susiedoom 's review for:

If They Come for Us: Poems by Fatimah Asghar

5.0

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This is a breathtaking collection, overflowing with rage and pain and healing and joy. Asghar tells a powerful story of being a Pakistani Muslim orphan in America, coming of age surrounded by love but feeling untethered. She grapples with violent histories, with a lack of memory of her family and her homeland, and with racial/religious micro- and macroaggressions. Her poetry is wholly original and her unique voice resonates throughout the collection. I love the way she (literally) turns the traditional poetry format upside-down. This is an absolute must-read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.