And what they think is rebellion is, in truth, survival. Because if you stay silent one second longer, the anger surging through your blood will engulf you in flames.

I was immediately intrigued when I heard of Ink Knows No Borders. It's a collection of own-voice poetry by immigrants and children of immigrants, tackling their experiences, their family's experiences, diaspora, and more.

I'll never stop stealing back what's mine.
I promise: I won't forget again.

There are so many absolute gems in this collection, and if you enjoy poetry as a whole, I definitely recommend picking up a copy—especially if you enjoy reading about immigration experiences, whether you're looking to see yourself reflected in what you read, or looking for a window into a life you'll never know firsthand but want to empathize with better. I feel like there are things in this collection that I never considered being such massive obstacles, and it was beyond heart-breaking at times.

I am watching the road unravel
behind us like a ribbon of dust.

If I were to pick favorites, I think they would be 'Frank's Nursery and Crafts' by Bao Phi, 'Mama' by Emtithal Mahmoud, and 'Ethnic Studies' by Terisa Siagatonu, but these are frankly just scratching the surface. That said, there are definitely a handful of poems included that I didn't enjoy (and didn't understand how they were relevant to the topic?), which is the only reason I'm giving this 4 stars rather than 5.

All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to 7 Stories Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!