Reviews

I Think I'm Ready to See Frank Ocean by Shayla Lawson

augustlight's review against another edition

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5.0

Beautiful, lyrical, musical. I haven't really read poetry like this before. I'm honestly not great at reviewing poetry but this is something special.

dreamgalaxies's review against another edition

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4.0

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This is a successful work of experimental poetry with a structure that mimics the various albums released over the years by Frank Ocean. I certainly recommend this book if you’re into poetry, or if you’re into Frank Ocean! I am a fan, but not on a deep enough level to immediately make connections between the themes of these poems and the songs they are named for. It took me 2 reads and some re-listening to Ocean's discography really make connections with the themes of the songs and the poems, which was honestly a pretty fun exercise.
A couple things that stand out about Lawson's work: 1. it's highly referential; I love how Lawson can travel from Frank Ocean to Foucault in a fairly accessible way. “The Ocean is Endless” is a standout in this regard. 2. She's pretty great at writing about sex!

I was hoping this would delve deeper into Ocean’s queerness but not every book can do every thing, and it’s impressive how much she’s able to pack into this small book.

aliarose's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

4.5

cabeswaters's review against another edition

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In the midst of all we can record, what do we actually witness?

courtneyfalling's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

I found this after Hazem Fahmy's Waiting for Frank Ocean, and something about interacting with Frank Ocean—his lyrics, his artistry, his life—lends itself so well to poetry. Here especially, Lawson hovers so well in narratives without closure, narratives that might even be anti-closure, and I loved it. 

heavenlyspit's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced

archer_sloane's review

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slow-paced

4.0

sophiaf97's review against another edition

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5.0

This work is crafted with exquisiteness of pattern-making and lyricism as well as outright exploration into the Ocean's mystery. The poems dig their feet deep into the sand and put language to the watery granules rushing atop them. This book of poetry is well worth everyone's time.

carolinehope96's review

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slow-paced

5.0

sophiaf97's review

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5.0

This work is crafted with exquisiteness of pattern-making and lyricism as well as outright exploration into the Ocean's mystery. The poems dig their feet deep into the sand and put language to the watery granules rushing atop them. This book of poetry is well worth everyone's time.