Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

How Decent Folk Behave by Maxine Beneba Clarke

1 review

angebrown's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Violence, Classism, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, and Police brutality

Moderate: Medical content, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Chronic illness, Abortion, Body shaming, and Mass/school shootings

Minor: Mental illness and Terminal illness

The content of this poetry collection is pandemic heavy, but there was no content warning for "Pandemic". The content in the book was written over a period of time pre-, during and post-pandemic then published in 2021. It's a social commentary on events which occurred in Australia and globally. It's difficult to read all of these events occurring over a 3+ year period in one sitting, but Beneba Clarke handles the content so beautifully. She is an expert observer and a powerful writer. I cried multiple times reading these poems; moved by the beauty of her words as much as I was saddened by the reality they presented. This is a collection of poetry which I highly recommend reading, but go gently if the themes mentioned will effect you.