Reviews

Vivacious, sharp tongued, and unapologetic, Let Me Tell You This is a phenomenal collection that I fell completely in love with. Identity is a major theme in here as Jassat is mixed race, and in these poems she discloses all the things that have been said to her and her brothers by white classmates, adults, and even strangers passing her on the street. She unflinchingly presents the ignorance she's experienced and the struggle she's internally faced, such as calling out 'casual' racism said in her presence. She also discusses sexual violence and abuse, and these poems were especially raw and extremely powerful. It's personable, it discusses important topics, and the language is beautiful--I think everyone should read this collection.

annescorner's review

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4.0

This collection really packed a punch. Of course, with every poetry collection there are some poems that resonate better than others with the reader. But this one really called out A LOT of things: racism, social injustice and (sexual) assault among others. I really liked the bluntness and openness of the poems, giving away personal experiences of the author or her family. I marked many poems as ones I want to return to some day, as I think this kind of collection will sadly, unfortunately, regrettably not grow old in the immediate future. I really encourage everyone to read this as Nadine Aisha Jassat is a powerful and important voice!