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4.41 AVERAGE
4.41 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Succinctly, “a book of protests.” What most stood out to me was their writing on American apathy — their poem “Until We Act” was one of many that resonated deeply with me in this moment as we witness the ruthless genocide of Palestinians. The poem presents the safeties and responsibilities of those of us witnessing conflict from “afar” in reference to the Syrian civil war. Other poems in the collection interrogated what America should learn from other atrocities: the Holocaust, the genocide of Native Americans, school shootings and other mass shootings. Gibson also writes honestly and delicately about gender, sexuality and mental health. I love this pair of lines: “you are happiest on the road, when you’re not here or there but in-between / that yellow line coming down the center of it all like a goddamn sunbeam.”
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
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medium-paced
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Mass/school shootings
i decided i was too harsh on this originally. so many poems have stuck with me since reading it
I have a particular affinity for the spoken word poets, and Andrea Gibson is one of the best. My favorite poem in this collection is titled, "Tincture" and it begins with this lovely line: "Imagine when a human dies the soul misses the body, actually grieves the loss of its hands and all they could hold." The poem is a beautifully written ode to the many miracles of the human body. This entire book truly shines!
Andrea Gibson's work takes my breath away. Tragedy, warmth, grief, love, empathy, rejection-- lost, found.
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced