Reviews

Plantains and Our Becoming: Poems by Melania Luisa Marte

themoodyambr's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

ademusoyo's review against another edition

emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-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

4.0

carriermoore's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

itzsabino's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition

I don't usually DNF poetry books because more often than not I find myself simply disliking one poem in a collection of many, but this one just didn't work for me. The poems felt like generic immigrant mixed POC girl poems, there was too much celebrity idolization (I only reached the Cardi B poem but then I saw that later on there's also a Meghan Thee Stallion poem? Kill the parasocial relationship in your brain honey bun), and most egregious was the fact that the societal critiques did not feel intersectional at all. 

For one thing, the white feminism critiques felt so surface level, but what stood out to me most was how fatphobic some of the poems were. Specifically to the point where the author specifically mentions not loving themselves until they had lost weight/was anemic. Paired with not even further development or analysis of their internalized fatphobia, I simply could not stomach the content to keep reading. 

kleonard's review against another edition

4.0

A compelling, angry, and insistent collection of poems and prose poems that circle around the author's Dominical Republic, Afro-Latina identity, her family and family history, and her desire to have what she wants, from power and presence to material wealth. Celebrating things and people as diverse as the NY Public Library and Cardi B, there's a focus on ownership and the trappings of financial success that I find unusual--many of the poetry of immigrants and those in diasporas more often decry capitalism and its effects on their communities. But Marte is forthright about her wants, and her citing of popular culture's flamboyances situates the collection in a particular point in time and place. There are a number of poems in shapes that didn't really need the non-standard typesetting to be effective, and a few pieces that feel like warm-ups for other poems in the collection.

therahh's review against another edition

Returned to library 

bookish_wonder's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

domspinon_'s review against another edition

3.75

Take this 3.5 with a grain of salt poetry is not my go to

lanas's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0