Home Is Not a Country

I listened to this (thanks for the ALC, LibroFM!) narrated by Elhillo herself, and she performs it so becautifully, but it's one that I'll likely read physically as well to see how the poems play out on the page. I talked to a class about this as I was mid-way through, and they were all really interested in the premise. Nima, a Sudanese-American girl, doesn't feel like she fits in anywhere/into anything and thinks she is the problem, that if she was born as a twin/sister that doesen't exist, Yasmeen, everything would be better, SHE would be better. Through some magical realism, she is able to see the possiblities of the other life she imagines, and how it plays out for her family. She learns some complicated lessons and sees some truths about her family and herself. I just got the Breakbeak poetry series for the library, and Elhillo is featured, so I'll certianly be looking out for more of her writng beyond this. An important story and an inecredibly well done book debut.