Scan barcode
foggy_rosamund's review
4.0
Antrobus's second collection, following the ground-breaking and award-winning, The Perseverance. Antrobus builds on similar themes as in his first collection: being Deaf, being mixed race, while also delving into his family history, including the history of his surname (a very old English name), and his relationship to racism. It deals with complex themes lightly and with clarity, while also touching on tender emotions, such as love, both familial and romantic. I was particularly moved by Antrobus's poems about disability, and the intersection of racism and ableism, "For Tyrone Givans" and "Captions & A Dream for John T Williams of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth tribe". However, I wanted Antrobus to expand on some of his themes. But he's an important writer and this is an accomplished collection.
kit_kate's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
4.5
I had heard good things about this poetry collection and when I found a copy in my local library I decided to give it a go. I consider myself as quite a novice when it comes to poetry. I am slow, usually reading each page more than once, trying to digest the words as best I can but often with a feeling like I'm missing something.
With this collection I feel like I have read something special, with poems highlighting identity, the legacies of slavery, growing up in Hackney and deafness. On a first read some of the poems resonated with me more than others. When I found the notes pages in the back I looked up many of the references and read the poems again and I feel like I got so much more from them the second time around.
I would recommend this wholeheartedly. Raymond Antrobus shares his experience and perspective in such an honest, thought-provoking and direct way. Those poems that I feel will particularly stick in my mind include, Plantation Paint, For Tyrone Givans and Arose.
leanneymu's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Beautifully written, meditations on family, history, identity and disability.