Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong

15 reviews

artemisg's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad

4.0

My attempt to become a poetry girly continues, and I think I'm starting to get it. This was a deeply emotional collection of poems, and I felt a little overwhelmed by the intimate and evocative nature of the writing. This collection primarily surrounds grief, and it is not a hopeful collection; it dwells on the sadness of someone dying before you could tell them everything you want them to know and not having that person around for the rest of your life. There is a lot of sadness here, but all of it is beautifully written.

Anyway, here are some of my favourite lines because I don't know how to correctly review poetry (and I'm not sure that poetry this intimate should be reviewed by Me):

That I recall every follicle in the failure the way they'll remember god after religion: alone, impossible & good. 

Because everyone knows yellow pain, pressed into American letters, turns to gold. 

I am starting to root for him, on his way to dust.

Strange, what a face can do
                                                   to a face. 

I reached into my pocket
but the gun was gone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

Moderate: Xenophobia, Racism, and Sexual content

hilaryreadsbooks's review against another edition

5.0

A prayer after reading Ocean Vuong’s TIME IS A MOTHER:

May the taste of grief be slowly rinsed from our mouths. “What we’ll always have is something we lost,” but may we also always feel the edge of a found dollar bill when we reach into our pockets. May we reach towards a world where those too tired to be happy are still alive; may their rested bodies stretch the length of the earth and may heaven still be for another day. May dead mothers still be alive in dreams. May we dream that we can manipulate time and wake up, still breathing. “I was made to die but I’m here to stay,” and may we always have a reason to stay. May we leave people and places and memories so that we have a reason to stay. May we always wish for more; may we always allow ourselves to wish for more.

May this mediocre body still be enough. May sensation not hurt so much, and when it does, may we realize that a body that feels like this cannot be mediocre. May we continue to feel, and feel, and feel, even when feeling becomes too much. May we still love when we are afraid of love. May we still love when we have been hurt by love. May we still love because this is all the time we have to love.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Suicide, War, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Self harm

charlottesoph's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Car accident, Murder, Terminal illness, and War

Minor: Hate crime

lowbrowhighart's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual violence, Racism, Suicide, Blood, Sexual assault, Cancer, Mental illness, Drug use, Self harm, Sexual content, War, Xenophobia, and Police brutality

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

auger's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

I am the first to say that modern poetry can be disappointing to say the least. Vuong avoided everything that makes modern poetry cringy. He is quite criptic and the way his scentences start as one thing and end up as another is remarkable and very kawakami. Love it and will reread it many times over.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Suicide, Self harm, Sexual content, Death, Cancer, Death of parent, Addiction, Racism, Police brutality, Mental illness, Blood, and War