Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib

24 reviews

erinmcav's review against another edition

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challenging reflective medium-paced

4.75


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bookbrig's review

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0

I first discovered Hanif Abdurraqib via this video of him reading the piece Defiance, Ohio is the Name of a Band (on YouTube here:  youtube.com/watch?v=2VJJJOdOfEE), and it was so good I wanted to read more of his stuff. Then I saw that he recorded the narration for the audio version of this book, so I gave it a try. It's SO good. Not just the writing or the narration, but both together and the asides added to the original text and also the forward and afterward by Ewing and Reynolds. There's so much going on in these essays, so even if you're like me and don't know all the musical artists that come up it's still going to draw you in and keep you listening. This is one I'm planning to buy in both audio and physical, for the different qualities each version bring to the work. 

Some are joyful and some are heart-wrenching and all of them are reflective and interesting and it makes for an excellent collection. Might be a good crossover read for your teens into music too. Highly recommend!

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savvylit's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Recently I posted a stack of books that made me feel glad to be alive. I had just finished They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us and already knew that it would effortlessly fit in that stack alongside Abdurraqib's other collection A Little Devil in America. Abdurraqib writes with an unmatched clarity and beauty about what it means to be human. Running through it all is the personal; Abdurraqib's unique perspective as a poet, as a music critic, as a Black man, as someone who grew up Muslim. Ultimately, though, these essays seem to speak to universal truths. The high highs, the low lows, and the art - especially the music - that carries us and keeps us connected. That's what living is about.

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danimcthomas's review against another edition

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hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.25


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annejmartin's review

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emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0


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emmasbelovedbooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75


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beezinda's review

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Insightful collection of essays that perfectly explore the swirl of identity, race, grief, change, and music. Genuinely beautiful prose and masterfully evocative.

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blackberryjambaby's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.75


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kers_tin's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0


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imstephtacular's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.25

This is one of those books that I don’t feel smart enough to read and I mean that as a compliment. The poetry and criticism are so sharp and deep and wholly human. The stories are horrifying and harrowing but also hopeful and fascinating. I learned a ton and I know these essays are going to haunt me for days to come 

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