Somebody Give This Heart a Pen Paperback – October 3, 2019

I have a new favorite author. This girl is amazing. The rawness is through the roof, with lots of femininity and style. She's a true natural. I truly enjoyed reading this, and I thank her for writing that for us.

I’m not usually one for poetry so I don’t have the proper language to really describe this book of poetry. However, what I can say is it powerful and beautifully written. I can hear the cadence of the little slam poetry I am familiar with and loved it. I only wish I could have listened to this because I feel it would have made it even more incredible.

I received an ARC of this book for free from the publisher (Candlewick Press) in exchange for an honest review.This book of poetry was written by a performance poet and it shows!I’ve never read a collection by a performance poet before, so it took a little getting used to at first. But once I got the hang of it, I loved it! Just reading the poems on paper doesn’t do it justice. I actually ended up watching some of her performances on YouTube, including a few of the poems from this book. She really is a talent!I had a lot of favorites, especially from the Break section. My favorites were:-Excerpt from a Letter to My Little Black Girl (pg 12)-the leaders won’t (pg 23)-Fearmongering (pg 25)-Risky Nostalgia (pg 41)-How We Got Here, Part 20 (pg 49)-Whipped on You (pg 54)-Trust Issues (pg 58)-Slow Sky, Move On By (pg 63)-Scary Everyone (pg 64)-Fidgeting (pg 66)-Let Hurt (pg 68)-from God (pg 81)-When to Write (pg 98)I loved how authentic her poems felt. I could feel her emotions and experiences very vividly. I liked that some of the poems touched upon being black in the UK. In “the leaders won’t,” she name checks Black British people (Damilola, Stephen Lawrences, and Mark Duggan specifically) who were all killed in racially motivated attacks. #BlackLivesMatter everywhere. Being an American I had not heard of these deaths before so I’m so glad she said their names.Overall, this was a phenomenal collection and I look forward to seeing what else Sophia Thakur puts out.

Poetry collections are always hit or miss with me, especially with more recently published ones. But this one, Somebody Give This Heart a Pen, was definitely a hit. You could feel the emotions behind each and every poem. They weren’t just pretty words written in incomplete sentences on a page—compared to some other poetry collections I’ve read. It contains poems about race, family, mental health, growing up, and discovering one’s self. I’ve marked and highlighted this collection so much. Many poems that I just really loved.A few of my favorites include:Excerpt from a Letter to My Little Black Girl; page 12Fearmongering; page 25Grandma, If You Can Hear; page 29Foreverlove?; page 39Risky Nostalgia; page 41When the Strong Friend Cries; page 44DIY Romance; page 86

I originally took this collection out from my local library. After reading just the first few poems and skimming through the rest I immediately ordered it from Amazon and returned it to the library. I just had to OWN this collection of raw lyrics.I don’t know how to review a book because for each person and author is personal, like a song. But I can say that I knew I would want to take my time with this book and know that it was on my shelf whenever I wanted to step into her world again.ps: I’m 42 so either I’m just a big teen or perhaps this book is for all ages!

I am a YA librarian and bought this for my collection due to the title and the reviews. When it arrived and I was reviewing it, I honestly had a hard time putting it down. The lines are simple, profound and moving. So many think they have to know intense vocabulary to write good poetry- but this book shows you can get to the heart of something clearly without being pretentious. Loved it! I have to read one or two and just dwell there for a bit to let it sink in.I will definitely be recommending patrons read this and watch her YouTube performances as well.

Was a beautiful quick read. Body positive and world positive. Really eye opening to what is currently going on in the world and what we can perhaps do differently to chance the way those we think of ourselves. Highly encourage. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I like poetry, but don't often read a full book of poems. However, after hearing Sophia Thakur perform at an ALA online event, I was drawn to her words and her story. Here is the challenge for me in reviewing this book. The poems really do beg to be spoken aloud, and having heard Thakur perform several poems, I could read them in her voice. But, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the book as much without having first heard them. So, my advice to readers: get the book but also seek out videos of Thakur performing. Recommended for teen readers who will appreciate the intensity of her emotional reactions to life.

Sophia Thakur was one of my first introductions to Spoken Word Poetry. I had been obsessed with written for many years but after seeing one of her videos quite a few years ago now, I discovered the allure and endless creativity that comes with the style._____"Give This Heart A Pen" is her first foray into a full collection of written poetry and brings all the slick, stunning and punchy poetry of her spoken pieces. Her ability to vocalise with rhythm and eloquence translates perfectly onto the page and you can tell just how natural Thakur's craft has become.______Her years as a fantastic performer, and arguably a pioneer of a new generational style, have afforded her an undeniable distinctiveness to her voice and tone. The book takes aim at race relations, female empowerment and equality, love and heartbreak and should be used as a reference point for many a current discussion.______"Give This Heart A Pen" is more than worth the read and to have on the shelf as a dictionary of pain, passion, fervent faith and motivation 🙏👏Can't wait to hear and read more from Sophia ❤️

Give this book a chance! Her voice is young and fresh; it dips into both the past and the future in the same breath and is the best kind of easily digestible poetry. She makes you reflect while simultaneously giving you hope; hope that the understanding and representation you craved as a young woman of colour is finally starting to permeate our youth. Helps you settle into your brown skin and feminine power. I'll give this book, and books like this, to my daughter if I ever have one. It gets a permanent place on the shelf.

Loved this book so much, originally bought as a gift and ended up reading the whole book before gifting it.Great selection of short poems, definitely recommend for everyone not just poem lovers!

Love it, it’s such a special book

I am amazed at the talent of Sophia Thakur. Her writing is so inspiring especially to the younger generation. It is intelligent and current to modern issues today.