Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth (Mouthmark)

The writing is beautiful, love how this author can tell such heartbreaking stories in just a few words. I loved it.

I stumbled up on Warsan Shire and her poetry a few years ago on Twitter. I was a fan of her tweets prior to reading any of her poetry. A line or two of one of Warsan Shire's poems was tweeted into my timeline last night and on a whim I decided to download Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth. These poems are still speaking to me and I'm listening.Warsan Shire has one of those poetic voices that stir instead of soothe. These poems will linger and hover around you and in your subconscious for days, weeks, and years to come. There are some lines that kick and punch others that pinch. These are poems that inspire and empower.These are a few lines from some of my favorite poems from this collection:Bone "What is she hungry for?"Beauty "Anything that leaves her mouth sounds like sex. Our mother has banned her from saying God's name."Ugly "...her hands are a civil war, a refugee camp behind each ear,..."My absolute favorite was the last and shortest of the collection, "In Love and In War." I read these poems in one sitting. I plan on reading them over and over and over again.

The title is tantalizing and you open the pages because you want to discover what she means. And what you find is Warsan is unafraid. At least in the way that when you begin to delve in to the words of her poetry, you start to see her nakedness, vulnerability. She seems unafraid to be plain, unafraid to be esoteric, unafraid to relate.It may be obvious that some of the pieces do not seem to have been churned and refined over time; but each piece seems to form a chain to create this formidable tapestry.Because of its apparent sincerity in the writer’s intention to share her thoughts, Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth may well be a book of instruction. On self scrutiny and unconditional self acceptance.

I read this after a breakup and reflecting on my childhood. Yes this poetry is rather dark so only read it if you're "in the mood". Especially good for people who have been through some unfortunate circumstances. Beautifully written and I love this poet. You can really get into her head and it feels like you're talking to her directly. AmazingMy only complaint is my favorite poem by her was not included in this book!!!! Why is it not in there?! I bought this book because I love this poem by her. This is why I took off a star. It's called 34 Excuses for Why We Failed at Love:[...]

I keep reading this over and over.I wish I could get my hands on ALL the things Warsan Shire has ever written and hold them close to me and never let them go.This was a great start for me.I've never before gotten anything poetry-related.I always just go for the customary fiction or YA or UF or PR but wow!If I had known about this author sooner I'd probably have more of her work by now.As it is. I love the journey she takes us through from dark to light.I loved the writing style but most of all I love how it reached inside me, grabbed on to my heart and never let go.This was amazing.

There are very few poems in this book, but each one is a beautiful and tragic piece to- what I assume is- the author's life's story. I highly recommend this if you're looking for dark, abstract poetry.

I've loved this book since I first picked it up in 2018 on the day of my graduation. I felt every word and some of the poetry made me cry, specifically "Ugly" as well as the intro to the book " I have my mother mouth and my father's eyes, on face they're still together." I love her poetry so much I ordered this copy for my little sister.

One of the most prolific writers of our time. Warsan Shire writes with a refined approach and a wide array of emotive access. Her words are raw, harmonious and hauntingly beautiful. This book serves as the reality of not only many Somali women but women alike. With tribute to pain, trauma, memory, kinship, journey, Warsan makes room for readers to lose themselves in a provocative world. In her poems, storytelling takes place in an extraordinary and gripping way. No matter the length of this collection its pages will sustain you, its power will feed you, its words will charge you. Warsan is a timeless and enduring​ poet, a force this generation needs.

Het was een cadeau, dus fijn dat het op tijd was.

As well as being beautiful poems, they are readable by anyone, as they are expressed in narrative form. Loved it!

Not a lot of pages like nowadays authors do,just filling the pages to make book more presentable,nice quality content.must read

The copy is a bit smaller than I expected but the content doesn't disappoint.Warsan displays such an accessible writing that deeply accesses the female perspective... especially those that are women of color and immigrants.A nice option for who wants to get in touch with contemporary poets.. whose voice is unique, sentimental and political at the same time.

Warsan opens your eyes to one's own hidden truth. Which makes it easy to resonate with her stories. I will definitely read again and again