The Fading Rainbow

About the Book

“At the end of every storm, a rainbow appears.” The statistics for at risk teens are daunting and alarmed the author since she was there only a few short years ago. Having a positive role model is important and vital for the survival of today’s youth. This book is a framework for hope, inspiration and the message that any young person, young women in particular, can overcome adversity. Journey with me through 13 poems that range in emotion, evoke attitude and inspire all while making the reader say out loud, “I’ve been there”. “The Fading Rainbow” reminds us that we don’t always see the world in color. We are allowed again to see that we are real and experience and feel real things. We as young women experience pain, joy, and every emotion in between. There is a constant struggle to prove ourselves and find our place in a world that at times rejects us and in turn makes us reject ourselves. “The Fading Rainbow” will make you stand up and cheer for the journey of being a young person in America, the disappointments we face and rejoice at the moment that you realize the colors of the rainbow can and will be bright again if you learn to see them that way!

About the Author

Semirra Long is a 28 year old student at Fordham University and author. This is her first published work. The author is the daughter of two published authors, both in the genre of poetry. She works as an Administrative Assistant in Rye, NY and resides in Yonkers, NY. Ms. Long used her own adolescence as a template for the book and played on her own experiences to inspire other young women. The author states that she has “been through it all” and the subject matter of the poetry throughout this piece evokes just that. “The Fading Rainbow’s” title was inspired by the play; “For Colored Girls Who’ve Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enough” by Ntozake Shange, a play that the author says changed her life and inspired her to tell her story through poetry. The daughter of a recovering alcoholic and the victim of childhood trauma, Ms. Long is a great inspiration to young girls and delivers the message that you can overcome the obstacles and move mountains. “I just hope that I help one girl recognize her true beauty; that in its self is the goal for writing this book and is my goal every time that I write.”