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scrow1022's review
5.0
Whew. The poems themselves are FULL, and then the essays give so much more (and make me think in other ways about silence).
afroabsurdist's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
emilykatereads's review
5.0
Incredibly and brilliantly written poetry collection about being a black woman in a colonized country. This piece makes you think and take a really close look at the intricacies of language.
maeveaickin's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
"The African artist in the Caribbean and in the New World must create in, give voice to and control her own i-mages. This is essential for any group, person, or people, but more so for the African in the New World, since in one sense, our coming upon ourselves, our revelation to ourselves in the New World was simultaneous with a negative re-presentation of ourselves to ourselves, by a hostile imperialistic power, and articulated in a language endemically and etymologically hostile to our very existence. In a very real sense, it can be argued that for the African in the New World learning the English language was simultaneous with learning of her non-being, her lack of wholeness."
sharanwombat's review against another edition
5.0
Reading good poetry can make you feel like you've just learned an entirely new truth about the universe and our existence within it. Nourbese feels like she sees things on dimensions that are inaccessible to the rest of us, introducing the world to what liberated postcolonial poetry can feel like. Evie Shockley describes Philips' incisive vision the best:
"The poet can take a word and hold it up to the light to see what it obscures, what it refracts, what it illuminates, can blow air into it to hear its song, its call, its howl; can crack it open; can use it to open us" (i)
"The poet can take a word and hold it up to the light to see what it obscures, what it refracts, what it illuminates, can blow air into it to hear its song, its call, its howl; can crack it open; can use it to open us" (i)
minimal_pilgrim's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful collection retelling the Persephone myth from a Caribbean perspective. The use of language and imagery truly showcase Marlene's talents as a Creole poet.
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