Carla M. Cherry’s fourth poetry collection, These Pearls Are Real, is a medley of poems exalting the joys of childhood, falling in love, grappling with gun violence, cultural appropriation, police brutality, and the neglect of people suffering mentally illness. Her epic poem, “A Daughter Speaks” is an homage of the courage of Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Therese Patricia Okoumou, and the ordinary people across various identities who gave us hope for a brighter future during the dark years under Trump. Several new poems in this second edition join the original work, including “She Wanted To Become a Nurse”, a tribute to Breonna Taylor.