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Title details for Plantains and Our Becoming by Melania Luisa Marte - Available

Plantains and Our Becoming

Poems

by Melania Luisa Marte
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
A rousing, beautifully observed, and tender-hearted debut poetry collection about identity, culture, home, and belonging—for fans of Jasmine Mans and Fatimah Asghar
 
“We, children of plátanos, always gotta learn to play in everyone else’s backyard and somehow feel at home.”
 
Poet and musician Melania Luisa Marte opens PLAINTAINS AND OUR BECOMING by pointing out that  Afro-Latina is not a word recognized by the dictionary. But the dictionary is far from a record of the truth. What does it mean, then, to tend to your own words and your own record—to build upon the legacies of your ancestors?
 
In this imaginative, blistering poetry collection, Marte looks at the identities and histories of the Dominican Republic and Haiti to celebrate and center the Black diasporic experience. Through the exploration of themes like self-love, nationalism, displacement, generational trauma, and ancestral knowledge, this collection uproots stereotypes while creating a new joyous vision for Black identity and personhood.
 
Moving from New York to Texas to the Dominican Republic and to Haiti, this collection looks at the legacies of colonialism and racism but never shies away from highlighting the beauty—and joy—that comes from celebrating who you are and where you come from. PLANTAINS AND OUR BECOMING is “a full-throated war cry; both a request for anointment and the responding bendición” (Elizabeth Acevedo).

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    August 22, 2023

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780593471357

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780593471357
      • File size: 3476 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      August 25, 2023

      Marte's debut collection is a powerful tribute to Black Latina life in the United States, detailing all the grief and joy that encompasses. The collection includes deeply personal tributes and stories about Marte's family while expanding to broader cultural perspectives; the second section, titled "A History of Plantains," begins with a poem that outlines the history of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Of the Dominican Republic, the poet observers: "Many of its descendants have been displaced by a crooked history. One/ that told us we were once slaves instead of enslaved. One that told us we/ were products of strife instead of greed." Throughout, an amazing sense of pride and confidence radiates off the pages: "Loud like opulence is her last name," proclaims one poem; "I learned confidence from Mami./ I learned to take up space and mean it." Odes to Toni Morrison, Cardi B, Meghan Thee Stallion and Tina Knowles, among others, enhance the theme of Black excellence. VERDICT Deeply moving and personal while also celebrating Black Latina history and informing readers urgently needing to be educated, Marte's book is a wonderful addition to any collection.--Sarah Michaelis

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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