Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

I Hope This Finds You Well by Kate Baer

9 reviews

that_glitter_chick_'s review against another edition

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5.0

This book is beautiful! Her black out poetry has made me look at everything through a poetic lense! Taking negative words and flipping them into positivity is so powerful! This is something I will go back to over and over! 
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mattiedancer's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.5

Writing: 3.75⭐️/5 
The writing, the diction, and the word choice are not entirely dependent on Baer, as they are coming from source materials, but some poems shined through in a way only done through a good poet. Other poems, though, fell short, almost suggesting a shortness of thought or consideration given. Sometimes the source stood out more than the erasure when it should always land the other way. Overall, the collection contains truly stunning moments, but I found myself starved a bit between the stunning moments by really nothing substantial to live off of.

Approach: 3.5⭐️/5
I’m a bit torn here. The concept of the poetry is fantastic; the execution is less so. Where I didn’t love the approach was with the inclusion of some positive sources – not because of their positivity, but because the erasure form seemed to only mimic their point and not become its own thing. What I did like about the approach is what I like about all erasure poetry: it cuts away from a source to reveal something new. Certain poems in the collection did this with both ease and precision, slicing at the words to uncover something else so beautiful or so perfectly said that I couldn’t help but love it. But the poems just didn’t always do that.

Forms 3.5⭐️/5
This blends slightly with my point on the approach, but I did feel like sometimes Baer used the source too much, leaving it almost in its original form rather than pulling words back from its source to create something new. I wanted a bit more in terms of making the piece its own thing. 

Who Should Read This Book? 
  • Feminist poets
  • Fans of erasure poems
  • Those who like a bit of politics in their poetry
  • Those who want a bit of biteback in a poem

Content Warnings? 
  • Misogyny, sexism, sexual harassment, sexual assault, bullying, emotional abuse, physical abuse, violence, racism, homophobia, pregnancy 

Post-Reading Rating:  4⭐️/5
Some poems were truly stunning. Others definitely fell short. A short but worthwhile read.

Final Rating: 3.5⭐️/5
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melodyseestrees's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective tense fast-paced

2.75

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joey_schafer's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

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thndrkat's review against another edition

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challenging 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

4.0

Erasures and found poems on themes of feminism, liberalism, and love, created from mainly hateful or prejudiced online comments. Quiet, determined acts of witness. 
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bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition

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inspiring 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

3.75

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camillatd's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

Kate Baer brings wit and heart to the unconventional format of blackout poetry in this collection. Her clever turns of phrase and poignant cultural observations lend themselves well to this pithy collection. Baer subverts the language of trolls, Republicans, and misogynists to deliver intimate, heartfelt messages to the reader. She returns to the themes of feminism, womanhood, solidarity, liberation, and motherhood that she wrote about, to much acclaim, in What Kind Of Woman. I breezed through this collection in one sitting, but I know there are poems that I will return to time and time again.
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kb_sherman's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

3.0

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kelseyr713's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

Enjoyable book of found poetry that brings out the beauty (and sometimes humor!) in even the nastiest of comments/speeches.
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