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kendragaylelee's review against another edition
5.0
You need this book. These poems encompass all the pain and joy, wonder, fear, mourning and celebration of being alive. Joy Harjo is a miracle. And we're damn lucky to have her. How We Became Human sits on my bookshelf next to Devotions by Mary Oliver. They're radically different works--but equally powerful.
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
4.0
Bullet Review:
I hated poetry in high school. HATED. It never made a lick of sense even with a brick to explain every syllable to tear down every nuance and meaning. (May not have helped that I was homeschooled and ended up reading mostly poetry by old dead guys.)
But this past fall, you see, the bookstore near me, that had been there since my childhood (20+ years) closed, and I support Native voices and I’m so anxious these days, I turned to poetry in hopes to calm me down and maybe just maybe I could get it. I’ve been watching Rachel Oates on YouTube and she goes into poetry and when she explains it, poetry actually makes sense and is deep and meaningful. Also, being almost 40, I’m starting to see at least a part of poetry is the way the words sound - music, and I can get music. (I love music.)
I don’t know that I got most of what was going on in all the poems but there were some that really hit me and I did find reading them relaxing. Of course, I can’t think of any of those right now. I do wish there was like a bit more detail going into the poems but that’s probably asking too much - I’m a newb after all.
Thank you, Joy, for your works.
I hated poetry in high school. HATED. It never made a lick of sense even with a brick to explain every syllable to tear down every nuance and meaning. (May not have helped that I was homeschooled and ended up reading mostly poetry by old dead guys.)
But this past fall, you see, the bookstore near me, that had been there since my childhood (20+ years) closed, and I support Native voices and I’m so anxious these days, I turned to poetry in hopes to calm me down and maybe just maybe I could get it. I’ve been watching Rachel Oates on YouTube and she goes into poetry and when she explains it, poetry actually makes sense and is deep and meaningful. Also, being almost 40, I’m starting to see at least a part of poetry is the way the words sound - music, and I can get music. (I love music.)
I don’t know that I got most of what was going on in all the poems but there were some that really hit me and I did find reading them relaxing. Of course, I can’t think of any of those right now. I do wish there was like a bit more detail going into the poems but that’s probably asking too much - I’m a newb after all.
Thank you, Joy, for your works.
mxunsmiley's review against another edition
All I can really say is that I already thought Joy Harjo's poetry, what I'd read of it before (such as An American Sunrise), was very profound and thought-provoking, and after reading this I feel that more strongly. I think the title is very appropriate. The way she weaves together notions of humanity alongside the nature of the universe, the earth, is something that I can't really put into words. Poetry to me should make you wonder at everything, and she does that very well. It's put me into a very contemplative mood, in a time during which I'm struggling a lot. I think I can say she is becoming one of my favorite poets as well.
whimsicallyjaded's review against another edition
4.0
I've now learned that it's really hard for me to read poetry. I have an all or nothing relationship with it: I'm either deeply moved and in love with a poem, and I think about it often or I feel completely indifferent. I feel like if I were more... attuned? with poetry and if the poetic structures made more sense to me I would've rated this a 5/5 instead of a 4/5
That being said, I do love Harjo's poetry a lot a lot a lot. She breathes so much life in her imagery and I think she is an incredible storyteller. Her poem, "Grace," will forever stick with me as a life-changing poem. I remember the say my AP Lit teacher started class with: "What does grace mean?" and how I left class that day on my own "epic search for grace" as Harjo puts it.
I think one day I'll pick this collection up again and feel warm and comforted by Harjo as new favorite poems reach me.
That being said, I do love Harjo's poetry a lot a lot a lot. She breathes so much life in her imagery and I think she is an incredible storyteller. Her poem, "Grace," will forever stick with me as a life-changing poem. I remember the say my AP Lit teacher started class with: "What does grace mean?" and how I left class that day on my own "epic search for grace" as Harjo puts it.
I think one day I'll pick this collection up again and feel warm and comforted by Harjo as new favorite poems reach me.
toffishay's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, and Grief
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
mcastello13's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I first read Joy Harjo’s poem “I Give You Back” in the early days of the pandemic and I loved it so much that I spent the past year memorizing it. It’s one of those poems I wanted to be able to carry with me wherever I went in life. And, ever since I first heard it, I’ve wanted to read more of her work.
So I’m glad I picked up this collection, and I liked getting to see the evolution of Harjo’s writing over time. That said, for the most part, the style of her poetry didn’t really work for me. But, her work covers so many compelling topics and I still found great beauty and spiritual depth in it. And I’m always meaning (and often failing) to bring more poems into my life, so I’m grateful to have read this collection early in the year. I hope it leads to a year filled with more poetry for me.
So I’m glad I picked up this collection, and I liked getting to see the evolution of Harjo’s writing over time. That said, for the most part, the style of her poetry didn’t really work for me. But, her work covers so many compelling topics and I still found great beauty and spiritual depth in it. And I’m always meaning (and often failing) to bring more poems into my life, so I’m grateful to have read this collection early in the year. I hope it leads to a year filled with more poetry for me.
deeparcher's review against another edition
5.0
The notes at the back are very nearly as good as the poems themselves. Don’t skip them.
sundayblues's review against another edition
4.0
even if you’re not usually a poetry fan, harjo’s work is surprisingly accessible.
this book provides the reader insight into the evolution of not only a remarkable poetic voice, but also the development of a remarkable person. joy harjo’s writing is deeply personal, rooted in her individual experience as a woman and native american, and at the same time, universal in exploring human pain, compassion, and love.
there’s a strong storytelling component and recurring natural imagery such as crows, horses, and the landscapes of the Southwest. the poems beat with the pulse of myth and music. "don't worry about what a poem means,” harjo tells us. “do you ask what a song means before you listen? just listen."
this book provides the reader insight into the evolution of not only a remarkable poetic voice, but also the development of a remarkable person. joy harjo’s writing is deeply personal, rooted in her individual experience as a woman and native american, and at the same time, universal in exploring human pain, compassion, and love.
there’s a strong storytelling component and recurring natural imagery such as crows, horses, and the landscapes of the Southwest. the poems beat with the pulse of myth and music. "don't worry about what a poem means,” harjo tells us. “do you ask what a song means before you listen? just listen."