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books_and_cha's review
3.0
I just finished this book in an hour or less. I actually found out about this book from another one that I read - Leah Samarsinha's Dirty River. Samarsinha mentions reading Ahdri Zhina Mandiela and other books published by Sister Vision Press. Since I really liked Dirty River, I've been branching out and trying to read the books mentioned in it.
I couldn't understand or relate to most of Dark Diaspora - I am a feminist, woman of color who supports the LGBTIQ community, but I don't identify as queer. While I was reading it, I was consciously aware of this feeling of being excluded from the community - black, immigrant, queer - that the book celebrates. That being said, I did appreciate the pride and the sentiments expressed in this collection. I really liked Afrikan by Instinct - that was good one. I liked how the poem talks about embracing African identity even though the people have not visited their homeland.
Some of the poetry sounded like rap, and I wished I wasn't in a public setting so I could try reading it aloud. A lot of the poems also had rhythms and repetitions, making them seem song-like, and that was interesting to read. I liked it. The stills of the production all seemed the same, and I wished I had been able to see more dynamic moments - most of the poses were just of people standing or sitting. I wanted to see more of the dance.
Overall, it was an interesting read - I also liked how quickly I got through it - but since there wasn't much of a connection, I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have.
I couldn't understand or relate to most of Dark Diaspora - I am a feminist, woman of color who supports the LGBTIQ community, but I don't identify as queer. While I was reading it, I was consciously aware of this feeling of being excluded from the community - black, immigrant, queer - that the book celebrates. That being said, I did appreciate the pride and the sentiments expressed in this collection. I really liked Afrikan by Instinct - that was good one. I liked how the poem talks about embracing African identity even though the people have not visited their homeland.
Some of the poetry sounded like rap, and I wished I wasn't in a public setting so I could try reading it aloud. A lot of the poems also had rhythms and repetitions, making them seem song-like, and that was interesting to read. I liked it. The stills of the production all seemed the same, and I wished I had been able to see more dynamic moments - most of the poses were just of people standing or sitting. I wanted to see more of the dance.
Overall, it was an interesting read - I also liked how quickly I got through it - but since there wasn't much of a connection, I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have.
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