A review by tshepiso
Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

challenging dark informative reflective

4.0

In many ways, Citizen is an impenetrable read. It's filled with cultural references and iconography that even someone knowledgeable of African American history might miss. Beyond that, this book is often harrowing. Rankine's detailed examination of how it feels to be black in America is visceral and successfully embodies the reader in Rankine's experiences.

Because of this, I wouldn't recommend it as a casual read. It's a book that requires focus to parse and a willingness to do further research to gain a full picture of Rankine's intent. However, so much of Rankine's writing in Citizen is so arresting and brilliant that I can't help but want to put it in the hands of more people. This book is filled with sentiments I grasped instantly and resonated with deeply. Her razor-sharp use of poetics and structure captured the layers of racism and microaggressions in a way I've never seen done before. I am in complete awe of her mastery of craft

Claudia Rankine is a fantastic author. She is on such a high level of craft that I probably didn't even grasp a lot of what she said in this book, but what I did moved me. 
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