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booksamongstfriends's review against another edition
5.0
“and those who love her culture won’t attend her funeral.”
Every poem in "Plantains and Our Becoming" offers something to take away. They allow me to see love, connect with ancestors, feel recognized, and celebrate culture. Each piece is meant to be read aloud, thriving in its authenticity. This collection is an ode to being oneself completely and unapologetically.
Melania Luisa Marte's poems dismantle perceptions and stereotypes, revealing the true beauty within our diverse diaspora. It's a celebration of identity and pride, a rejoicing in liberation, tradition, and community. Marte passionately brings to the table generational trauma, colonialism, colorism, and racism in a way that will be felt and shared. This work is a written testament to sacrifice, heart, and Black pride that I look forward to adding to my shelves.
“There’s an umbilical cord, used to be a chain, now a root”
Non fiction
Every poem in "Plantains and Our Becoming" offers something to take away. They allow me to see love, connect with ancestors, feel recognized, and celebrate culture. Each piece is meant to be read aloud, thriving in its authenticity. This collection is an ode to being oneself completely and unapologetically.
Melania Luisa Marte's poems dismantle perceptions and stereotypes, revealing the true beauty within our diverse diaspora. It's a celebration of identity and pride, a rejoicing in liberation, tradition, and community. Marte passionately brings to the table generational trauma, colonialism, colorism, and racism in a way that will be felt and shared. This work is a written testament to sacrifice, heart, and Black pride that I look forward to adding to my shelves.
“There’s an umbilical cord, used to be a chain, now a root”
Non fiction
letsgolesbians's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
5.0
absolutely one of my favorite poetry collections i’ve ever read. like the lands and fruits melania luisa marte writes about, this book is bursting and ripe and full, the words a celebration of being afro latina and of the dominican republic and of women and womanhood and survival. i’ve watched my video of marte reading abuelita’s garden so many times it’s become a new favorite song.
i highly recommend treating yourself to this collection and reading it in the sun and savoring the words. before reading her last poem at la times festival of books, marte told us to beware of any women whose feminism only includes women who look like them because they are not to be trusted and ended with “free palestine.” marte is a voice to listen to not just for her creativity, but because her feminism and love extend to all of us who need liberation.
cws: breast feeding; colonization; death of a parent; immigration; misogyny; rape
photo review here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C7aX9cIPIeu/?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA==
photo review here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C7aX9cIPIeu/?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA==
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Colonisation
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Rape
crystalisreading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
4.5
A luminous poetry collection, with a gorgeous audio version. the poems in the first 3/4 of the collection kept me mesmerized, in both word and voice the last quarter dragged a little for me. Afro-Latina, Dominican. New Yorker. Black. Bilingual. Woman. Child of immigrants and survivors. Descendant of enslaved people. Unapologetically weaving all these identities and experiences together into bold, luminous poetry.
thank you to #Netgalley for an ARC of #PlantainsandourBecoming ...even though I ended up listening to it instead.
thank you to #Netgalley for an ARC of #PlantainsandourBecoming ...even though I ended up listening to it instead.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Slavery, Racism, Grief, Xenophobia, Classism, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Body shaming
Minor: Police brutality
halleystaples's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.75
Unique poetry style, with important modern day topics
sarahreadsbooks_'s review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
3.25
Poetry is a genre that I don’t read often, but that I would love to explore more. These poems were a reflective insight into one perspective of the Afro-Latina diaspora.
torrie_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Thoughts
This collection opened with a bang and truly just kept giving.
I was tabbing away and I told my husband that I wanted to tab every poem but that defeated the purpose 😅. So I had to be a little more selective.
But it is a great collection and accessible for everyone. Highly highly recommend!
This collection opened with a bang and truly just kept giving.
I was tabbing away and I told my husband that I wanted to tab every poem but that defeated the purpose 😅. So I had to be a little more selective.
But it is a great collection and accessible for everyone. Highly highly recommend!
sparklingpynk's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
I don't typically read poetry and I don't think it will ever be my fave genre to read but with books like this I will gladly give it a try every so often. This was a collection of what felt like a very personal journey and having heard the author herself narrate the audiobook I could feel the passion she was emitting through her words. There were parts within these poems that I felt seen having dealt with similar situations growing up and for that I am grateful. Highly recommend, especially for my fellow dominicanas.