brookeisbusyreading's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Dark, Beautiful, and Important.
I’ve read a lot of poetry books that address mental health issues, but none have come across quite as powerful as this book. Serena has such a raw way of writing about that topic that is nothing short of vulnerable. You can really feel it in her poems - she’s sharing very personal thoughts, feelings, and experiences in poetic form and it WORKS.
There is a trigger warning for topics like depression, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, trauma, and pregnancy loss (which Serena does note at the beginning of the book).
I’ll be honest and say that I had the absolute HONOR of editing this book. I was so excited to be able to read the final version - not only because of the topics in the poems, but also because Serena’s style resonates with me. I have depression, anxiety, and a history of suicidal thoughts and self-harm. Although I’ve been able to manage them over the years, books like A Song for Every Scar help me reflect on where I’ve been mentally/emotionally. (It’s sometimes important for a positive mental state to reflect.)
This book is obviously a 5-star read for me and I’m stoked to see what Serena does next!
I’ve read a lot of poetry books that address mental health issues, but none have come across quite as powerful as this book. Serena has such a raw way of writing about that topic that is nothing short of vulnerable. You can really feel it in her poems - she’s sharing very personal thoughts, feelings, and experiences in poetic form and it WORKS.
There is a trigger warning for topics like depression, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, trauma, and pregnancy loss (which Serena does note at the beginning of the book).
I’ll be honest and say that I had the absolute HONOR of editing this book. I was so excited to be able to read the final version - not only because of the topics in the poems, but also because Serena’s style resonates with me. I have depression, anxiety, and a history of suicidal thoughts and self-harm. Although I’ve been able to manage them over the years, books like A Song for Every Scar help me reflect on where I’ve been mentally/emotionally. (It’s sometimes important for a positive mental state to reflect.)
This book is obviously a 5-star read for me and I’m stoked to see what Serena does next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, and Self harm
gmwells's review
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
5.0
If you find yourself wanting to read more poetry but you want to be able to understand what the poem is saying, I highly recommend “A Song for Every Scar” by Serena Morrigan. This poetry book is meant for those who struggle keeping it all together.
This poetry collection is done in a modern style, meaning that there’s no strange Olde English language and it’s easy to grasp the meaning of each poem. The six sections of this book go through feelings of depression, pain, numbness, grief, hurt, and hope.
This is a collection of very raw poems. The emotional weight of this book kept me reading it for a longer time than I usually would spend on a poetry collection, as I had to take many breaks.
While Morrigan does repeat certain “stand out” words throughout the book, she writes the poems in a clean and creative way. And, though the poems are very personal to the author’s own experiences, I found myself relating to many of these poems, as well as several of my loved ones.
My favorite poem is either “distortion” on pages 78-80 or “these hands” on page 173.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Child death
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