Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans

Some trigger warnings are rape, SA, and murder of a trans woman.

"Each poem explores what it means to be a daughter of Newark, and America--and the painful, joyous path to adulthood as a young, queer Black woman."

Read it in one sitting and then re-read it again on a different day, that time deliberately taking it slow and letting everything set in. I loved the poems and how it told a story, giving detailed information of what has happened in the past while also focusing on the present. It can be triggering for some if you don't know that it is coming in this collection of poems, so definitely read all trigger warnings if possible. Beyond proud of her for telling her story and being so incredibly brave for sharing it with everyone. It's so important for her to tell and discuss these topics, you know there are individuals out there that will find solace and comfort in her words, knowing that they are not alone. Healing and understanding will definitely come this collection.

I feel like this should be on a school syllabus. To be able to deep dive into the meaning and the hidden themes in the individual stanzas, it would be amazing to be able to break it down to fully encapsulate and appreciate how beautiful, deep, and meaningful this book is. A lot of the poems were conversational, emotional, but that she spoke to the reader as a peer. The flow chart at the end connecting the poems and the train they follow is extremely helpful and a fun way to showcase her writing process.

Comments

The Necromancer's Library (Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #12) by J.L Bryan

"We all have our little gardens of dead dreams, don't we? And sometimes we still try to water and tend those gardens, long after we should know nothing will ever grow there." In this installment of the Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper series, the team is sent to investigate a potential haunting at an antebellum mansion in the middle of the countryside. A pair of sisters currently reside there because the previous owner, a deceased reclusive professor, hired someone to transform his massive collection into some semblance of organization. The oldest sister Cherise is a university student who is cataloguing the entire collection. The issue is, it's a collection of ancient and medieval manuscripts and items. The library and mansion are filled with terribly haunting spirits-both helpful, lost, and frightening. Even when exploring the grounds they come across an eerie family cemetery in the overgrown woods and run into a figure trying to communicate something seriou...

The Trailwalker (Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #13) by J.L Bryan

"Why would teenage boys go out on a boat in a storm" Stacey wondered. "Well, now that I say it aloud, it kinda answers itself" The team is brough to an old campground that is full of local legend. It is next to the mysterious mounds of a vanished people and once a summer camp for children before it was abruptly shut down due to mysterious deaths. The Conner family moved from the city, to create a space for children in need. They're on a deadline and the construction in the camp is stirring up the spirits of the grounds and woods. Between the deaths within the camp, Josh Conner's inability to accept the paranormal, and an old Indigenous legend of the Trailwalker, there is no shortage of possibilities. One thing remains the same though, t hese spirits are mainly targeting the Conner kids. Ellie and the team have to dig into this campground's rich history and determine what or who is threatening the family. Or else they may be forced to give u...

The Hidden Letters by Lorna Cook

"It's people like your brother and me, being handed a weapon and told to kill someone we don't even know, who we'd probably get along with in everyday life. And all because someone in a gilded throne or behind a big desk decides that's what we have to do." On the brink of World War One, a forbidden romance is blooming between debutante Cordelia and the landscape architect Issac. Cordelia finds herself intrigued with learning how to cultivate the garden in preparation for when the men are called away to war. Issac, of course, teaches her in private and their forbidden love story began. Cordelia's parents find out and her mother is absolutely horrified to find her daughter digging in dirt, but reluctantly agree to let her continue her work. Even going as far as coming up with the idea to expand their garden to aid the estate and surrounding areas. Issac continues to teach her through letters when he is on the battlefield, but their correspond...

Bethany's Book Nook

Search This Blog