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A review by readwithmeemz
The Breakbeat Poets Vol. 3: Halal If You Hear Me by Safia Elhillo, Fatimah Asghar
4.0
This was a powerful and beautiful anthology of poetry and prose, exploring multifaceted ideas of Islam, identity, and what it means to be Muslim, by Muslim women, queer, trans, and genderqueer Muslims.
The book was split into 5 sections, each representing a pillar of Islam, and the poems in each section were curated to fit together, or to reference or pay homage to that pillar. I didn’t always understand why certain poems were placed in certain sections over others, but it didn’t really distract or detract from the overall theme, or my overall enjoyment of the book.
As with any anthology, you’ll like some poems more than others, and some styles will work better for you than others. However, overall, this collection was thematically strong, well written, and really powerful. I got a lot out of my reading experience, and adored many of the poems, or excerpts from the poems within this anthology. I felt so seen, in so many ways. I read this as an ebook I borrowed from my library, and I found myself taking so many screenshots, to remind me of powerful passages, poems, and themes.
This was a powerful exploration of faith, culture, and identity, that I think many Muslims (& non-Muslims) will enjoy reading, especially with the inclusion of words from some heavy hitting poets and writers, like Fatimah Asghar, Kaveh Akbar, Fariha Róisín, Safia Elhillo, and more. This was beautiful and impactful, and vulnerable and bold.
The book was split into 5 sections, each representing a pillar of Islam, and the poems in each section were curated to fit together, or to reference or pay homage to that pillar. I didn’t always understand why certain poems were placed in certain sections over others, but it didn’t really distract or detract from the overall theme, or my overall enjoyment of the book.
As with any anthology, you’ll like some poems more than others, and some styles will work better for you than others. However, overall, this collection was thematically strong, well written, and really powerful. I got a lot out of my reading experience, and adored many of the poems, or excerpts from the poems within this anthology. I felt so seen, in so many ways. I read this as an ebook I borrowed from my library, and I found myself taking so many screenshots, to remind me of powerful passages, poems, and themes.
This was a powerful exploration of faith, culture, and identity, that I think many Muslims (& non-Muslims) will enjoy reading, especially with the inclusion of words from some heavy hitting poets and writers, like Fatimah Asghar, Kaveh Akbar, Fariha Róisín, Safia Elhillo, and more. This was beautiful and impactful, and vulnerable and bold.