reviews of "Unspoken Confessions" from Amazon.com (part 3)

A unique standpoint - a must read.
by Adelina Alexe

With the depth, maturity, and audacity of one past his age, Jason Vanderlaan addresses in fine verse the controversial love/sexual dimension of human beings. He constructs the psychological profile of the "sinner after flesh", reproving altogether the thought and action, while unveiling the conniving thread that guilt, shame, aloneness, disgust, and despair weave on the inside of his being, warning to tip off any hope for reinstatement.
"Despair is thus defined:
To hold a treasure
In the palm of your hand
Only to have it slip away
Down through the fingers like sand." - (Double Deception).

After exposing the decadence of the human beings, the author brings up consequences of "what our eyes have seen", "what our hands have done", and "what our hearts have betrayed".
"These lonely memories
Of white faces smeared red
Area eating away at the home
That I have yet to build." - (Termites).

Following the awareness of a morally wrong course of action, an almost overwhelming appeal for forgiveness blossoms in sincere and weighty language.
"We are not all
Poets with epic hearts.
We are all
Less than we wish to be.
We are all
Broken and afraid
Forgive us." - (Confessions).

Vanderlaan finally brings us to the realization that only God can change the condition we've fallen into, and addresses a strong appeal and encouragement to integrity.
"I've been trying to climb
With the strength of my broken bones,
But it's only the rope of Your love
That can pull me out again." - (Love Must Come First).

"Unspoken Confessions" is a journey from sin to restoration. It is a journey that we all undertake, at one level or another. Although it is written on behalf of men, a good number of poems apply equally to women, all in an unsusceptible and urgent sense of self-evaluation. You might find consolation in understanding that you are not alone in this battle. You may feel disgusted, disappointed, and discouraged at the reality of sin. Whether you're on one side of the threshold or the other, it is a matter that concerns you, and the book provides not only the mirror, but the comb as well.


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An UnPoet's Evaluation: Dark and Refreshing
by Matthew J. Lucio

Vanderlaan's poetic debut underscores years of patient apprehension at what he perceives as the dishonest posturing of many men. He calls his book "an attempt at honesty" and "an attempt to find light in the darkness." Accordingly, the book unfolds along the dark contours of love and loss, exploring these themes in imagery that is often times disturbing. The poetry is incisive as it relentlessly pursues repeated themes-until despair sets in. But, despite the dark ambiance, the book eventually culminates in a crescendo of Christian imagery. In the end it is Vanderlaan's faith, so cleverly concealed in the first half of the book, that eventually emerges as a dominant passion for healing and hope.

I don't read poetry as a rule, but in this case I'm glad I made an exception. Vanderlaan writes about reality we can all relate to in the hope that we would soon realize that it's a future we can't live with. I recommend this book to all (poet or anti-poet) those who are ready for an attempt at honesty.

reviews of "Unspoken Confessions" from Amazon.com (part 2)

Balm & Blade appropriate
by Beth-Anne White

Reading this book made me see the publishing company's title in a different light. There is definitely a blade in this poetry. It is deep and cutting at times, but Vanderlaan takes us beyond just the pain to where healing can be found, to the balm.
Unspoken Confessions is not what people might call an "easy read" but it is stunning in its clarity and depth. I have read and reread this book for the great poetry and the message that is in them. It is not often that a poet comes a long and has meaningful and well-written poetry. Vanderlaan has both.
I am looking forward to getting and reading his next book.
This book is for guys and girls. Each will gather something different from it, but both will benefit from reading Unspoken Confessions.

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Wisdom beyond his years
by Karen Vanderlaan

In his first book, Jason Vanderlaan writes with widom and insight beyond his years. Unspoken Confessions is a book that tells of the author's desire to be a truly noble and good man. There is a great deal of substance to Jason's writing as well as struggle and discovery.
Reading "Unspoken Confessions will inspire the reader to be a better human being.

reviews of "Unspoken Confessions" from Amazon.com (part 1)

incredible book, amazing writer
by Amber Hill

This book was incredible. Every poem was candid and honest about what men struggle with, the temptations they have, and the desire to overcome. It is exactly what Jason said it to be -- an attempt at honesty, at hope, and and attempt to find light in the darkness.

Initially when I started reading it, I thought, "Certainly every man can't be this bad..." It was a bit discouraging. But you must keep reading, because this isn't a poetic story of failure, but of hope and of faith and of strength. By the end of the book, I had fallen in love with the speaker in the poems -- a man who struggles with temptation, a man who wants to do good, and a man of strength and character. A man any woman would be lucky to have.


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Inspiring
by Kristin Thomas

This book was more than an attempt at honesty and hope; it was a success.

Each poem is genuine and open, leaving no doubt in your mind that what you've just read is from the heart. I enjoyed seeing the transformation from being overcome by sin and temptation to a deliberate defiance and a stand against impurity and the power of darkness. But most of all, I think it was inspiring to see in these poems that there is something better than the counterfeit love the world has sold us- a true, pure love that can be reached only by accepting God's hand and allowing Him to pull us all out of darkness.

This book is a calling to a higher standard and a better life- for both men and women.

review of "Unspoken Confessions" in Southern Accent Newspaper

http://accent.cs.southern.edu/?p=502

Review by Helen Pyke, Creative Writing Professor at Southern Adventist University:

“Unspoken Confessions,” a collection of poems by 2007 Southern graduate Jason Vandelaan, might have been banned from the McKee Library a few years ago, and even in 2009 some readers on campus might think the poet too frank about male sexuality. However, a careful reader reads introductions, and the introduction of Vanderlaan’s book is as telling as any of the poetic confessions which follow. Vanderlaan speaks for himself in some poems, in other poems for friends or for men he would hardly call friends. He examines the sometimes faltering resolution of Christian men and the anguish of spirit resulting from their disappointment in themselves. He challenges them to hold themselves and each other accountable. He warns young men that “loving the way she made me feel” is not the same as loving, and warns young women that what they and their girlfriends may think is a cute outfit may inspire the “Vampire” to more than playful nibbles.

Confessions leads the reader from recognition that what all too often is seen as normal is sin to revulsion, to confession, and to contrition. Vanderlaan rejoices in God’s recreative power. In “Sleeping in Gethsemane” the poet cries out of slumber for a clean heart, a heart which will hate the sin which has taken over even his dreams. Another speaker in “I Could Not Betray Eve Again” concludes:

And sometimes we must say no
Even when she’s begging for a yes.
And I could not betray Eve again
By giving in
To her offer of forbidden fruit
When she needed me to stand firm.
So she stood, waiting
With pursed lips
And empty hands
As I turned away.

“Unspoken Confessions” is a call to sexual purity at every level, of mind as well as body. Vanderlaan challenges Christian males to surrender their desires to the One who made them men, to become, not just the man of some woman’s dreams, but the husband who can joyously give his wife all the love of his lifetime. The final section of the poetic collection is called “The Way Back Starts Not with a Step, But With a Stand.” The collection of poems itself is a banner in the hands of a color bearer in Christ’s army. In effect, the poet says, “Here I stand. If you choose to be Christ’s man or woman, come stand with me.”

"Fire" now available!!!

3 ways to get "Fire":

1. from: https://www.createspace.com/3399194 for $6.10 plus S&H (a little cheaper than Amazon, though I think a little slower too)

2. from amazon.com for $6.10 plus S&H

3. from me directly (in person) for $5.



Enjoy!


~Jason

Fire Trailer (Elemental Endeavours Series)

fireside confession

I write, not because I am,
But because I wish to become.