This is a truly wonderful, inspiring anthology of poetry which could only serve but to move the hardest of hearts. I spent time in Africa and witnessed first hand many of the struggles he endured. He was at times, homeless and hungry due to the sporadic absence of love and support from home. These poems are empowering, as is the facts we learn about his life, his rise from the abyss. His story could so easily have had another ending. This anthology will make you appreciate what you have an applaud the journey he faced as he struggled to move from Zero to Hero. It truly is inspiring.

The author has had a tumultuous life growing up in Lesotho but has overcome his challenges and is now a qualified teacher; these poems celebrate his trials and tribulations. I was really looking forward to learning something about the Author's culture or even their upbringing, but unfortunately the poems are pretty.....vague. The poetry that tends to move me uses language creatively to take a specific situation and make is speak to my soul. The poems in this volume, although their use of meter was great, tended to speak in generalities, like in "A Fake Smile":

"My hopes, all risen by her smile, / little did I know she was a faker? / She was like a scorpion behind the rock. / Her smile could grab my attention, / she captured my interest. / Her set of teeth well-designed, Could sparkle brightly as she smiled./ Little did I know, that was a fake smile!"

Thinking about it, these poems are actually really similar to Psalms - general, with a strong moral and spiritual theme.

That said, I applaud the author for how he's overcome so many things in his life, but these poems were not for me.

Disclaimer - I was sent a free digital copy of this book by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

As an avid poetry reader, I thought I would give ‘child of the universe’ a go. I like the concept of somebody who starts from nothing and makes something of themselves, this is the baseline for these works from the perspective of the author. I thought the book as a whole was uplifting and encouraging.

Katleho Mosotho was born in Lesoto. His family was poor, his father violent, and his beloved mother died young. He dreamt of becoming a primary teacher but when he received a poor result in his third class honours, he thought he had no chance.. However, with a little luck, a lot of work, the aid of some special people in his life, and faith, he turned it around and was accepted into the Diploma of Education Primary and was able to fulfill his lifelong dream. He wrote Child of the Universe: From Zero to Hero, a book of poetry, about his life, his country, his faith, his mother, and about the many people he met on his way to fulfilling his dream.

In a way, I feel like a fraud, reviewing this book. I read very little poetry and will admit I chose this more because of the author's story than any understanding of what makes a good poem. I kinda feel like that cliche of the guy in an art store who says he knows nothing about art but he knows what he likes. Still, with that proviso, I found many of the poems, especially those about his faith and his mother, very moving - my favourite, the poem, Domestic Violence, was insightful, powerful, and heartbreaking. Most here, though, are hopeful. I would have liked a broader look at what life is like in Lesoto but that's a small quibble. Overall, I enjoyed it quite a bit and think maybe I'll be reading more poetry in the future.

<i> Thanks to Netgalley and Books Go Social for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

I selected this book because I've been trying to read more poetry. The poems written aren't bad, they just weren't really to my taste. I suppose I might not be a poetry fan after all.