Somebody Give This Heart a Pen

July 15, 2020
British performance artist Thakur reflects on coming-of-age and coming into one's own. Beginning quietly, a prologue of sorts describes the process of a heart--to grow, to wait, to break, to grow again--stages echoed by the sections of the book. In "Grow," free-form poems are a deep breath in, calling for introspection, expansion, and loving recognition of self: "Pull your voice from your toes up / Let it grab and hold onto your fear / Open your mouth and drag it out." In "Wait," that breath is held, exploring the struggle for survival, the hush of uncertainty, and the painful onset of love: "Do you listen to the mind or the heart / to get the right thing done?" The exhale that comes in "Break" is the one that follows a swift fist; an overflow of exhausted stanzas and pained lines rush in relief from broken barriers of doubt and self-effacement: "Be with yourself for a moment. / Be yourself for a moment." And at last, in "Grow Again" comes a new breath, new steps forward: "When the world denies you / Find your power / And write." The torrent of Thakur's spoken word poetry storms the page to flow, feed, and flood in this thunderous debut with broad reader appeal. Thakur, who is of Indian, Sri Lankan, and Gambian descent, offers a love letter to Black and brown readers that offers, at once, the intimacy of the self exposed and the universal power of story shared. A deluge of verse to dance in. (Poetry. 14-adult)

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Starred review from August 1, 2020

Gr 9 Up-In this debut collection first published in the UK, performance poet Thakur explores identity, family, loss, relationships, vulnerability, empowerment, and self-discovery. At once intimate and universal, aching and affirming, the poems examine the cycles of breaking, healing, and growth that shape people through young adulthood and beyond. The poems vary in length from a few lines to a few pages, and they beg to be read aloud even as they invite introspection. In several poems, Thakur directly addresses the reader. Throughout the collection, she revisits themes that many young adults will find relevant and familiar, including the closeness and distance of family, the evolution of relationships, what it means to know one another, the ways in which life can both soften and sharpen people, and finding oneself in moments of stillness. In one poem, Thakur extends an invitation: "When you're not feeling your world, / come into mine." Readers will almost certainly want to, time and again. VERDICT An affecting poetry collection for all teens that deserves a spot in school and public libraries.-Lauren Strohecker, McKinley Elem. Sch., Elkins Park, PA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2020
Grades 9-12 This poetry collection, broken into five sections, mirrors generally the process of personal growth: grow, wait, break, and grow again. Woven into the collection are affirmations of Black girlhood, coping with breakups, reflecting on past hurt, and growing from old mistakes. Drawing on her own life experiences and those of her close family and friends, Thakur's poems cling very loosely to one another, not necessarily offering the collection as a coherent whole. Those familiar with slam poetry will take note of the cadence and rhythm in the poetry and its spoken quality, though others may find the rhyme schemes difficult to appreciate without also experiencing the element of performance. Undeniable, however, is the raw emotion of human experience and the exploration of what exactly it means to be in a relationship with another. It is this exploration that will resonate with teen readers who search for stanzas to narrate the intensity of their lives, and offer reprieve when it feels there is none.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

October 19, 2020
In her debut poetry collection, Thakur explores love, family, and the challenges and joys of being a Black woman in contemporary Britain. An opening poem describes the regenerative process of the heart (“the building, the breaking, the learning and recreating”), which Thakur likens to creating a book. The remaining pages explore those concepts in poems divided into four steps: grow, wait, break, and grow again. Thakur delves into the intimacies of romantic love, through the first moments of intrigue (“I’m so certain light lives behind your lips”) to the devastation of a relationship’s collapse: “I wake, flooded in a dream of you.” Though some of the poems lean on broad, familiar metaphors, Thakur embraces that connective power, welcoming readers to see themselves in the emotions her narrator expresses. The collection is most powerful in its odes to Black girlhood: “Little black girl, my heart thrives in the stride of your halo.” Offering particular nourishment for young Black women, this raw, heartfelt collection will resonate with all readers seeking a lyrical meditation on the journey to heal from heartache. Ages 14–up.