Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans

3 reviews

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

ashlightgrayson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This was a motivating, impactful, and (for me) relatable poetry anthology. I heard it narrated in audiobook format by the author and I think it is probably the best way to consume this. You feel the pain, suffering, and joy of the narrative voice for each poem. Hearing it feels like seeing the world through the eyes and experiences of black/queer individuals whose stories deserve to take up space and be heard. I'm hoping to find more poetry collections like this. It has been quite some time since I've sat down with something like this that I did not want to put down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Cursing, and Slavery

Moderate: Mental illness, Eating disorder, Drug use, Drug abuse, Transphobia, Biphobia, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Gun violence, Death, Suicide, Self harm, Fatphobia, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, and Body shaming

queenshrike's review against another edition

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

4.75

This is not a book that I think can be read in one sitting. I had to pause and come back so many times. Not just out of sadness or anger but because a phrase, a line, a stanza, a poem hit me in a deep place and I needed a moment or several really. I adore this work.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, Bullying, Classism, Drug use, Grief, Alcohol, Colonisation, Death, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Police brutality, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Slavery