alltheradreads's Reviews (1.9k)

I loved this one. It’s such a timely and powerful story of family, what we will do for freedom and security and love, the immigrant experience, what it means to be human when our circumstances are beyond our control… it’s beautifully written and compelling and just GOOD. Some of the present day chapters didn’t quite connect for me though, and I wished it focused primarily on the mother/daughter relationship instead of the daughter and the woman she’s a caregiver for, but overall, I really liked this one.

Okay, this one was much better (in my opinion) than Milk and Honey. It felt a little deeper, more hopeful, and the themes were a bit lighter and not as intense (although I would still give a trigger warning for rape and sexual abuse references). I really loved the long form poems in this collection— moving and beautiful. Glad I gave both collections a read today! Still not my preferred style of poetry, but powerful and worth reading nonetheless.

It was through IF:gathering (i think) that i came to hear about Amena, and when i heard such good things about this book, i knew i had to grab it. It’s fun, real, laced with music references and killer recommendations, and honest. It feels like hanging out with a good girlfriend, and i loved the way the essays flowed together grouped into their themes. And even though I’m not married nor close to it, i loved her thoughts on marriage!

This story is charming and serendipitous and fun and engaging— I flew through it this evening and loved it. It’s the exact kind of love story I adore reading, and one I definitely could picture as a movie! Loved the focus on the Indian-American culture and the concept of arranged marriages, while also weaving in the storyline of girls in tech and college life and friendships... this one was just a delightful read!

I gotta be honest... I didn’t love this collection of poetry. It felt overly simplistic and young to me mostly. There were some deep (and at times hard to read) themes, but I just tend to prefer more complex and nuanced poetry. Didn’t hate it, loved a few, but not my style as a whole. Also, trigger warning for rape and sexual abuse.

I had picked up this little book of poetry at Parnassus in Nashville this summer and forgotten about it, but I’m SO glad I read it now. This book addresses race, cultural tension, relationships, and politics in a way that is moving and so beautiful. I flagged several of these poems to return to again, because the language is rich and I so loved soaking up the snippets of stories told here so powerfully.

I loved every word of this book. It’s been a while since I’ve truly wanted to savor a book and not just fly through it, but this one was one to read slowly and soak up. It was absolutely the book I needed to read in this season, and I’m so grateful for Jo's heart and wisdom and love in this book. The way she wrote the letters that opened each chapter, the way she brought stories from Scripture to life in fresh ways, the way she shared her own story... all beautiful and deeply meaningful to me. All the love for this one.