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jesshooves's review against another edition
“bones jinglin like wind chimes / in a house nobody stay in / how you kill a dead thing? / what kinda weapon work on a ghost?”
—from poem “Not Dead But...”
—from poem “Not Dead But...”
lindseyzank's review against another edition
5.0
What a powerhouse of a collection! Christina gives voice to Anarcha in raw, painful, bold ways. We get Anarcha's story, her hopes and dreams, her grappling with faith, and her experiences at the brutal hands of Dr. Marion Sims. We also get his voice, and Christina captures the dehumanizing ideology he espoused and the pseudo-science he used to justify his repeated violence against enslaved Black women. But, unlike in real life, Anarcha gets a chance to speak back. The imagery in these poems is sharp, the messages and emotions are taut. This collection would make a brilliant companion to any slave narrative or other historical telling of enslavement, as it offers up a historical revision through language that touches deep to the heart.
pbeeandj's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Child death, Racism, Pregnancy, Rape, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, and Slavery
lauraschwemm's review against another edition
I will never be able to un-hear, to un-read, to un-think Christina's words. Anarcha Speaks is powerful.
winifara's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
amckiereads's review against another edition
4.0
So much of the things we take for granted and enjoy in this world have terrible histories. Do you know the history of gynaecology? J Marion Sims is considered the father of modern gynaecology, but most of what he learned was based on experiments on slave women, on whom he performed surgeries without anesthesia.
In this slim collection of poems Dominique Christina images Anarcha’s life, allowing her to speak for herself. Anarcha had 13 surgeries performed on her. Here, finally, she gets a voice. She gets a chance to talk back to the historical narrative which has ignored her or included her suffering as a minor footnote.
In this slim collection of poems Dominique Christina images Anarcha’s life, allowing her to speak for herself. Anarcha had 13 surgeries performed on her. Here, finally, she gets a voice. She gets a chance to talk back to the historical narrative which has ignored her or included her suffering as a minor footnote.
kalifer's review
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
unabridgedchick's review against another edition
4.0
me? a bruised ghost
i concentrate on
my teeth/ the roof of my mouth/
i'm tryna rub it smooth/ concentrate on not blinkin
see how long I can go til my eyes need to shut.
Anarcha was one of eleven slaves who were purchased by "father" of modern gynecology Dr Marion Sims for his research. Essentially torturing these women, Sims did his research (including surgeries) without offering pain relief or sedation. Our lauded study and history of medicine has for so long been polished of its shameful bits, but in this slender, intense volume of poetry, a name and voice is given to the very real, the very human sacrifice to our knowledge.
It's impossible to call this an "enjoyable" read, but it is gutting, gripping, and necessary. Giving voice to the ignored, Christina makes it imperative we know and understand the humans behind any learning we've gained. This volume can be read with now knowledge of Anarcha or Dr Sims; Christina's poems make clear what is occurring, and we can't pretend otherwise. We're given the opportunity to bear witness, to hold Anarcha with a tenderness and love she wasn't offered.
What makes this volume so important and timely is that horrifically, there is still such intense bias in the medical community toward people of color, especially those who are Black/of African descent. Numerous studies show that even now, black patients are not given the same pain management as white patients and that black pregnant women receive shockingly subpar medical treatment compared to white women. The seeds of these beliefs were planted with the forefathers of medicine and is part of a long history of of unethical treatment (like the Tuskegee syphilis experiment and as documented in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks).
I love the cover design, too, with the soft figure and profile and Anarcha's name fuzzy -- but seeming to grow more firm, more clear. History might want to ignore her, but she will have her say.
i concentrate on
my teeth/ the roof of my mouth/
i'm tryna rub it smooth/ concentrate on not blinkin
see how long I can go til my eyes need to shut.
Anarcha was one of eleven slaves who were purchased by "father" of modern gynecology Dr Marion Sims for his research. Essentially torturing these women, Sims did his research (including surgeries) without offering pain relief or sedation. Our lauded study and history of medicine has for so long been polished of its shameful bits, but in this slender, intense volume of poetry, a name and voice is given to the very real, the very human sacrifice to our knowledge.
It's impossible to call this an "enjoyable" read, but it is gutting, gripping, and necessary. Giving voice to the ignored, Christina makes it imperative we know and understand the humans behind any learning we've gained. This volume can be read with now knowledge of Anarcha or Dr Sims; Christina's poems make clear what is occurring, and we can't pretend otherwise. We're given the opportunity to bear witness, to hold Anarcha with a tenderness and love she wasn't offered.
What makes this volume so important and timely is that horrifically, there is still such intense bias in the medical community toward people of color, especially those who are Black/of African descent. Numerous studies show that even now, black patients are not given the same pain management as white patients and that black pregnant women receive shockingly subpar medical treatment compared to white women. The seeds of these beliefs were planted with the forefathers of medicine and is part of a long history of of unethical treatment (like the Tuskegee syphilis experiment and as documented in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks).
I love the cover design, too, with the soft figure and profile and Anarcha's name fuzzy -- but seeming to grow more firm, more clear. History might want to ignore her, but she will have her say.
inkpressedpage's review against another edition
5.0
I can't even breathe after reading this. I have no words. My heart is aching
catlandia91's review against another edition
5.0
Humbling and enraging. The story of Anarcha in this format is so effective and well done.
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