BOOK REVIEW | TEACHING MY MOTHER HOW TO GIVE BIRTH BY WARSAN SHIRE

Title: Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth
Author: Warsan Shire
Published: 2011
Language: English
Pages: 37
Rating: 4/5

'Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth' is a poetry collection by Kenyan-born Warsan Shire.

I am really interested in reading more poetry and this was high on my list of poetry I wanted to read. This did not disappoint at all. The poetry was powerful, gripping and beautiful. Some of the poetry I liked more than others, but most I loved.

One of my favorite parts was:

"You are her mother.

Why did you not warn her,

hold her like a rotting boat

and tell her that men will not love her

if she is covered in continents,

if her teeth are small colonies,

if her stomach is an island

if her thighs are borders?

What man wants to lie down

and watch the world burn

in his bedroom?

Your daughter ’s face is a small riot,

her hands are a civil war,

a refugee camp behind each ear,

a body littered with ugly things.

But God,

doesn’t she wear

the world well?"

BOOK REVIEW | SHATTER ME BY TAHEREH MAFI

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
First published: 2011
Language: English
Pages: 338
Rating: 4/5

"Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color."

This book was always so hyped on BookTube but it never really got my interest, but it was this months bookclub pick so I decided to pick it up anyway. To my surprise I actually really liked it! 

I found the story at first, very very interesting. The concept of a girl being locked away, away from every human contact because touching can kill, was something I never heard of before. I really liked Juliette as a character as well as Adam (book crush nr. 2). But, I found Warner so super annoying. I don't understand why everybody he is so obsessed with him (yet?). I guess that I will might find that out in the second or third book.

I'm not really sure about the writing style just yet. Tahereh made Juliette say words multiple times, and she also couldn't stop mentioning the colour of Adam and Warren's eyes. It being such a quick read, I couldn't really be bothered with the sometimes repeating descriptive writing style. 

I am indeed very curious about the next read and am hoping to pick the final two books up before the end of this year!