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kimuchi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
stephanieridiculous's review against another edition
2.0
I so enjoyed The Moon That Turns You Back that I was eager to read more of Alyan's poetry. Unfortunately this collection doesn't remotely compare. There was an occasional breath taking line, but by and large I couldn't connect with this collection. I often am able to recognize that something is not for me and that's why I am not enjoying it, which is absolutely expected to happen, but this didn't even feel like that. It felt like poetry-soup?
There are much heavier themes of this collection, so content warnings for sexual assault and disordered eating.
There are much heavier themes of this collection, so content warnings for sexual assault and disordered eating.
dragongirl271's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Racism, and Alcoholism
cleansetolovers's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
5.0
CW: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Violence, Rape, Racism, Mental illness, Addiction, Islamophobia, and Sexual content, mention of surgery
“…this world brightens with or without us. Recognizing the miracle becomes the miracle.”
As I’ve been recovering from eye surgery, I’ve changing up my usual reading routine for audiobooks. In listening to Hala Alyan’s The twenty-ninth year has been adding a new dimension to the news coverage of the campus uprisings. A collection about the the ways a person’s 29th year is a catalyst for great upheaval and change, this collection really focuses on Alyan’s relationship to herself, her family, a home that feels out of reach and a country that is at best indifferent and at worst, actively trying to sabotage her. Her poems are raw, and unforgettable, just a truly fearless take on vulnerability. One of the core truths that seem to jump out again and again in Alyan’s writing is that radical change is needed for a person’s next evolution, which I am seeing with the students and community members showing up for Gaza and for a more just society. I’m in awe of the folks risking themselves, and ask if like me, you are unable to go to an encampment, call your reps and donate if your able to @projectwater.melon or our local encampment’s bail fund. From the river to the sea, we will see a free Palestine!
“…this world brightens with or without us. Recognizing the miracle becomes the miracle.”
As I’ve been recovering from eye surgery, I’ve changing up my usual reading routine for audiobooks. In listening to Hala Alyan’s The twenty-ninth year has been adding a new dimension to the news coverage of the campus uprisings. A collection about the the ways a person’s 29th year is a catalyst for great upheaval and change, this collection really focuses on Alyan’s relationship to herself, her family, a home that feels out of reach and a country that is at best indifferent and at worst, actively trying to sabotage her. Her poems are raw, and unforgettable, just a truly fearless take on vulnerability. One of the core truths that seem to jump out again and again in Alyan’s writing is that radical change is needed for a person’s next evolution, which I am seeing with the students and community members showing up for Gaza and for a more just society. I’m in awe of the folks risking themselves, and ask if like me, you are unable to go to an encampment, call your reps and donate if your able to @projectwater.melon or our local encampment’s bail fund. From the river to the sea, we will see a free Palestine!
midnightreads1803's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
30something_reads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
While I really enjoyed how personal Alyan got within this collection, having read this after her most recent collection, it did not hold up as well in its entirety. The Moon That Turns You Back is a much stronger collection in my option.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Violence, Rape, Racism, Mental illness, Addiction, Islamophobia, and Sexual content
k_ko's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
These poems feel like silk and burn like concrete in the summer.