An Experiential Review on “truths. and freedom.” by Brandie Freely.
“love vs. logic / was the battle / of her life / and her greatest opponent / was time.” - Brandie Freely, truths. and freedom.
Brandie Freely, author of “truths. and freedom.”
The first time I met Brandie Freely was at the release party for truths. and freedom. She hosted it at the music venue I manage, and we met as I was setting up sound for her performance. We probably only spoke a few sentences to each other, but her energy was so peaceful. It was as if liberation seeped from her lips and flowed through her veins. You could feel how special she was.
After watching her wow the crowd with her beautiful voice and bewitching poetry, I knew I had to buy a copy of her book. Brandie signed it kindly before leaving my venue, and I didn’t even get a chance to touch the book for months.
This was until April 26th of 2018.
Something in my spirit had been telling me to write again, but I didn’t feel comfortable with the thought of writing after pushing myself through four years of forced writing in university, and reading for the sake of passing a class.
I loved my classes and the discussions we had, don’t get me wrong, but there is a distinct difference between reading because you have to versus reading for the thrill of reading. My time in college completely removed my love of books and I absolutely resented that.
So, the first book I put my nose in for the thrill of it all was truths. and freedoms. after owning it for 7 months.
I am livid at myself for not picking it up sooner.
The format is thoughtfully inspired by Rupi Kaur’s milk and honey (which was my next read, you can find my review here), however, it is not in any way similar. It is a piece of art all on its own.
I could not put this book down.
truths. and freedoms. is a journey thread together through experiences of falling in love and heartbreak. Experiencing abuse while simultaneously being the abuser. truths. and freedom.is acknowledgment of one’s imperfections in a culture where perfection is expected.
Freely’s use of words combined with her experiences expressed through poetry, short stories, and essays is a beautiful adventure that is unexpected and necessary. It showcases a woman in a place of vulnerability through intersections. A woman of faith challenging her church. A woman of marriage challenging her commitment. A woman forced to settle challenging her happiness. A mother loving her child. A woman wanting freedom and her journey to liberation.
This book is unique and infleuntial for untraditional individuals.
This book challenged me to think about my faith. Freely, who is a Christian, takes what a “traditional” Christian is supposed to look like and flips it on its head. She brings a refreshing view to one’s walk with Christ and sizes it down to what it is supposed to be: your relationship with him. As someone who is still trying to figure out where I am in my faith — that is if I even truly believe I have any — reading Brandie’s thoughts on Christ’s forgiveness and how she applies it not only to other people, but herself, is both strong and delicate. Forgiveness and Time is such a prominent theme throughout Brandie’s journey. It is what allows her to share her story with no fear of judgement or prosecution.
Image provided by Brandie Freely's Instagram
truths. and freedom. reminded me of how proud I am to be a mother. Brandie writes in detail about her relationship with her daughter and how she influences her to be a better human being. Not just so she can succeed for her daughter, but so her daughter can see what loving oneself in a world that constantly hates on you looks like. As a mother, this resonated with me heavily. I often think about how I can be a better human being for my son. How I can be the best example for him, the best mother to him, and love him as much as I can. He may have been unplanned for his father and I, but he has been the most positive and life changing individual that I have seen for as long as I’ve been on this planet. He brings out the best in me, as Freely’s daughter does for her.
Image provided by Brandie Freely's Instagram
truths. and freedom. allowed me to rethink infidelity. I have been cheated on in almost all of my serious relationships. The other two times I was not cheated on, it involved me getting left by that person I was with for someone else. My experiences left a very short patience for people who betrayed me. I was, and to this day still am, a very unforgiving person. However, Brandie’s story and how she spoke on her experience with it in her relationship showcased the other side of infidelity. She speaks on someone’s intentions versus their impact when making decisions, and how in infidelity, a majority of the time the intentions of someone’s decisions doesn’t take into account the hurt and the pain they may cause. It opened my eyes and allowed me to even revaluate myself. Did I give that person an opportunity to explain themselves? Did I allow hurt to shut them out? I still have a very high wall up when it comes to opening myself up to people, and even in my marriage the pain of my past has truly hindered me in moving forward with my husband. However, truths. and freedom. truly helped put words to healing.
Image provided by Brandie Freely's Instagram
You can purchase a copy of truths. and freedom. on Amazon. For more information about Brandie Freely, visit www.brandiefreely.com
If you are interested in having me review your book – I read and review all genres – please feel free to shoot me a message via my Instagram account, Facebook page, or email me at thevpwright@gmail.com!
If you think my book reviews are cool, enjoy reading my articles, poetry, or just like looking at my face, hold that clap button all the way down, and follow me on Medium and Instagram!
