Reviews with content warning for Police brutality - Citizen: An American Lyric

A juxtaposition of astute reflections on the tide of racism and white supremacy that permeates every nook and cranny of the U.S. and beyond. Rankine wields deft and evocative poetic lyricism that captures vignettes from the cultural landscape.

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avisreadsandreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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lydiajines's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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itsanniek's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

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mattyvreads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

A poignant, thought-provoking, and no-nonsense indictment of racism, misogyny, and their intersection, in America. Rankine does not mince words.

This piece is a sort of extended poem which illustrates her experience as a Black woman in America, including micro-aggressions carried out against herself, her friends, and Black female athletes like Serena Williams who faced casual racism in their sport that had huge consequences.

I am eager to read this book again, as to soak up even more of Rankine’s words. She is an icon.

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sairywhy's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

4.25

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rieviolet's review against another edition

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challenging reflective fast-paced

2.5

I am sorry but this book was really not for me. I did not get along with the writing style nor the way it was structured, these sort of fragmented and episodic reflections were too difficult for me to follow, I mostly felt confused and clueless about what was going on.
Honestly, I understood maybe a third of what I read and while that is certainly on me, it really hampered my fruition of the book and the general appreciation of the reading experience.

I also struggled with the final section in verse and most of it went over my head. I admit that I am not a devoted poetry reader and, when I actually read it, I am usually drawn to a more prose-like and matter-of-fact type of poetry.

I think a book like this is just too much experimental for my personal taste. However, I did appreciate the section focusing on Serena Williams and the racism she experienced in her career as a tennis player, it might be because it was the part that more closely resembled a traditional and straightforward essay.

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