Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'
Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire
18 reviews
inamerata's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
5.0
Absolutely stunning. The imagery, the word choice, the pacing, the emotions, the craft -- I lack the words to describe how good this is. This book deals in quite heavy topics, but if you are able, I definitely recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, and Child abuse
Moderate: Violence, Racism, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Death, Grief, and War
Minor: Cancer, Cannibalism, Eating disorder, and Suicide
karis_dl's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
As always, Shire's poetry is evocative, powerful, and sincere. She is one of my favourite current feminist poets. I find here writing to be so insightful and so moving; it's one of those pieces you carry with you for a long time after you put the book down. This collection covers topics like Black womanhood, family, migration, trauma, resilience, belonging, and more. Shire writes about the tumultuous bodily experience of womanhood. She looks at the idea of home, boundaries, and bodies. Please go read this, but also do check for content warnings.
Content Warnings
Minor: Xenophobia and Sexual assault
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
emotional
5.0
Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in her Head is one of my favorite poetry collections of this year ( maybe ever).
“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.
“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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Cancer, Violence, Sexual assault, War, Rape, Child abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Xenophobia
cantfindmybookmark's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, and Racism
jayisreading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
I was excited when I heard that Warsan Shire was publishing a new collection of poems. I enjoyed Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth and the themes that she covered. Not surprisingly, the themes that came up in her new collection were just as thought-provoking and haunting, exploring girlhood/womanhood, borders (both personal and political), faith, among others.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Eating disorder, Suicide, and War
2treads's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Forgive us, we blamed you
for floods, for the flush of blood,
for men who are also wolves, even
though you could pull the tide in
by her hair, we tell everyone
we walked all over you.
–excerpt from Bless the Moon
Bless The Daughter Raised By A Voice In Her Head was my National Poetry month read and it was so much more than I expected.
🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋
Shire has a talent for reaching towards her readers with words that are raw and that create riveting poems that have the power to move you or wreck you. Poems that invite you to parallel your own experiences, the beautiful and the traumatic.
🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋
But there is also a movement towards healing and recognition in her poetry, an honesty that chills at times and an awareness of the weight of her family and identity. Centred throughout is girlhood, motherhood, and womanhood, propelling these poems through time and space as she chronicles loss, love, and divinity.
I mean Shire at this point, for me, can do no wrong with her poetry. There are poems that will gather you, tear you, teach you, grieve you, and yet still holds space for healing.
for floods, for the flush of blood,
for men who are also wolves, even
though you could pull the tide in
by her hair, we tell everyone
we walked all over you.
–excerpt from Bless the Moon
Bless The Daughter Raised By A Voice In Her Head was my National Poetry month read and it was so much more than I expected.
🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋
Shire has a talent for reaching towards her readers with words that are raw and that create riveting poems that have the power to move you or wreck you. Poems that invite you to parallel your own experiences, the beautiful and the traumatic.
🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋
But there is also a movement towards healing and recognition in her poetry, an honesty that chills at times and an awareness of the weight of her family and identity. Centred throughout is girlhood, motherhood, and womanhood, propelling these poems through time and space as she chronicles loss, love, and divinity.
I mean Shire at this point, for me, can do no wrong with her poetry. There are poems that will gather you, tear you, teach you, grieve you, and yet still holds space for healing.
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
ashlynnoel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Racism, Violence, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Miscarriage, Abortion, and Xenophobia
Minor: War
deedireads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
5.0
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
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).
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).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Xenophobia, Grief, and Misogyny
More...