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forgereads17's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
salmonread's review against another edition
4.0
Book Riot 2022 Read Harder Challenge #12: Read an entire poetry collection
leftleaning's review against another edition
4.75
My nanay was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer with a timeline the beginning of this year. The earth beneath shaken. I shifted to being a full time caregiver. Everyday I tell her she is my world. The gleam of hope is radiant, sometimes faint. On days the color of rain, I lean into community & books. In Feb, I read poetry of Lucille Clifton, swallowed too by cancer. Thankful for this gift @kifahshah @lifewithbianca
My magical mama, with so little has made so much. Even now at 75 & sick, she is short on words but embodies so much poetry.
hanamarma's review against another edition
4.0
Clifton delivers graceful and powerful poetry in this book, as I have come to expect from her work. She draws from myth and Bible, comic book and news headlines and cultural icons, to bring the reader into her world, into understanding and communion with her:
born in babylon
both nonwhite and woman
what did i see to be except myself?
(from "song at midnight")
My favorite poem in this collection must be "the earth is a living thing." I also was gut-punched, in the best possible way, by "daughter" and "move" and "begin here."
born in babylon
both nonwhite and woman
what did i see to be except myself?
(from "song at midnight")
My favorite poem in this collection must be "the earth is a living thing." I also was gut-punched, in the best possible way, by "daughter" and "move" and "begin here."
mwaskom's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
First book of 2023! I really adored some of the poems in the middle section, but the third section that leaned more heavily on biblical stories was not for me.
vulturetime's review
3.0
There are definitely some poems in here that I do genuinely enjoy, but most of them I just find okay. Some of them, especially the ones regarding religion, required prior knowledge that I personally did not have, and I imagine knowing more about Clifton's life and situation would also add more depth to many of these poems. My favorite poems were: sam, c. c. rider, it was a dream, dear jesse helms, cigarettes, nothing about the moment, cain.
raulbime's review against another edition
5.0
Divided into three parts, with the first part reflection being poems about childhood and family and survival, ending with that brilliant and famous poem:
won’t you celebrate with me
what i shaped into
a kind of life? i had no model.
born in babylon
both non-white and woman
what did i see to be except myself?
i made it up
here on this bridge between
starshine and clay.
my one hand holding tight
my other hand; come celebrate
with me that everyday
something has tried to kill me
and has failed.
The second part is entitled lightning bolt , was my favourite part, more outward-looking than the first part yet still self-questioning, self-assessing, with more uncertainty and gloomier than the first part of the collection. And excellent poems such as this one:
each morning i pull myself
out of despair
from nights of coals and a tongue
blistered with smiling
the step past the mother bed
is a high step
the walk through the widow’s door
is a long walk
and who are these voices calling
from every mirrored thing
say it coward say it
Then the last part is splendor , mythological and spiritual and very fascinating. I loved this book, a fantastic opening to this new year.
won’t you celebrate with me
what i shaped into
a kind of life? i had no model.
born in babylon
both non-white and woman
what did i see to be except myself?
i made it up
here on this bridge between
starshine and clay.
my one hand holding tight
my other hand; come celebrate
with me that everyday
something has tried to kill me
and has failed.
The second part is entitled lightning bolt , was my favourite part, more outward-looking than the first part yet still self-questioning, self-assessing, with more uncertainty and gloomier than the first part of the collection. And excellent poems such as this one:
each morning i pull myself
out of despair
from nights of coals and a tongue
blistered with smiling
the step past the mother bed
is a high step
the walk through the widow’s door
is a long walk
and who are these voices calling
from every mirrored thing
say it coward say it
Then the last part is splendor , mythological and spiritual and very fascinating. I loved this book, a fantastic opening to this new year.
oasisity's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
1.0
I can see why this was written, but it veers toward disrespect in a sense. I don’t agree with a lot of the views of spirituality written which is what I decided to base my rating on.
itsjunghan's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
I’d been searching for Lucille Clifton’s original publication of my favorite poem “won’t you celebrate with me” and was happy to find it at a rare bookseller in Washington; it was one of the few she didn’t publish with Rochester-based indie press BOA Editions. Like me, Lucille Clifton is a daughter of Western New York, even though our lives eventually took us elsewhere. The Book of Light has big range, exploring Black liberation and white supremacist politics, sexual abuse and family violence, and transformation and growth. Other favorites include “the earth is a living thing”, “dear jesse helms,”, “fury”, and a duo commemorating the MOVE headquarters bombing, “move” and “samson predicts from gaza the philadelphia fire”. Highly recommended for everyone who loves the powerful simplicity of language and its ability to provoke, complicate, and heal.