I received a Netgalley uncorrected proof of this book. I'm going to read it again in print after it releases, which may result in me bumping it up anoI received a Netgalley uncorrected proof of this book. I'm going to read it again in print after it releases, which may result in me bumping it up another star. From what I could tell, the book is made up mostly of prose poems, but because of the way it was formatted, it was hard to tell where one began and ended. There were only a couple of titled poems. The language was lovely and the themes being explored (transness, queerness, mental health, race, friendship, family, poetry) were important and written compellingly, but I was shocked at how quickly I read through the text, and I found myself wanting more. Again, this could be a formatting issue, as there was no white space in this edition. It read as one long (paragraphed) text block. It reminded me somewhat of Maggie Nelson's Bluets and The Argonauts in the best ways, and Yanyi references both texts. I'm looking forward to rereading this when it is out in print....more
Ada Limón writes with clarity in this collection on a number of subects/themes, including: panic attacks/anxiety, infertility, scoliosis/back pain, paAda Limón writes with clarity in this collection on a number of subects/themes, including: panic attacks/anxiety, infertility, scoliosis/back pain, pain, vertigo, race, and relationships (parents, husband, friends). She rails against her body which feels broken in a variety of ways while at the same time having sympathy for it as well as a gentle understanding. There is strength here and also grace. But that doesn't stop Limón from calling out the personal and communal injustices she feels keenly. These poems of body and pain and loss are grounded in the natural world, set mostly in Kentucky's bluegrass region and Sonoma's wild coast. Highly recommended collection by a poet I've long admired....more
I love this collection's fierceness and willingness to be vulnerable sometimes in the same line of a single poem. The poems in this book range from thI love this collection's fierceness and willingness to be vulnerable sometimes in the same line of a single poem. The poems in this book range from the short to the long and take on what it means to come from Appalachia, what it means to come out as queer, what it means to live in a fat body, and what it means to open that queer, fat Appalachian self up to the love of another. This is a book about learning to love the self and understanding the power in that love. It's about realizing, finally, that it's okay to say (and believe) "Yes, love. Yes, you are worthy." Read this book, y'all. It left me in a puddle of tears, in the best possible way....more
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