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4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
lovely. i would love to study some of these. dig apart. discuss. discover. but the solo meditations on them of my actual reading experience were just lovely as is
I suppose I should rate this higher, it is amazing after all. However, poetry is not my thing so I didn't understand half of what I read. I read it for a university course where my class discussed many of the works and if anything it just confused me more. It's well worth a read, though, if you enjoy poetry and short verse. Especially if you want to educate yourself on Canadian/North American Aboriginal people's.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
There is so much power in storytelling, and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson wields that power beautifully and masterfully with this collection. I loved the mix of stories and songs, some of which made me smile, some of which broke my heart, and almost all of which challenged me. The blend of the two created something truly extraordinary, and undeniably important, the kind of poetry that you know is so much more than something on a page. Everything in here is powerful - “it takes an ocean not to break” stood out as especially so for me.
Leanne Simpson's collection of stories and poems in Islands of Decolonial Love are truly spectacular. It offers a powerful glimpse into Indigenous resurgence while retaining the beauty and effortlessness that seems to be to inherent in Simpson's storytelling. The reclamation of Indigenous voice and power is planted in even the smallest of nooks and crannies of the work, such as Simpson's refusal to use the Western standard of first word capitalization in sentences throughout the collection. For me, the fractured nature of the pieces within the collection spoke to a larger theme of piecing oneself, one's culture, and one's community back together after the heinous acts - and the still-present after effects - of colonialism. Simpson beautifully incorporates the sharing of love, knowledge and culture amongst community members despite age and gender.
This is truly a beautiful piece of both activism and art that I will surely return to in the future.
This is truly a beautiful piece of both activism and art that I will surely return to in the future.
I loved this one so much I read it twice in one week—first as an audiobook (available on Spotify) and then as an ebook. Many of the titles in the collection, and content of the pieces therein, were bilingual (with translations of these words, and context, appearing at the end of each piece). Because the works traverse various forms, I definitely think a re-read so closely was beneficial for me. While the narration was superb, if I hadn’t had the text itself to refer to I would have missed out on meaningful details like proper nouns and the first word in each sentence not being capitalized, for example.
A couple of particular works in the collection really stood out on both readings for me:
A couple of particular works in the collection really stood out on both readings for me:
emotional
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I… wow. I don’t know why it took me so long to read Leanne Simpson outside of an academic context but I’m so glad I finally did. Honestly I’m speechless at the end of this. The audio narrator was incredible but I also feel like I’ll want to revisit this in text as well.
You need to read this. You just do. I’ll leave you with this incredible quote that will be most pertinent to fans of the CBC:
“Not everyone listen when I use my accent. Some people only think that I’m smart when I talk like Peter Mansbridge.”
You need to read this. You just do. I’ll leave you with this incredible quote that will be most pertinent to fans of the CBC:
“Not everyone listen when I use my accent. Some people only think that I’m smart when I talk like Peter Mansbridge.”
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Colonisation