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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
Each poem in this book holds weight; this collection is powerful.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
There is nothing in common in my own life to that of the daughter in this book. Yet Warsan Shire manage to put together sentences and verses that stab me deeply and remind me of my own story.
I'm not really big on poetry, despite repeat attempts. This book is the closest thing I've had to loving it. I read it all in one sitting, at the edge of my seat, waiting for the next page.
My only real complaint, is that there was a small dictionary in the back to explain what certain foreign words meant. I understood a lot of it from context alone, but I think it would have been more impactful had I known some of those translations before reading the book.
I'm not really big on poetry, despite repeat attempts. This book is the closest thing I've had to loving it. I read it all in one sitting, at the edge of my seat, waiting for the next page.
My only real complaint, is that there was a small dictionary in the back to explain what certain foreign words meant. I understood a lot of it from context alone, but I think it would have been more impactful had I known some of those translations before reading the book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Blood, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
"Hooyo, patron saint of my children have different passports to me. Hooyo, blessed saint of raising them too far from home.
I don’t recognize my own children they speak and dream in the wrong language as much as I understand it may as well be the language of birds."
"While you wash your body you realize it is not your body. And at the same time, it is the only body you have."
"Mother says there are locked rooms inside all women. Sometimes, the men—they come with keys, and sometimes, the men—they come with hammers."
"The refugee’s heart has six chambers. In the first is your mother’s unpacked suitcase. In the second, your father cries into his hands. The third room is an immigration office, your severed legs in the fourth, in the fifth a uterus—yours? The sixth opens with the right papers."
"No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark. You only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well. The boy you went to school with, who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory, is holding a gun bigger than his body. You only leave home when home won’t let you stay."
I don’t recognize my own children they speak and dream in the wrong language as much as I understand it may as well be the language of birds."
"While you wash your body you realize it is not your body. And at the same time, it is the only body you have."
"Mother says there are locked rooms inside all women. Sometimes, the men—they come with keys, and sometimes, the men—they come with hammers."
"The refugee’s heart has six chambers. In the first is your mother’s unpacked suitcase. In the second, your father cries into his hands. The third room is an immigration office, your severed legs in the fourth, in the fifth a uterus—yours? The sixth opens with the right papers."
"No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark. You only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well. The boy you went to school with, who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory, is holding a gun bigger than his body. You only leave home when home won’t let you stay."
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
I have no clue where I heard about this book, but I became excited all over again when I read that Shire worked with Beyonce on "Lemonade" which I loved. However, after finishing this book, I am certain I am not the correct audience.
There are a lot of references to the author's Somalian origin, which made the work challenging to break into, despite the glossary included at the back. Overall, I connected with only a few pieces in this book.
There are a lot of references to the author's Somalian origin, which made the work challenging to break into, despite the glossary included at the back. Overall, I connected with only a few pieces in this book.
reflective
medium-paced
4.5/5
This was gorgeous — I actually wasn't familiar with Warsan Shire's work coming into this (yes, I confess I still have not experienced Lemonade, which is apparently where Shire really rose to prominence) but that didn't impair my enjoyment of this collection. These poems are so moving, and Shire is able to capture so many competing feelings: the unmoored-ness of leaving your homeland, the painful decisions and circumstances that prompt one to flee instead of stay, the acute anxiety of having your entire life in the hands of a uniformed man with a stamp at an airport or border crossing, the readjustments of existing in a new place where you have to reframe your entire context and understanding of the world. And through all that heaviness, there were lovely moments of lightness and humor as well.
This is definitely a collection worth checking out, and I look forward to reading more of Shire's work, be it her backlist, or any poetry or prose she writes going forward.
This was gorgeous — I actually wasn't familiar with Warsan Shire's work coming into this (yes, I confess I still have not experienced Lemonade, which is apparently where Shire really rose to prominence) but that didn't impair my enjoyment of this collection. These poems are so moving, and Shire is able to capture so many competing feelings: the unmoored-ness of leaving your homeland, the painful decisions and circumstances that prompt one to flee instead of stay, the acute anxiety of having your entire life in the hands of a uniformed man with a stamp at an airport or border crossing, the readjustments of existing in a new place where you have to reframe your entire context and understanding of the world. And through all that heaviness, there were lovely moments of lightness and humor as well.
This is definitely a collection worth checking out, and I look forward to reading more of Shire's work, be it her backlist, or any poetry or prose she writes going forward.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
"No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark. You only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well. The boy you went to school with, who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory, is holding a gun bigger than his body. You only leave home when home won’t let you stay."