Sabarna Roy Materializes a Roller-coaster of Limitless Melancholic Illusions Using the Classical Tracks in a Hauntingly Creative Manner

 

Sabarna Roy Materializes a Roller-coaster of Limitless Melancholic Illusions Using the Classical Tracks in a Hauntingly Creative Manner

Book Review by Dhiraj Sindhi

Winter Poems by Sabarna Roy

Winter Poems by Sabarna Roy

Author: Sabarna Roy

ISBN: 978-9382473718

Genre: Poetry

Length: 60 Pages

Publication Date: 16^th July 2013

Publisher: Leadstart Publishing Private Limited

Book Editor: Surojit Mohan Gupta | LinkedIn: @surojit-mohan-gupta

Cover Background Painting: A Wet Afternoon in Kolkata by Arup Lodh

Painter: Instagram: @a.r.u.p.l.o.d.h

Order your copy right now: https://amzn.to/3xzOWPm

About the author:

Sabarna Roy (46) is a qualified Civil Engineer from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. He works in a senior management position in a manufacturing and engineering construction company. He is widely travelled in India and lives in Kolkata with his family. He is an avid reader and a movie buff. He started writing during his university days, mostly English and Bengali poems. He stopped writing after he left university and took up employment. After a gap of 19 years, he started writing once again mostly to reconnect with himself. In the period of 19 years when he did not write, he spent his non-working hours reading, listening to music and watching world cinema. He loves reading Tolstoy, Chekhov, Rabindranath, Eliot, Manik Bandopadhyay Satyajit Ray, Kundera and Pamuk the most. He is hooked onto Mozart, Turkish and Egyptian music and M S Subbalaxmi. In cinema, his favourites are Aparajita, Pratidwandi, Rashomon, Eight and a Half, Breathless, Head-on, The Birds, The Godfather series, Vertigo, Sunset Boulevard, Sacrifice, Garam Hawa and Taare Zameen Par.

Celebrated Author Sabarna Roy bags Times Excellence Award 2021

Instagram: @authorsabarna

Website: www.sabarnaroy.com

Twitter: @authorsabarna

Disclaimer: This review is only intended for initiating discussions. The opinions and views presented in this article are my own and do not reflect anything about the book's author. 

REVIEW

Winter Poems by Sabarna Roy is a collection of poetry divided into two parts, one of which comprises 12 long poems—Winter Poems 2010 and the other consists of 26 relatively shorter poems—Winter Poems 2012. As I often keep referring to Margaret Atwood’s words in my reviews, here too, I would say that once the book is out in the world, it’s the readers who decide the meaning of whatever is written. Sabarna Roy’s poetry in this collection has many layers to it. For some poems, I was able to peel off some layers of them. And for others, I wasn’t able to peel any layers of it, which, as a reader felt sort of frustrating that I couldn’t decode as in what hidden secrets or meanings I was missing on. In the following section, I have tried to convey what it felt like while reading this collection and I apologise already in case I get something wrong.

"This lake, mountain and moon are crumbling images inside a dream

Of another man - somebody else's dream - his last dream

Before he's dying drenched in a jelly of melancholy."

-From Winter Poems 2010 (no. 8, p-25)

I wouldn’t like to categorise these poems into distinct watertight compartments because the poems are spread across such a large canvas that it wouldn’t be fair to put tags on them. They each cater to many diverse and varied subjects or issues. Some of the many subjects that occur repeatedly are death, condemnation of industrialisation, impending war, love, being lost, childhood, games, loss, inequality, and the end of the world. 

For instance, the poet implicitly delivers the truth of death in a really creative way using figurative language and symbolism. ‘Shop in town…that sells your shadow’, ‘people are losing their shadows’, ‘a teenage girl hanging…in the air’ and ‘virus of light’—these are some of the usages of metaphorical and allegorical writing that add an unpleasant and poignant effect which helps depict the death. There is this amazing poem that I’d love to title ‘Love on the Road’ which powerfully defines a notion of home and what ‘home’ should be like. Which also simultaneously exudes emotions like loneliness, jealousy and challenges our decaying and cheap definitions of affection and sensuality. 

"You are the face of an ocean where I can drown endlessly

In my burning boats of thousand defeats."

