Reviews tagging 'Death'

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire

28 reviews

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

 Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head was longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. It is the first full length poetry collection by this Somali British poet and reflects the realities of Black Muslim women from immigrant and refugee backgrounds, realities that include both great sorrow and great joy. I found it to a be really accessible collection and was at times blown away by the sheer power of Shire’s words. Home (well-known apparently but new to me) was a standout, succinctly and starkly explaining the reality of the decision to flee home and of being a refugee. Plenty of imagery from other poems grabbed my attention too - “…Amel’s hardened nipples push/through the paisley of her blouse, minarets/
calling men to worship.” Highly recommended, especially if you are looking for an accessible relevant contemporary collection.
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Racism, Rape, and War

jaiari12's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Murder, and War

Minor: Cursing, Miscarriage, Blood, Abortion, and Pregnancy

melhara's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

3.5

This was a very well-rounded collection of melancholic poems that deals with themes of immigration, abuse, racism, and numerous other dark and sad themes.

As with most poetry collections, there were some poems that stood out to me more than others, including Assimilation; Drowning in Dawson's Creek; My Father, The Astronaut; and, Bless This House.

Here's a passage from Assimilation:

The refugee's heart often grows
an outer layer. An assimilation.
It cocoons the organ. Those unable to grow the extra skin
die within the first six months in a host country.

As much as I like listening to poetry via audiobook or reading it via ebook, I did have some difficulty navigating between the glossary at the end of the book and the poems (as there are many Somali words included in the poems).

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, and Racism

kirstym25's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Grief, and War

stardustdreamer's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Gun violence, Rape, and Pregnancy

melio22's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Eating disorder, Rape, and Sexual violence

blue_is_at_sea's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

Adored this collection. My first time dipping my toes into her writing and I really enjoyed it. I shed a few tears. It’s a solid collection in womanhood, loneliness, the impact of immigrating, trauma, and just so much longing. Thats what really stood out to me.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death

inamerata's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad

5.0

Absolutely stunning. The imagery, the word choice, the pacing, the emotions, the craft -- I lack the words to describe how good this is. This book deals in quite heavy topics, but if you are able, I definitely recommend it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, and Rape

Moderate: Death, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, and War

Minor: Cancer, Eating disorder, Suicide, and Cannibalism

megan_bbender's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

Although I cannot relate first hand to some of the topics spoken about in this book, Warsan Shire has given me a new perspective and new knowledge about many different important issues.

I really enjoyed going through these poems. Every single one of them was thought-provoking. My personal favourite out of the poems in this book is Midnight In The Foreign Food Aisle. It is obvious that Warsan Shire writes from the heart. 

Many of these poems were so deep and held so much meaning that I didn't even have thoughts about them, I just sat with them after reading them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Blood, and War

Moderate: Slavery, Grief, and Deportation

Minor: Cursing

venetiana's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Deportation