4 stars
A fantastic collection of hard-hitting poems from a variety of poets. I really enjoyed the premise of this anthology. The poems address various social justice issues and each pairs their work with a specific organization related to that issue. The book not only brings up important issues but also provides concrete ways to help address them. A great example of the impact poetry can have in consciousness raising and real-world change.
There were many powerful poems within these pages. Discussing issues of race, war, cancer, gender, mental health, body image, and so much more, there is a lot packed into these pages. My personal favorite was “The Newer Colossus” by Karen Finneyfrock.
My only critique of the book itself was that there were quite a few formatting issues and typos that made it into the final version. These do not take away from the messages of the poems, but does make the reading experience slightly awkward.
On the whole, a fantastic read. I’ve added quite a few books to my TBR from the poets featured in this collection.