A review by littlecitycorner
Plantains and Our Becoming: Poems by Melania Luisa Marte

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

Thank you for Goodreads for the ARC!

Melania Luisa Marte has the voice of an entire generation. This astounding collection of poems is empowered, emotive, and engaging. The topics explored in her simple yet poignant poetics speak to the most intimate fears and desires of the heart. I loved how she talks about her intersecting identities, as an Afro-Latina, a woman, a lover, a poet, a daughter… in each poem, she explores one facet of herself or delves deep into each individual emotion and invites the reader to do the same.

I found the collection compelling and the themes she explored very raw and intense, without holding herself back in her lyrical prose or her vulnerability. Not only does each word speak to the desire for equity, equality, and equilibrium but it removes the possibility of being unaware of the environment that surrounds oneself.