyone.

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Apr 12, 2020 Courtney LeBlanc rated it it was ok

Shelves: poetry

I really wanted to love this collection as the cover art is some of the most gorgeous I've seen and I'm a big fan of non-linear narrative CNF. And this has poetry mixed in too, so I was really excited to receive it. Unfortunately I just didn't love it; it reads like a good draft that needs a good editor to work out the kinks - cliches, generic writing, misspellings... I'm okay with a timeline that jumps around but many of these essays didn't have enough grounding to ensure the reader know when i ...more

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