eARC gifted by Netgalley and the publisher

In this incisive collection, Mottley dissects the lives of Black girls and women via 4 sections, Girlhood, Neighborhood, Falsehood, and Womanhood. LIGHT is at once a political work emphasizing that Black girls are often forced to grow up before adulthood and a love letter to her "hood" that nurtures Black girls and their art.

While some poems flew over my head, I loved how profound the ones I could interpret were. Some highlights are a case for / against reparations, boys will be boys will be animals will be tender will be lost will be—, Elijah McClain's Last Words, Fire Season, Cellular, what do you do when you see a Black woman cry, Respect, Futurist