Eyes That Seen Plenty is Aaron Campbell’s powerfully moving and
highly-entertaining retelling of his intense pursuit of truth as he came
of age in the 80’s, a tumultuous journey full of shocking events and
memorable characters.
A masterful storyteller, Campbell uses
incredibly vivid descriptions and brilliant dramatic pacing to open the
book by bringing the reader into the very unusual world he grew up in,
which was the intersection of a tough, working-class neighborhood in New
Jersey and the campus of an elite prep school. These worlds collided in
his youth, and this theme carries on and intensi?es in his adolescence
as he splits his time between running in the New York crime underworld
and living the high-life of an Ivy League student.
Along with
seeing the exotic settings of Campbell’s world, from seedy alleyways
overrun by gangsters to world-class biomedical research labs, we are
also brought into the inner-workings of Campbell’s exceptional mind,
where inner-con?ict rages—which everyone, especially young men, can
relate to.
Campbell’s narration has the poeticism of Fitzgerald’s
Nick Carraway, the brutal honesty of Salinger’s Holden Caul?eld, and
the perceptiveness of a James Baldwin essay. That being said, Campbell’s
voice is truly an original one that is de?ned by his intellect, humor
(which there is plenty of), and soulfulness—among other things.
In many ways, the book is a modern “Confessions” by Saint Augustine. The
book’s scope is remarkable as it crosses over into the memoir,
sociological history, and spiritual genres. Ultimately though, it is a
story about one man’s journey to ?nding true ful?llment and life.
This book is amazing on both the artistic and spiritual levels. Anyone will be able to appreciate it.
—by “Eric Reviews”
