leigh_reidelberger's review against another edition
5.0
Danez Smith's poetry made me cry. It's the type of writing that makes me want to read it over and over again, until I have it memorized, until I can recite it on demand. He has beautiful, sad, powerful imagery. Everyone should read this collection.
ombudsman's review against another edition
4.0
a chapbook which ransacks culture, the cultural products of both white and black america, equally critical of both. more than anything though, smith directs their attention towards police brutality, producing some of the most heartbreaking and agonising verse known to man. the tone is angry, of course, but also proud of african-american history, culture and perseverance and - at times - perhaps even hopeful. short, but immensely long-lived effects.
cblueweaver's review against another edition
5.0
These are incredible, in both content and form. To say that I love them is not quite right, although it is also perfectly accurate. I am angry, I am heartbroken, I am hopeful.
incredibella's review against another edition
5.0
trigger/content warnings: death, blood, fires, homophobia, guns, gun violence/shootings, violence, mutilation, drug mention, police brutality, murder, racial slur
angelreadsthings's review against another edition
5.0
This collection is heartbreaking but not without hope. Smith intertwines descriptions of some of the most painful realities of Black life with consistent reminders that there is more to Black life than suffering. The balance between poems centering death and lament and those centering life and joy combined with Smith's acute imagery and adroit phrasing are what made this work so powerful and resonate for me. I look forward to reading more of their work.