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Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'
Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire
20 reviews
dafni's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Rape, Xenophobia, and War
madanxiety's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, and War
Minor: Eating disorder
inamerata's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, and Rape
Moderate: Death, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, and War
Minor: Cancer, Eating disorder, Suicide, and Cannibalism
karis_dl's review against another edition
5.0
Minor: Sexual assault and Xenophobia
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
5.0
“Backwards” and “Bless this House” are two stand out poems for me, but there are plenty of incredible ones which will pull on your heart strings and never cease to amaze you.
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Abandonment, and War
Moderate: Xenophobia
cantfindmybookmark's review against another edition
4.75
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Racism, Sexual violence, and Xenophobia
jayisreading's review against another edition
3.5
That said, something about these poems didn’t quite land the same way that her earlier poems did. The poems didn’t read as cohesive as a whole and, even within their sections, seemed a little scattered.
What I do love about Shire’s writing is how multisensorial her poems are, making for a unique experience any time you read anything by her. This was certainly the case in this collection, even if the poems didn’t have the same impact as her previous works did.
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Eating disorder, Suicide, and War
2treads's review against another edition
4.0
for floods, for the flush of blood,
for men who are also wolves, even
though you could pull the tide in
by her hair, we tell everyone
we walked all over you.
–excerpt from Bless the Moon
Bless The Daughter Raised By A Voice In Her Head was my National Poetry month read and it was so much more than I expected.
🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋
Shire has a talent for reaching towards her readers with words that are raw and that create riveting poems that have the power to move you or wreck you. Poems that invite you to parallel your own experiences, the beautiful and the traumatic.
🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋
But there is also a movement towards healing and recognition in her poetry, an honesty that chills at times and an awareness of the weight of her family and identity. Centred throughout is girlhood, motherhood, and womanhood, propelling these poems through time and space as she chronicles loss, love, and divinity.
I mean Shire at this point, for me, can do no wrong with her poetry. There are poems that will gather you, tear you, teach you, grieve you, and yet still holds space for healing.
Minor: Domestic abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, and War
ashlynnoel's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Miscarriage, Xenophobia, and Abortion
Minor: War
deedireads's review against another edition
5.0
TL;DR REVIEW:
Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head is a masterful collection of poems by a master poet on womanhood, trauma, and the refugee experience. They’re heavy, but hard-hitting and moving.
For you if: You want to read poetry that adds to your view of the world and humanity.
FULL REVIEW:
Thank you, Random House, for the advanced electronic copy of this book! It’s the first full-length poetry collection from Warsan Shire, the award-winning Somali British poet who worked with Beyonce on Lemonade and Black is King. So yes, it’s as good as you’re expecting.
The poems draw from her own experiences, loved ones’ experiences, headlines, etc. to shape a journey through womanhood, motherhood, daughterhood, being a refugee and immigrant, abuse, trauma, and defiant hope.
I feel like I need to reread this to get the full effect, but I was especially impressed with how Shire merges pop culture and poetry to make the collection feel not only modern but current and timely. She has something to say here, and you’re certainly going to hear it. And, of course, there are lines and couplets and stanzas that come out of nowhere punch you in the gut.
It’s a quick read, but worth it if you are a fan of poetry (and maybe even if you’re not).
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Misogyny, Xenophobia, and Grief