Reviews

Postcolonial Banter by Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan

aleks_png's review

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4.5

I really appreciated the context notes that go alongside the poems 

fernfacon's review

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.5

prina's review

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informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

marireadstoomuch's review against another edition

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5.0

I really enjoyed these poems. Having glosses and background information for many poems made for an in depth reading experience, and the suggestion that this context became necessary once spoken poems became written (and thus dislocated from vocal emphases and stresses) was an interesting consideration of performance.

labiba_'s review

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Was on my tbr for so long it feels good to finally read it. I think the cover design is the coolest.  

The poems taking about being brown, a woman, Muslim were things that I already felt familiar with. I wasn’t the audience for them probably. I can sense the comfort and recognition the poems might bring to ppl who relate. Or how insightful it would be to ppl who want to learn about these experiences. 

What I had not known was about the British experience and critiques of their government. even more eye opening were the footnotes explaining the specific British policies inspiring the poems which without a special spotlight would have flew over my head. It’s apparent that the author is well read and researched and I appreciated the summaries and analysis behind the pieces. 

I got the most out of the more personal pieces about the ppl in her lives, her childhood, or vignettes of memories because it was delving into a world I didn’t know. And I found them to be more poetic in form and better written. They touched on things I have felt in such a subtle way which I think is the truly poetic way to do it.

some lines stuck out as too clunky and would be more poetic if they were shortened

Some poems were less poetic and more like a speech which I think comes from the author being a spoken word poet. Makes me think I would gain more from and enjoy the writings if they were recited.

candournat's review

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emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

The best poetry anthology I’ve read in a long time

livsliterarynook's review

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challenging emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

rachjy's review

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challenging dark informative tense slow-paced

3.75

gimmethecat's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring relaxing sad tense medium-paced

5.0

thebookguru's review against another edition

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5.0

Idek how to review this but it is an incredible collection of poems that are so important!!!

Love how she tackles and Qs so many things and Masha’Allah she really has a way with words!

One of my fave poems is the ‘funeral of the authentic Muslim woman’

Also obv the ‘this is not a humanising poem’

But the prevent poem and british values and islamophobia one as well!!

Defo check out her spoken word on YouTube and her unboxing islamophobia videos!!!

Highly recommend this to anyone and everyone!