-From Winter Poems 2012 (no. 1, p-35)

The one starting with ‘Glasses and utensils fell from the sky’ which is also the longest poem from the lot is my favourite too. Here, the poet uses poetic devices like hyperbole to create a dream-like world, giving it a dramatic effect and using an analogy, connecting it to the real world in a way that blurs the line between the two. The dreamy world is being inflicted with havoc as the narrator’s life is being destroyed. Another poem ‘Dream of a Dying Man’, is simply commendable. I am in awe of how magnificently Sabarna Roy has brought together surreal elements having nightmarish qualities.

The ‘Grassland Island’ poem challenges our notion of home again in a crooked manner. The poet uses allusion and symbolism to such an extent that it breaks its bond with reasoning; you just need to savour each line as you read while the narratives are turned and twisted at every other stanza. Moving onto the second part of relatively short poems, the poetic devices remain pretty much the same and the patterns continue. The poet has used the dreamy and illusory elements to their full potential. It feels as if the intensified emotions are being let out in a hauntingly creative and evocative manner. 

"Before I passed out and became sediment of ashes I saw a dream of billion coffins made of trees, metal and hydrocarbon fibres carrying unbundled skeletons of men, women, children and babies ballooning up in a smoke-filled sky."

-From Winter Poems 2010 (no.7, p-24)

There is gambling, there are ships, there is the writing of a book, there is the debris of a railway bridge, there are heaps of iron scrapings made out of crumbled ships and deluxe cars, there is a king travelling over the oceans on a speeding train and much more. Some of the poems followed this pattern (which I loved reading again and again) that made sense to me, while some of them did not make sense to me and felt absurd. As I mentioned earlier that once the book is out in the market, readers give it the meaning and here I just couldn’t do that. One thing that bothered me was that the poet chose vast canvases to paint his poetry that covered widely separated elements, which resulted in a disconnect with poetry and in itself. 

Happy Reading!

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From her Birth to the Passing: The Life of Bakuli

  

From her Birth to the Passing: The Life of Bakuli

by Dhiraj Sindhi

Dedicated to those who don’t get enough time and space to grieve for their animal companions

Few words before you begin. I don't think I know and can create the art of poetry, as I do feel with other forms of writing. While grieving the loss of this little one, I had to express and let it all out. But, for better or worse, I eventually chose poetry. Feel free to comment. Would love to hear from you all readers.

The Mother-Daughter Duo

 

That was the night, her mother was meowing louder than ever

A huge sign for the little life that could not wait to see the world

As if she knew that her house was set up days before we came to know of her

That that Peti of Alphonsos and that Washing Machine were meant for her

Not us humans. She knew, being a single child, she’ll get all of it to herself

Love, care, comfort and compassion that we would die to protect her

Only if you could tell your future that you won’t be able to do so

That I need to be more vigilant and be on my toes to be able to do so

The morning rays were spreading happiness more than light

Because the Lord Ganesha had blessed the family with a child

After some twenty-two years, we were to witness the magical world around the new-born

Where your worries and thoughts would perish the moment you saw the new-born

Like mother like daughter, the same number of black stripes squeezed into her tiny stretch of skin

A glimpse was enough to lose your heart to the fresh pink glow and her smell, like a baby shampoo

For the next few days, we wouldn’t touch the baby, ravishing the view from afar

Because we need not breach the privacy of the duo, relishing intimate moments of their lives

For the coming week, the cat mother won’t budge from her tiny abode in the attic

Caressing and grooming her daughter with licks full of affection

It could be the rains that she didn’t carry her daughter anywhere else

On Anant-Chaturdashi, we were away at the gulf, getting drenched in rain

And the baby was fast-asleep against her curled up mom’s tommy

Camouflaged, you couldn’t tell where the baby rested amid the fur of her mommy

Finally, as they say, it was time to move the kitten through seven houses

In our case, she took the kitten through four different rooms and moved twice in the same room

A tiny frightful gasp would leave us stricken, whenever the mother decided to shift

The shifting would involve a lot of meowing at first and then that scary sight

The wrapping of jaws around the neck of her kitten, swinging from side to side

Walking through many doors, springing up on and down from the parapets

She once tried to carry our heart away through the shared courtyard

Enclosed from the all four sides, eventually, she had to return

Climbing up the three storey building, leaping across roofs in the dead of the night

The baby intact, clasped in her jaws, finally, got to breathe as she again put her to sleep

