Some really gorgeous poetry and some I didn't love, though of course ymmv and it's an important collection nonetheless. I kind of wish it was more chronological--it just sort of threw me to do the whiplash of a poem about the Trump administration and then go back to a poem about the aftermath of 9/11.

Definitely glad to have this collection out there, though, even if it wasn't my thing personally! Some of her poetry about being a lesbian was really really gorgeous, loved that. ( )

This collection is absolutely stunning. The interplay of the political and the personal is so masterfully done and the poetry itself is perfect. You can feel the rhythm of the poems even through the page, which is sometimes hard for me with prose poetry. Also, the alliteration is awesome. It just flows so well and gorgeously. It truly is a bittersweet collection of poetry about the devastating and beautiful parts of surviving in the world today, especially as someone considered "other." The collection really captures a sense of fullness of experience, even the love poems are tinged with a sort of self-awareness that I found refreshing. All-in-all, it feels like a woman outlining the fullness of her being and contextualizing her existence with all the sense of purpose and doubt therein. It's beautiful -- the calls to action, the quiet moments, the wrestling with self-definition. All of it is stunning.

I highly recommend this book to any poetry lovers, as well as anyone who really wants to really feel what it's like to survive in a world not made with you in mind. It's challenging, and full of righteous fury, sorrow, and love wrapped in fantastic language by a fantastic poet. Read it. ( )