Something a little different in this week's book review.
Poetry.
I had this one student for the past few years. (She graduated this spring.) After the holiday break, she told me what she had asked for for a Christmas gift - poetry books.
My teacher heart swelled and exploded.
Then she told me she had gotten two books, and read them, and loved them, and wanted to know if I would like to borrow them. Of course, I said yes.
I am just going to interrupt myself here for a minute. Do you know how insanely cool this experience is? When students recommend books to me, or when they lend me books... well, it just might be one of my favourite things. I have had a few students lend me books, and every time, that look that they have when they hand over a book that they loved enough to talk to a teacher about it... that hesitation in their eyes.
Great teacher moments.
Anyway, this girl lent me her two new poetry books, and this was one of them. Clementine von Radics' A Mouthful of Forevers.
Well, how can I not like a book of poetry lent me by a student? I mean, come on!
But there's a caveat to this.
As a writer, I have become increasingly aware of the importance of knowing your audience. My realistic fiction novel is not going to be enjoyed by someone who likes gritty crime short stories, or someone who only reads fantasy epics.
Here's the thing: I am not the audience for this book. But, ten, fifteen, even twenty years ago, I was.
Immediately after finishing the book, I set it down and wrote the following review on goodreads:
Most of the poems were fine, a few were good, a few moved me greatly. I think more would speak to me were I younger, but regardless I like the voice and sincerity here. this book was lent to me by a student who loved it, and so I loved it for that reason alone.
I stand by that review. Poetry needs to be appreciated, and I can do that with this book. The poems are raw, and beautiful. But to be truly impactful, especially for poems like this, it also needs to somehow be deeply personal. These poems were simply too young for me.
This means that the book was not a good fit for me. It does not mean that it was not a good book.
Indeed, if you look at the goodreads reviews, it is rated very high. So many young people - young women in particular - write about the profound impact the words have had on their lives.
The author first became popular on tumblr, apparently, and her poems have inspired wedding vows, artwork, tattoos, and so on, according to the book's goodreads page. So, clearly, the poems have spoken to a lot of people.
She writes a lot about love, about loneliness, about identity. I would buy this book of poetry for my sister, who is twenty-one, or recommend it to my students, who are seventeen and eighteen. Some of the poems in particular, about strength and power, were effective.
I like this one, for example:
There will always be those who say you are too young and delicate to make anything happen for yourself. They don't see the part of you that smolders. Don't let their doubting drown out the sound of your own heartbeat. You are the first drop of rain in a hurricane. Your bravery builds beyond you. You are needed by all the little girls still living in secret, writing oceans made of monsters, and throwing like lightning. You don't need to grow up to find greatness. You are so much stronger than the world has ever believed you could be. The world is waiting for you to set it on fire. Trust in yourself and burn. ― Clementine von Radics, Mouthful of Forevers
Like so many other books, this is a good one; just not for me.
Are there books that you have read that you know are good for some people, but not for you? I want to explore this topic a bit more; any information or ideas that you could offer would be greatly appreciated!
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