Ratings8
Average rating4.8
So well done. Her performance on the audio was intimate and compelling. I bet these pieces are mesmerizing in person.
This beautiful collection is steeped in history, tradition, and the heartfelt emotions of generations of Black women. Jasmine Mans has woven together a tapestry of memories, regrets, joy, hopes, and prayers that is nothing short of phenomenal.
In her work, she bravely tackles challenging topics such as homophobia experienced both personally and from strangers. She delves into the harsh reality of rape culture and shares her journey as a survivor with grace and resilience. Her words are beautifully crafted; they lure you in with their lyrical flow while discussing serious issues in a manner that is both jarring yet soothing.
Despite the title's focus on black girls, Mans also thoughtfully examines issues related to being a black boy and being trans. She doesn't shy away from exploring police brutality either.
I had the pleasure of experiencing this collection through an audiobook narrated by the author herself. The emotion she poured into her performance was palpable and deeply moving. This is a collection that truly tugs at your heartstrings.
read for the tarot readathon 2023: the hierophant
this literally talks about so many things black women face and how that compares to other women of different races and also black men. this was so beautifully told and it felt so good to feel understood but it wasn't afraid to be harsh either. 11/10 recommedn for everybody whether you are a black woman or not
Overall would definitely recommend.
As it is a poetry collection, I enjoyed certain poems more than others. For some poems, being a Black Brit, I felt I was missing out on some cultural Americanisms. Would be great as a buddy read/group read.
Heartfelt and lyrical. Some of the single sentence pages felt like I would have loved them fleshed out more, but that's only because Mans' writing is so beautiful that I wanted to see what she could make of those ideas. Beautiful writing on being queer and black.