Obsessions is a collection of poems on various topics which touched the author from romance, African American civil rights and racism, pursuing an acting and writing career, self perception and the challenges of legacy, the journey we all maneuver which is our life, and the tragic arcs of the controversial icons Muhammad Ali and OJ Simpson. The author opens a window into his mind and the many subjects which obsess him from an age when much of the future lies ahead and doubts and second thoughts about what is past are hard to ignore. As much as anything, these poems reflect what all human beings ask at one time or another, why are they or anyone else placed on this planet? These verses beg the deeper question, is it helpful to ask or just better to accept what is and move on?
Reviews "Obsessions by Chris Haley "stirring poetry collection"Organized in sections; Me, Christmas Suite, Afrocentric, Career, The O.J. Suite, and Brief Thoughts, the poems respond with emotional intensity in The biggest obsession, to analytical detachment in Independence Day.
The obsession underlining the book is revealed in the question posed in the most personal, and stunning of the poems, Roots: The part of me. Chris Haley is the nephew of Alex Haley, author of the blockbuster book, Roots: An American Saga, which kicked off the modern genealogy craze. "What do you do to be you?" Chris asks, as might anyone wrestling with a strong family narrative that has framed their life.
Well, you can write.
Connie Harold, Writer"
"We are many, and we are one."