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andrealianne's review
5.0
should be required reading for all former church kids. I am blown away. Raych Jackson weaves together Christianity, Black womanhood, depression, grief, and familial relationships to create a beautiful collection. The story of Job is dissected. The concept of sin is meditated on. Traditional hymns are turned into erasures. The pain and confusion of coming of age in a suppressed environment where a girl's purity is more valued than her inquisitiveness and sadness rings so clear and bittersweet. I can't wait to read what Raych Jackson writes next.
"I sin & misery wanders
into my home. I get saved
& it never leaves."
(from "After church she gets high again")
"Is it even my body if I am made in his image?"
(from "Jonah was trapped before he met the fish")
"I sin & misery wanders
into my home. I get saved
& it never leaves."
(from "After church she gets high again")
"Is it even my body if I am made in his image?"
(from "Jonah was trapped before he met the fish")
bananafreckles's review
3.0
This collection is a heartfelt exploration of what it's like to be a person prone to questioning the theology they're taught since childhood. I was especially interested on the "On Job" poems which push back against the lessons we're "supposed" to learn from the story. On the other hand, I was a little disappointed in the hymn erasure poems; they didn't seem to be saying anything all that different from the originals, and I thought they could have pushed it much further. I appreciate the intersectionality of many of these poems, giving glimpses into experiences that I both can and can't relate to.
heathershectichideaway's review
3.0
Honestly when I started this book I wasn’t sure how much I was going to enjoy it. It’s one of very few that I’ve read in this genre and I realized I’m not as religious as I was before. The writing was beautiful though and I kept reading even though I felt some of it was provocative. I would recommend it to a mature audience that’s very religious.
anthroxagorus's review
5.0
I think there's a good meditation here on The Church and morality, some of it too specific for me to relate to, and mostly because I'm, well, white. Also in a bit of a mood, will have to reread in a better state of mind.
helenmckinzi's review
5.0
I felt myself in this collection of poetry. Truly a beautiful masterpiece.
1siobhan's review
4.0
*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*
"Even the Saints Audition" is a collection of poetry navigating the abyss between religious belief and sexual self-discovery and independence. There are also other poems about religion & family, going to Church when feeling like a sinner because of one's mind and thoughts.
I quite liked the collection. The poems were brutally honest, creating an intimacy between focalizer and reader.
However, I felt that the poems were connected but I also found that many poems weren't going anywhere - at least for me. As a white agnostic I lack knowledge & experience in that very specific setting, yet I enjoyed them. I learned a lot.
4 Stars
"Even the Saints Audition" is a collection of poetry navigating the abyss between religious belief and sexual self-discovery and independence. There are also other poems about religion & family, going to Church when feeling like a sinner because of one's mind and thoughts.
I quite liked the collection. The poems were brutally honest, creating an intimacy between focalizer and reader.
However, I felt that the poems were connected but I also found that many poems weren't going anywhere - at least for me. As a white agnostic I lack knowledge & experience in that very specific setting, yet I enjoyed them. I learned a lot.
4 Stars
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