bookish_by_elle's review against another edition
5.0
Kei Miller knows how to arrange his words into sentences that are delicious. This collection is seasoned with family secrets, history and even a sprinkle of folklore. And really, is a collection from Miller even complete without a soupçon of etymology? It is, perhaps, that his aptitude for poetry spills over into everything he writes - these essays are an experience to read and this book impossible to put down.
Miller writes about the body: how bodies are keys that unlock doors through which their owners can walk into privilege or vulnerability; how the physical aspects of the body can sometimes betray the characteristics that are unseen. He gives us a glimpse of the experiences that his body (black, tall, queer) has allowed him, or in other instances ways in which this body has victimized and implicated him. He writes of how his body interacts with the other bodies around him.
It is a taste that is layered and that lingers. I appreciate how candidly Miller writes, how he invites his readers to share in his experiences - carnival, his trip to Africa, the intimate space that is a family gathering - and allows us to scrutinize and ruminate on the sentiments they evoke.
Miller writes about the body: how bodies are keys that unlock doors through which their owners can walk into privilege or vulnerability; how the physical aspects of the body can sometimes betray the characteristics that are unseen. He gives us a glimpse of the experiences that his body (black, tall, queer) has allowed him, or in other instances ways in which this body has victimized and implicated him. He writes of how his body interacts with the other bodies around him.
It is a taste that is layered and that lingers. I appreciate how candidly Miller writes, how he invites his readers to share in his experiences - carnival, his trip to Africa, the intimate space that is a family gathering - and allows us to scrutinize and ruminate on the sentiments they evoke.
196books's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Racism
Moderate: Homophobia and Sexual assault