There are few things that I love more than talking about books, and for that reason I could not be more excited to link up with Rachel and Kristin for #Collaboreads. This month, the theme was a book that you can finish in one day, and I decided on Blues Triumphant, a collection of poetry by Jonterri Gadson. (And yes! A poetry collection counts as a book ;) ).

Goodreads Description: "The poems in Blues Triumphant ask the question, "What am I most afraid to say?" and then these poems say it. Blues Triumphant is about triumph in spite of motherhood's demands, in spite of family dysfunction, in spite of depression and anxiety, in spite of heartbreak, in spite of racism and identity crises, in spite of it all, seeking, finding, and celebrating the spaces where one feels most alive."

Riveting: What part of the book could you NOT get enough of?

One of the most beautiful elements of this collection is the insistence that identity is something that we forge over time and is eventually an amalgamation not only of our experiences, but of the things we nurture, treasure, care for, fight for, and love. The speaker of these poems travels from girlhood to adulthood, and uses language to carve out a space of courage for herself in the face of heartbreak, loss, and growth. Motifs, images, and even lines repeat and echo throughout the book, emphasizing how seasons of life bleed into one another, but also creating the opportunity to imagine new possibilities and rewrite the meaning of our past as it relates to who we are now.

One of my favorite poems from the collection is Consummation:

Everything parents us:

looming shade trees

with people names,

each granule of sand

with its own heartbeat

lives to give the sensation

of kiss. We are the light

all green grows toward.

everything touched

touches back.

Elements: How did you relate to/care for the characters? What’s your thought on the plot line and twists and turns?

This is a poetry collection, and so the extent to which a reader interacts with “characters” is going to take a different shape than in a novel. Similarly, while this collection certainly traces the coming of age process, it does so in a way that is unique to the medium of poetry and largely different from a work of fiction. Admittedly, I did not identify much with the speaker of the poems. Despite that, there were moments of illumination and insight that sparked recognition in me. Gadson’s voice has power, and as I watch the speaker grow from a young girl developing a sense of her own difference at a Christian summercamp to an adult meditating on the meaning of family, loss, life, and womanhood, I came to care about the poet’s narrative arc.

Associate: What other books are like this one? If none, did it remind you of a particular TV or movie with it’s themes and characters? Does it serendipitously line-up with things going on in your life or the news right now?

As an examination of girlhood, growth, love, sex, family, and race, it reminded me a great deal of Zadie Smith’s Swing Time. The presence of these themes, as well as the organization of the poems into a clear narrative arc also remind me of Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey.

Design: You know you judged this book by the cover. What did you think of it? How did it relate to the contents of the novel?

Let me tell you, the cover is exquisite. The photograph that I took of it does not do it justice. In real life it almost looks like an oil painting, and is easily one of the most beautiful book covers that I have ever seen.

Stars : How many out of five do you give this book? Would you recommend this book to a friend?

I would give this collection 4/5 stars. It’s not my most beloved collection of poetry, but it is praiseworthy, nonetheless. As for whether or not I would recommend it to a friend would depend a great deal on whether that friend appreciates poetry, and what their taste and interest is.