The Inside of an Orange

Book excerpt: The Inside of an Orange presents the third poetry project of NAACP Image Award Winner James B. Golden. This lively collection is filled with anecdotes about creating a happier life through spirituality and acceptance. His poetry reflects his experiences and responses to cultural events over the past year, including the passing of greats Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Donna Summer, Don Cornelius, and Nick Ashford. Golden's newest work promotes themes of Blackness ( I Love You, Black Man ); self-acceptance ( A Better-Looking Me ); quirkiness ( Why Are You Forcing Me to Eat Vegetables ); and a variety of other provocative topics. It explores the ideas of healing and spiritual growth with a voice that is at times funny, reflective, inquisitive, and celebratory and always genuine.