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amberacks12's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
4.0
I’m not very experienced at reviewing poetry, which probably means I need to read more. But I’ll try to just write a few things that stood out to me about this little book.
Waberi’s poems are atmospheric and dreamlike. I read this entire collection in one sitting, even reading most of the poems a few times through. And though they are minimal and simple, they clearly express emotion and evoke a sense of place. There are themes of desert dwelling, people who stepped out of the earth at the beginning of time, western vs. African, the artist at his craft, Islam, and many small things specific to the land that is Djibouti. I got an impression of what it means to be an educated man out of east Africa, stuck between two worlds, two religions, and several different languages.
Enjoyment: 4
Emotional impact: 4
Educational value: 4
=4
Read for my read the world challenge for Djibouti
Waberi’s poems are atmospheric and dreamlike. I read this entire collection in one sitting, even reading most of the poems a few times through. And though they are minimal and simple, they clearly express emotion and evoke a sense of place. There are themes of desert dwelling, people who stepped out of the earth at the beginning of time, western vs. African, the artist at his craft, Islam, and many small things specific to the land that is Djibouti. I got an impression of what it means to be an educated man out of east Africa, stuck between two worlds, two religions, and several different languages.
Enjoyment: 4
Emotional impact: 4
Educational value: 4
=4
Read for my read the world challenge for Djibouti
geve_'s review against another edition
3.0
What a title. It def grabbed me right away.
There were a few really gorgeous poems in this, one in particular really hit me. There were a handful of poems that I felt I got really good sense of the author from, but the majority of them were just fine. I would say two 5 star poems, a handful of 4 stars, the majority being totally serviceable 3 stars. I will say, I wonder how much of this comes down to translation, especially with poems. I do wish I could have read these in the native language. Overall, a not bad poetry collection with some great imagery and a few funny moments, and a few really meaningful moments.
I would say if the description of this book interests you at all, it will be worth the read.
There were a few really gorgeous poems in this, one in particular really hit me. There were a handful of poems that I felt I got really good sense of the author from, but the majority of them were just fine. I would say two 5 star poems, a handful of 4 stars, the majority being totally serviceable 3 stars. I will say, I wonder how much of this comes down to translation, especially with poems. I do wish I could have read these in the native language. Overall, a not bad poetry collection with some great imagery and a few funny moments, and a few really meaningful moments.
I would say if the description of this book interests you at all, it will be worth the read.
jenmat1197's review against another edition
3.0
This is a very short book of poetry. The author gives us a look into this small country. He writes about the country's landscape throughout the book and paints a picture of what he felt when he looked at his country side.
This book only took me 30 minutes to read - it is really really short with really short poems on each page. They give you a small taste of the country, but not as much as I would have liked. I am not one to fully be able to appreciate poetry, but it was a good enough read. I think it will stay as my Djibouti book because there just aren't many things out there for this tiny country.
This book only took me 30 minutes to read - it is really really short with really short poems on each page. They give you a small taste of the country, but not as much as I would have liked. I am not one to fully be able to appreciate poetry, but it was a good enough read. I think it will stay as my Djibouti book because there just aren't many things out there for this tiny country.
scienceworks's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
the_lyon_reads_tonight's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
paulap's review
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
There are many poems about nature and about colonialism. Clever poetry.
moaag's review against another edition
4.0
A nice collection of poetry. I did mainly picked it up because of the beautiful cover since I’m shallow like that, but I found myself enjoying the read. Not all where to my liking, but the collection gave a nice little introduction to the small country. I especially enjoyed the section “ink drawings”.
lucyreading's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
I loved this collection of poems - each is short, almost like a polaroid photo with words. Waberi reflects on the Somali language in the poems and it is so interesting.
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