thisgirl_writes's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
leahryan's review
challenging
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
zzara's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
5.0
People speak about 'no skips albums,' this is a no skips book of poetry. Every single poem is absolutely beautiful. How Decent Folk Behave hit me right in the heart, it spoke to me in a way that made me feel like it was written for me. It spoke to my strange nostalgia for COVID lockdowns in Melbourne (something I probably need to unpack in therapy), capturing what I feel about those times, the good and the bad, with such accuracy. Even the poems that didn't speak directly to my experience, about the experience of racism in Australia, about having children, were written so accurately and devastatingly. The rhythm of these poems, dipping in an out of rhyme, was just beautiful, and the lack of capital letters was the cherry on top of this five-star cake.
theunrealerin's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Completely brilliant. Beneba Clarke writes books and poetry that sings of my childhood and my life while simultaneously challenging me and forcing me to sit with discomfort because her experience is noy my experience.
This collection has incredibly captured so much of the last 3 years and is evocative and moving.
This collection has incredibly captured so much of the last 3 years and is evocative and moving.
sarahrose14's review
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Hate crime, Racism, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings
laylaloveslimes's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.5
blovessummer's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
jaclyn_sixminutesforme's review
5.0
The poems breathe the same locked down, battle-weary air that we’ve all exhaled in varying degrees over the past two years. They capture nuance, politics, experiences, and saying they “speak to now” grossly undersells how stunningly captured each observation is. They articulate the realities of policy on those most deeply impacted, the disproportionate realities and lived experiences of racism and colonialism and disasters (natural world and pandemic alike).
There’s an infinite wealth to let sit with you in this, but one I wanted to share because I think it will resonate with y’all as readers, and as people watching policy in this space - Clarke writes:
“art is at the heart
of all that we are”
and in this poem, “the memory of your better half,” reminds us of the flippancy of where “art” sits in the national political agenda (it sits in the same portfolio as infrastructure). In the same breath, Clarke takes us to the healing and even preventative health benefits of art, the way art and arts spaces bring meaning and connection and joy.
The poem “my feminism” is one I found particularly striking, and would recommend to those following what is happening in the #AusLit poetry space this weekend! Clarke captures feminism on a trajectory through time, an inclusive learning journey that constantly aspires to elevate while acknowledging it’s inevitable flaws.
I can’t recommend this enough, it’s the kind of poetry that will bring you comfort while simultaneously stoking the fire in your belly.
There’s an infinite wealth to let sit with you in this, but one I wanted to share because I think it will resonate with y’all as readers, and as people watching policy in this space - Clarke writes:
“art is at the heart
of all that we are”
and in this poem, “the memory of your better half,” reminds us of the flippancy of where “art” sits in the national political agenda (it sits in the same portfolio as infrastructure). In the same breath, Clarke takes us to the healing and even preventative health benefits of art, the way art and arts spaces bring meaning and connection and joy.
The poem “my feminism” is one I found particularly striking, and would recommend to those following what is happening in the #AusLit poetry space this weekend! Clarke captures feminism on a trajectory through time, an inclusive learning journey that constantly aspires to elevate while acknowledging it’s inevitable flaws.
I can’t recommend this enough, it’s the kind of poetry that will bring you comfort while simultaneously stoking the fire in your belly.