Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire
A Review By: AT
What elevates Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth, what gives the poems their disturbing brilliance, is Warsan Shire's ability to give simple, beautiful eloquence to the veiled world where sensuality lives in the dominant narrative of Islam, reclaiming the more nuanced truths of earlier times - as in Tayeb Salih's work - and translating to the realm of lyric the work of the likes of Nawal El Saadawi. As Rumi said, "Love will find its way through all languages on its own"; in Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth, Warsan's début, we witness the unearthing of a poet who finds her way through all preconceptions to strike the heart directly.
Review Notes:
Audio Book Publication Year: 2017
An installment in a Series? No
Narrator (s): Warsan Shire
I’m not sure how to put the experience of listening to this short collection of poetry into words. Powerful, evocative, heartbreaking, inspiring, and transformative all come to mind off-hand, but none seem to truly capture the brilliance of this work. Shire is a dazzling and ingenious wordsmith and a gift to the world. Her narration of her own work is haunting. I look forward to delving into more of her poetry.
Reading Recommendation? Yes!
Rating: NORTH STAR RATING
Content Warnings? Human or animal loss, Physical abuse/violence, Sexual abuse/violence
