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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
I had hoped for something more lyrical, but this felt all too familiar: images of a poet as a young girl. The prologue was promising, looking upon her birth from above and being seized with a sense of all history converging in an instant, that was compelling but soon we embark on we only had this to eat, and my stepfather was a tyrant. Perhaps her time at indigenous art school could have tightened the focus?
I will certainly explore more of her verse.
I will certainly explore more of her verse.
Deeply moving account of how the spirit world can guide, and how those voices can be translated into poetry.
Harjo writes with such serenity and compassion about the awful, awful things she experienced as a child and growing woman. Her voice is so strong that at times it did feel like she was in the room with me as I read this. Now I want to check out some of her poetry.
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Colonisation
I have never heard of Joy Harjo. Partly because she is best known for sharing her voice through poetry and poetry is not, or has not, been my thing. Side note: I'm now trying to enter into the poetry genre by reading more of it. My kindred suggested we read this book "together" although I believe I finished it and she is still in the early chapters. *wink*
To learn of Harjo's life, in her own voice, was really impactful. Because she is so lyrical with her voice the book is written in a cadence that is not poetry but also isn't straight-up storytelling. It's written in a voice that bridges those two. And what and how she chooses to share about her life was of interest to me. What I might see as unimportant in knowing or learning about she clearly felt the opposite, feeling that every bit she chose to share had a part to contribute to the overall message of her memoir. To be a Native American in a land that betrayed its native people is crazy brave.
To learn of Harjo's life, in her own voice, was really impactful. Because she is so lyrical with her voice the book is written in a cadence that is not poetry but also isn't straight-up storytelling. It's written in a voice that bridges those two. And what and how she chooses to share about her life was of interest to me. What I might see as unimportant in knowing or learning about she clearly felt the opposite, feeling that every bit she chose to share had a part to contribute to the overall message of her memoir. To be a Native American in a land that betrayed its native people is crazy brave.
I loved this book, the poetry and stories and life writing and prophesies and dreams. I only wish it were longer, so I could be more immersed in her later years, as I had been in her childhood.
This is a lovely book of writing. I was surprised to find out that almost all of the chapters appeared in other works. Harjo writes so beautifully that all the stories flowed together seamlessly.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Joy Harjo writes beautifully, and this memoir is an engaging and accessible read. She doesn’t hold back from describing the abuse and trauma she experienced, so readers should be conscious that some heavy themes discussed in this story. This book has an important message about resilience and trusting yourself. I also appreciated how Joy’s story reflected her identity as an indigenous woman. She interwove her indigenous beliefs and perspective into her writing in a way that I haven’t seen done before.