When in her second house, Bakuli opened her eyes that had world of its own

Whiskers and eyebrows growing faster than ever, as if to compete tigress of her mother

Her tiny little claws sharper than her mother’s, snagging out stiches already

Soon she started imitating her mother, licking her paws, as if to launch on her preys already

That’s when we started talking to her, and her foxlike ears would perk up in response

She would raise her head to look up at us, with all the attention she could muster

Her flowery black eyes staring deep into our souls, with slightly tilted head

Pure innocence flashing into your eyes, you couldn’t resist but caress with the back of your hand

Now, she dared coming out of her little abode, stumbling down every now and then

But it was not long before she began scampering up and down the rooms

We needed to be extra careful now that she could greet our legs any given time

Even while sleeping, you do not turn sides without ensuring she’s indeed inside her space

In the early morning the duo would wake us up from deep slumber

We would agree to all their demands, chasing them around the house all day

In the evening, after a much tiresome playful field day with her

We would tuck her into her mother’s furry bosom like our own daughter

There were some days difficult for them, but the duo endured them like warriors

The Gulaab cyclone struck the coast of Cambay, completely opposite in nature

It gave us and the duo some of the most life-threatening thunderclaps ever heard

Heart-stopping sound effects, as if divine energy of the Dancing Three-eyed God 

Had been released from the sky, cascading down the steps made of cloud

The mother-daughter duo sat in darkness, chin up and calm as ever

Warrior queen and the warrior princess were the reason we felt composed these days

Not realizing how incredibly blessed are those who’ve got someone to check in on every few seconds

In her fourth week, she had truly grown up, slits visible in her big blue eyes

Chewing on things and biting our toes and fingers now that canines were developing

She had now chosen for herself the favorite spots where she would spend most of her time

Jumping up and down the threshold between hall and kitchen became her most favorite activity

Second was to hide under the fridge and the washer, making the mother anxiously meow with agony

Pacing backwards and pouncing on us humans, you couldn’t tell who’s more like her mommy

Twisting her body and licking her tail, climbing was another of her ambitions

She conquered all the cartons she ever lived in, descending on the same courageous paws

Then, the fateful day arrived that had been looming over us since long

The clouds of worries that had been contained till now had broken lose

The morning greeted us with distressing sight of kitten all shriveled up 

Puking every now and then, getting thinner than before, her steps getting weaker

Seeking solitude, she would sit alone in the middle of a room, refusing to eat

Gleaming eyes, staring into void or maybe conveying how bad she felt, crying for help

Can’t even bear the memory of that sight; the following day, minutes before she was pouncing around her favorite place

And that was the noon, the daughter ceased to meow, forever; the mother in deep slumber, and us, wailing

The medicine and the dropper that she left behind had been souvenired

Did the vet know this was coming? Was it the Sunday Holiday?

Or the lack of vets? Can it be the evil eyes?

Or was it us who made this happen?

We should have been more careful, but that’s that.

The mother had been searching for her in every corner

But now, the grieving mother is back to normal, though one thing has changed since

The nameless mother has naturally acquired the name of her daughter – Bakuli.

To the eternal memory of most precious thirty days with the bravest paws to walk on earth.

17th Sept. 2021 – 18th Oct. 2021

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Will see you in the next post. Till then buh-bye. Take Care. Peace. ☮

Kala Krishnan’s Lyrical Prose in Mahasena Harmonizes the Novel’s Striking Elements, Creating an Undying Ode in the Reverence of the God of War and Victory

 

Kala Krishnan’s Lyrical Prose in Mahasena Harmonizes the Novel’s Striking Elements, Creating an Undying Ode in the Reverence of the God of War and Victory

Book Review by Dhiraj Sindhi

Mahasena: Part One of the Murugan Trilogy by Kala Krishnan

Mahasena by Kala Krishnan

Author: Kala Krishnan

ISBN: 978-9390679133

Genre: Myths, Legends & Sagas

Length: 264 Pages

Publication Date: 19^th July 2021

Publisher: Context – An Imprint of Westland Publications Private Limited

Cover Design: Saurabh Garge

Cover Designer: Website: theaoi.com/ | Instagram: @garge_saurabh

Order your copy right now: https://amzn.to/2YaUKS8

About the author:

Kala Krishnan works in Bengaluru. She is the author of two books of poetry, He Is Honey, Salt and the Most Perfect Grammar and Offer Him All Things Charred, Burned and Cindered, in which the god Murugan appears in surprising versions.

