spillminttea's review
4.0
I read it on Scribd. I just know Sarah from TED Talks, and I was exhilarated about the duo's and how Sarah performed every single piece of beauty rhymes.
nothingnew's review against another edition
I found this really easy to get through
Distinct voice
Eye rolling
Distinct voice
Eye rolling
chandraleereads's review
5.0
I often use poetry as a relief from stress when my life is hectic. Sarah Kay is one of my favorite poets and I am so happy I found this book of poetry to start and finish my work day with over the past week. It was everything I needed.
zellapaige's review against another edition
hopeful
fast-paced
4.75
These poems are simple. When I say this, I do not mean that they lack complexity, I mean that they are easily comprehensible and straightforward. Without a doubt, these are the poems of an educator and I enjoyed every minute of listening to them.
Sarah Kay is the queen of milking a metaphor for all it is worth and turning it into something extraordinary. My absolute favorite poem of the collection was "Dragons", with an additional honorable mention to the final poem of the collection "In the Event of an Emergency".
I also highly recommend the audiobook! These poems feel as though they were meant to be spoken (and I do know that many were initially spoken word poems, but ALL the poems of the collection have more of an impact in spoken form). I also adored the inclusion of audio from live performances of some of the poems. The additional cadence/vibrance of the live recordings was palpable and lent those poems a beautiful sense of honesty and community. With the tiny caveat that the inclusion of both live and studio records does create a difference in audio quality which was at times annoying.
Sarah Kay is the queen of milking a metaphor for all it is worth and turning it into something extraordinary. My absolute favorite poem of the collection was "Dragons", with an additional honorable mention to the final poem of the collection "In the Event of an Emergency".
I also highly recommend the audiobook! These poems feel as though they were meant to be spoken (and I do know that many were initially spoken word poems, but ALL the poems of the collection have more of an impact in spoken form). I also adored the inclusion of audio from live performances of some of the poems. The additional cadence/vibrance of the live recordings was palpable and lent those poems a beautiful sense of honesty and community. With the tiny caveat that the inclusion of both live and studio records does create a difference in audio quality which was at times annoying.
jasjadeserrano's review
5.0
"You are a woman. Skin and bones. Veins and nerves. Hair and sweat. You are not made of metaphors. Not apologies. Not excuses."
Sarah Kay's poetry has all the intimacy of a quiet, honest conversation between friends -- the kind that takes place on worn sofas at 2 a.m., beer bottles in hand, secrets laid out on the coffee table. I think it's easy for writers to distance themselves from their audiences by using vague language, almost as if they're too afraid of their own truths to write them as they are. There are no puzzles to work out in Sarah Kay's poems, no secret truths couched in metaphor. The poems in this book are simple, honest, and engaging, and I often found myself thinking, "Whoa, that's exactly it. That's exactly how that feels." Wonderfully done, Sarah Kay.
Sarah Kay's poetry has all the intimacy of a quiet, honest conversation between friends -- the kind that takes place on worn sofas at 2 a.m., beer bottles in hand, secrets laid out on the coffee table. I think it's easy for writers to distance themselves from their audiences by using vague language, almost as if they're too afraid of their own truths to write them as they are. There are no puzzles to work out in Sarah Kay's poems, no secret truths couched in metaphor. The poems in this book are simple, honest, and engaging, and I often found myself thinking, "Whoa, that's exactly it. That's exactly how that feels." Wonderfully done, Sarah Kay.
l_black_33's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
I found the writing in this book so beautiful, I found myself getting emotional over things I could not relate to at all (which doesn't usually happen).
I don't really understand why it took me so long to read it, I just could not bring myself to continue reading at first. But at some point something just clicked, and I finished what I had left of it in one sitting.
I will definitely be reading more from Sarah Kay soon, there is just something about her words, and I can't quite put my finger on it but it is so, so charming.
I don't really understand why it took me so long to read it, I just could not bring myself to continue reading at first. But at some point something just clicked, and I finished what I had left of it in one sitting.
I will definitely be reading more from Sarah Kay soon, there is just something about her words, and I can't quite put my finger on it but it is so, so charming.
caramels's review
1.0
Yet another poetry collection with a killer title and cover that don't match the quality of the poems at all.
I'm giving this zero stars. These poems were so personal they cannot be called poems, they were just recollections of some things that happened to the author (her boyfriend's dog died, she borrowed her boyfriend's shirt, she called her boyfriend's house to congratulate him on his engagement,... yeah a lot of happenings regarding her boyfriend. Mindblown right?) so I could never once relate to them. Mind you, a poet can write about anything and make it beautiful, if they are skilled enough, but this is not the case here. So all this could've been considered slightly acceptable if only the writing style resembled poetry, which it didn't. The language was plain and even the verses weren't really verses. They could have easily been written in prose form and nothing would have changed. This isn't poetry. I'm sorry but it just isn't. Also at some point the author says they hope to write a poem that will end up in a museum as a proof they existed. Humble much??
Some examples:
“My building’s Super rang my doorbell
this afternoon and came in to change
the knob on my heater. I greeted him
in flannel pajama pants and a sweatshirt.
Oh, thank goodness, I laughed. The heat
has been clanking all night, and it keeps
me awake. He considered the pile of
unfolded laundry and 1 PM pajamas.
Just you? He asked. Just me.”
“Today I opened my eyes, and this man—the one who makes the bed when I leave—his eyes were open too. I was embarrassed, and I was furious! Nobody opens their eyes when they kiss!”
Also there's a poem where the author says women shouldn't compare themselves to snacks (that made me laugh like crazy) and says they are not poems. She writes a poem about women saying women shouldn't consider themselves as poems. ????
If a poetry collection like this could get published I see no hope for humanity.
I'm giving this zero stars. These poems were so personal they cannot be called poems, they were just recollections of some things that happened to the author (her boyfriend's dog died, she borrowed her boyfriend's shirt, she called her boyfriend's house to congratulate him on his engagement,... yeah a lot of happenings regarding her boyfriend. Mindblown right?) so I could never once relate to them. Mind you, a poet can write about anything and make it beautiful, if they are skilled enough, but this is not the case here. So all this could've been considered slightly acceptable if only the writing style resembled poetry, which it didn't. The language was plain and even the verses weren't really verses. They could have easily been written in prose form and nothing would have changed. This isn't poetry. I'm sorry but it just isn't. Also at some point the author says they hope to write a poem that will end up in a museum as a proof they existed. Humble much??
Some examples:
“My building’s Super rang my doorbell
this afternoon and came in to change
the knob on my heater. I greeted him
in flannel pajama pants and a sweatshirt.
Oh, thank goodness, I laughed. The heat
has been clanking all night, and it keeps
me awake. He considered the pile of
unfolded laundry and 1 PM pajamas.
Just you? He asked. Just me.”
“Today I opened my eyes, and this man—the one who makes the bed when I leave—his eyes were open too. I was embarrassed, and I was furious! Nobody opens their eyes when they kiss!”
Also there's a poem where the author says women shouldn't compare themselves to snacks (that made me laugh like crazy) and says they are not poems. She writes a poem about women saying women shouldn't consider themselves as poems. ????
If a poetry collection like this could get published I see no hope for humanity.
margsvault's review
5.0
There is this feeling that's hard to describe when I read this book. I'll gladly revisit this every year if I get to experience it all over again.