hopelikeyou's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
this poetry collection was incredible. the language is beautiful even as it tells devastating, heartbreaking stories. this was one of those books that nestled in my rib cage and stayed there, the kind i will be thinking about for many months to come.
lizhammang's review against another edition
4.0
✨BOOK REVIEW✨
📚 Heavy is the Head - Sumaya Enyegue 📚
Heavy is the Head is a thought-provoking, emotionally charged collection of poetry which encompasses some very heavy themes, including womanhood, Blackness, racism, sexism, and mental health. It is bold, honest and impactful in its approach to tackling these topics and offers incredible insight into the human experience.
Whilst I am not a person of colour, I definitely resonated with so much Enyegue had to say, especially regarding topics of grief and the trauma experience. The prose is lyrical, evocative and intensely powerful in its portrayal of these themes. My heart was definitely left hurting, but yet yearning for more.
What you can expect:
🌺 #ownvoices poetry collection
🌺 An ode to Blackness
🌺 Generational trauma
🌺 Brutal honesty
An extremely vulnerable and honest exploration of some very heavy themes, so please keep that in mind before reading. But if you’re in the right space, I highly recommend.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you so much to @netgalley @sumayapoetry and @centavebooks for sending me this to review 🙏🏻
emilylovesnovels's review
5.0
I’m speechless after finishing this. I really can’t put into words how good this book was. It was so emotional and I loved every second of it. The poems were beautifully written, I re-read them a thousand times.
cxrx's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
2.0
[TBA: I received an ARC of the book from Central Avenue Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
I’m very sorry to be giving this book such a low rating. From its title and the blurb (a poetry collection about girlhood, sexual assault, racism and mental health, celebrating blackness), I had very high expectations and went into it thinking I would love it.
However, as is always the case, poetic style and substance is highly subjective - and I’m afraid Enyegue’s just didn’t work for me.
While I’m sure that the author poured her heart and soul into these poems, she couldn’t get through to me. With the exception of a few lines, I didn’t feel this collection imparted anything new or outstanding, nor did it convince with exceptional literary prowess.
A lot of the poems read like an unformed stream of consciousness, which is a form of writing that I don’t enjoy. The collection was also quite long, when a smaller (and more edited) selection of poems would have worked better in my opinion.
thebookybabe's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Thank you NetGalley for giving me a copy of this ARC. I don't read much poetry, so I was interested in diving into this one. Plus the cover is absolutely gorgeous. That being said, whew! The pieces in this book are heavy (the book is aptly titled). You can tell that the author cut open their heart and bled onto the pages. It almost feels unfair to rate something like this. Each poem was vulnerable and honest. This is a book that shouldn't be devoured in one sitting. You need to take it piece by piece and let it digest before moving forward.
birdykinsreads's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
5.0
Wow. Just wow. What a powerful poetry collection. Heavy is the Head by Sumaya Enyegue is bursting with life, heartache, anger, grief. It has these deep nostalgic moments of sadness, poems that pulsate with life. That’s really it—this poetry feels so alive, like it wants to leap from the page and burrow into your heart. I feel like so much of this book is relatable, in its girlhood, love and loss. I saved so many of these poems, they hit me in so many different ways—always with a startling punch, a line that surprises, something heavy and undeniable. Gorgeous. I loved every second of this, could have read it in one sitting but tried to stretch it out and let it linger. I’ll be buying the physical copy to annotate and reread again and again. A really special read and probably will be the best book of poetry I read this year.
Highly highly recommend
Highly highly recommend
inkdrinkers's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
"the goal is for us to grow up, right? boys morph into men and girls into gaping wounds" (Girlhood)
Sumaya Enyegue's debut poetry collection seeks to hurt - not heal. Tackling issues like girlhood, Blackness, generational trauma, sexual assault, and mental health, Heavy is the Head doesn't pull punches. It wants the reader to feel the collective hurt of the human experience, and to realize they aren't alone.
There wasn't a single poem I disliked in this collection. Out of the gate, Girlhood hits hard and the lyricism of Enyegue's writing is apparent with the way difficult topics are tackled. I adored the second poem in the collection and how the formatting varies from piece to piece. Each poem thereafter felt intentional and worthy of being included, which I appreciated. It felt cohesive in a way that both hurt and fit perfectly with the tone of the entire book.
I'm so happy to have received a copy of this! This is one of those poetry collections I need to have a physical copy of immediately so I can revisit it at-will and bury myself in the prose. I cannot wait to read more of Enyegue's work and will be eagerly awaiting what comes next.
Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for providing me a copy of this book for an honest review.
Sumaya Enyegue's debut poetry collection seeks to hurt - not heal. Tackling issues like girlhood, Blackness, generational trauma, sexual assault, and mental health, Heavy is the Head doesn't pull punches. It wants the reader to feel the collective hurt of the human experience, and to realize they aren't alone.
There wasn't a single poem I disliked in this collection. Out of the gate, Girlhood hits hard and the lyricism of Enyegue's writing is apparent with the way difficult topics are tackled. I adored the second poem in the collection and how the formatting varies from piece to piece. Each poem thereafter felt intentional and worthy of being included, which I appreciated. It felt cohesive in a way that both hurt and fit perfectly with the tone of the entire book.
I'm so happy to have received a copy of this! This is one of those poetry collections I need to have a physical copy of immediately so I can revisit it at-will and bury myself in the prose. I cannot wait to read more of Enyegue's work and will be eagerly awaiting what comes next.
Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for providing me a copy of this book for an honest review.
bookishfeefs's review
4.0
Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC!
I am without words. My heart hurts and I am glad because I can have a deeper understanding now about the topics addressed in this book. I know a lot of us have gone through it or know someone personally that has also gone through it. One of my favorite things about poetry books is that we are able to get a glimpse of the mind of the author and boy oh boy did we get a glimpse here in this book. I think Sumaya's mind is incredible and I want to give her a hug for all that she endured.
I am without words. My heart hurts and I am glad because I can have a deeper understanding now about the topics addressed in this book. I know a lot of us have gone through it or know someone personally that has also gone through it. One of my favorite things about poetry books is that we are able to get a glimpse of the mind of the author and boy oh boy did we get a glimpse here in this book. I think Sumaya's mind is incredible and I want to give her a hug for all that she endured.