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Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'
Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire
30 reviews
samanthatully's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Sexual assault and Racism
venetiana's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Rape, Blood, Racism, Murder, Eating disorder, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Confinement, Cancer, Abortion, War, Child death, Violence, Vomit, Trafficking, Torture, Terminal illness, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Medical content, Mental illness, Infidelity, Grief, Domestic abuse, Deportation, Child abuse, and Abandonment
czidya's review against another edition
3.5
My favorites of the collection:
- Filial Cannibalism
- Midnight in the Foreign Food Aisle
- Bless the Camels
- Hooyo Full of Grace
- Joyride
- Backwards
Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Murder, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Pedophilia, Death, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Child death and War
karis_dl's review against another edition
5.0
Minor: Xenophobia and Sexual assault
lotte111's review against another edition
4.5
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Violence, and War
booksandteatime's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: War, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Racism, Child death, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Sexual assault, Colonisation, and Death
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
5.0
“Backwards” and “Bless this House” are two stand out poems for me, but there are plenty of incredible ones which will pull on your heart strings and never cease to amaze you.
Graphic: Abandonment, Cancer, Violence, Sexual assault, War, Rape, Child abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Xenophobia
jayisreading's review against another edition
3.5
That said, something about these poems didn’t quite land the same way that her earlier poems did. The poems didn’t read as cohesive as a whole and, even within their sections, seemed a little scattered.
What I do love about Shire’s writing is how multisensorial her poems are, making for a unique experience any time you read anything by her. This was certainly the case in this collection, even if the poems didn’t have the same impact as her previous works did.
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Eating disorder, Suicide, and War
ashlynnoel's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Racism, Violence, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Miscarriage, Abortion, and Xenophobia
Minor: War
deedireads's review against another edition
5.0
TL;DR REVIEW:
Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head is a masterful collection of poems by a master poet on womanhood, trauma, and the refugee experience. They’re heavy, but hard-hitting and moving.
For you if: You want to read poetry that adds to your view of the world and humanity.
FULL REVIEW:
Thank you, Random House, for the advanced electronic copy of this book! It’s the first full-length poetry collection from Warsan Shire, the award-winning Somali British poet who worked with Beyonce on Lemonade and Black is King. So yes, it’s as good as you’re expecting.
The poems draw from her own experiences, loved ones’ experiences, headlines, etc. to shape a journey through womanhood, motherhood, daughterhood, being a refugee and immigrant, abuse, trauma, and defiant hope.
I feel like I need to reread this to get the full effect, but I was especially impressed with how Shire merges pop culture and poetry to make the collection feel not only modern but current and timely. She has something to say here, and you’re certainly going to hear it. And, of course, there are lines and couplets and stanzas that come out of nowhere punch you in the gut.
It’s a quick read, but worth it if you are a fan of poetry (and maybe even if you’re not).
Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Xenophobia, Grief, and Misogyny