Reviews

Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans

cici1722's review against another edition

5.0

This is difficult to rate but the work is masterful & impactful

singingsfun's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

Favorite Quote: 
“

culpeppper's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

This is bursting with feeling, and I loved everything I heard in the author's voice as she read from this. The cementing of the speaker is established very early on, in this home, before switching to other places and times, exploring the violence inflicted on black women, trans women, marginalized women, women by other women— and yet finding love, sensitivity, and care to balance out the oscillations of theme. It's not all violence, hatred, but many of the poems focus on a sense of belonging or not belonging, feeling tugged from and to things, and being questioned on who, or what, you are the entire time. It's moving, visceral, upsetting while peaceful, loving in it's care for speaker, subject, and readers alike. It offers real vulnerability that I crave in poetry. I would rate the audio book version itself a 4.75 due to having trouble discerning the poems from one another, or what their titles were, as the breaks between poetry and title were too short to pick up sometimes. I will definitely need to see these all in a printed format, because although the author's voice added much more personal depth and allowed for some really interesting readings of the poems (like "Missing Girls"), I think I need to really sit with these and read at my own pace again soon!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Pregnancy, Slavery, Lesbophobia, Death, Ableism, Murder, Torture, Medical trauma, Rape, Violence, Grief, Child death, Transphobia, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, and Confinement

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Classism, Bullying, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Drug use, Blood, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Medical content, Racial slurs, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Cancer

clarise_is_tired_10's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

5.0

dreaming_ace's review against another edition

5.0

I really enjoyed this collection of poems.

kamali_williams's review against another edition

5.0

my second time reading this and it never fails to make me cry. The first time I read it was in 12th grade and we were in the poetry unit in English, I was so amazed my the poems we got assigned to read and I decided to buy the book and I never read a book so fast in my life. I think this book made me realize how much I love reading and writing. I want to thank Ms. Jones, my english teacher to helping me discover that passion again

prettypious's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed this book of poetry. The poet does remind me of Gwendolyn Brooks and Sonia Sanchez but also Nikki Giovanni and Nikki Grimes too, especially in rhythm and style: highly recommend.

*I updated the review from a 5 to a 4 because I obviously read this in March but now in July I can’t remember a single thing about it and didn’t even remember that I read it until I saw my rating here.

samdragon's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

thechanelmuse's review against another edition

4.0

Talk about chills.

I found myself saying “Mmmm” like a church mother in the front pew while reading this gripping, timeless collection of poetry by Jasmine Mans, exploring girlhood to womanhood, the shaping of identity, an examination of public figures and the body (which, at times, is not considered our own), and the roles we play in the lives of others.

Black Girl, Call Home is an ode to healing every part.

melhhan's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.75