Kala Krishnan (PC: Kinshuk Rawat)

Instagram: @poetkala

Website: poetry.sangamhouse.org/

The Hindu Article: ‘I see Murugan as language’

Disclaimer: This review is only intended for initiating discussions. The opinions and views presented in this article are my own and do not reflect anything about the book's author. 

REVIEW

Not long ago that I came to know of the associations between my hometown and the young lord Kartikeya. While there is only a single prominent temple in Gujarat that is dedicated to Balamurugan, one of the Mahapuranas tells a wholly different story. According to the local legend, as mentioned in the Skanda Purana, a golden pillar was fixed at the place along with the Shivaling (Stambheshwar Mahadev, a temple in Kavi that hosts thousands of pilgrims after its redevelopment, on the full moon and the new moon of every month) on the battlefield where Tarakasur was slain by Kumara—the young God of War, to celebrate the victory. This place was then a much-revered pilgrimage region called Kumarika Kshetra where the Mahi River met with the sea, thus Mahisagara-Sangam Tirtha, also known as Gupta Kshetra, which is now represented by Khambhat—a town on the coast of Gulf of Cambay, Kavi—a town on the other side of the gulf and the neighbouring region. That is how Khambhat has received its name, after applying phonetic laws with contraction, assimilation and elimination; the Sanskrit name ‘Stambhtirth (The Pillar Shrine)’ was transformed into modern-day Gujarati name ‘Khambhat’. I’m saving the details for some other blog, now, let’s see how the poet and author, Kala Krishnan pays ‘a homage to a cherished boy-god’—as Sharanya Manivannan says—as well as to the language of the South in a unique way and probably the perfect way for the modern world era, something that is essential to preserve and uphold the cultures cascading through centuries of generational changes.
 
Mahasena by Kala Krishnan—a mythological fiction, is a synthesis of several literary and non-literary elements that are emphasized to achieve an effect, a sense of high regard and admiration for the Lord Murugan and everything he touches in his lifespan; woven together as one lyrical phenomenon that flows rhythmically like a river, gushing down from its source at higher altitudes to the plains where it’s much needed, cutting through the grounds, rocks, valleys, mountains called Skanda, Kartikeya, Guha, Mahasena, Kandhan, Murugan, Kumara and ceaselessly thrives not knowing how many lives depend upon it in myriad aspects; it is thus the exceptionally beautiful, written in rich prose, a musical story of the God of Tamizh from his birth to battlefield, from Kumara to Mahasena, and most importantly from ‘ the Kumaras’ language’ to the fully-developed rich culture of Tamil people.
 
Let me now shed light on the five major elements that are seamlessly ingrained in the text and into one another, which bursts open the floodgates for lively imagination and even wilder creativity.
 
Nature: The free-flowing nature, something that is boundless and limitless, the flora and fauna, the earth, the sky, the fourteen worlds in the universe, the rivers, the mountains, the seasons and the likes of it, all are depicted as natural it could get. It is quite responsive and sensitive that it reacts to everything the Gods do. While it is not bound by time, space or any living being, the very presence of the divine being comforts nature and it starts moving as if dancing to the rhythm of Murugan’s heartbeats. This is because, of course, Murugan treats himself as an inseparable part of it, which is evident by the breath-taking scenes where the boy-god is shown playing with snakes and where “Kandhan was mud” and the creatures—“worms, bugs, caterpillars, bees, butterflies, dragonflies—were swimming into him, passing through skin and swimming out.”
 
Music: Music and the art of writing and reciting poems, verses, and the likes is the second thing that is given utmost importance in Mahasena, the first being the language of the South, Tamizh. The music is accommodated in the storyline as well as the writing style from the very beginning before the younger brother of Ganesha was born. The music comes to Lord Murugan as naturally as Dance comes to Shambhu and Shakti to Parvathy. Murugan always has the anklets of music wrapped around his feet and gravely condemns any flaw he recognises, which he always does. The author has cleverly ensured that the two leaders on the battlefield are equal, no more, no less. The Dashagriva Ravana also plays a small part along with the opponent of Murugan—Surapadman. As these Asuras are depicted as engineers and experimenters, they also have achieved perfection in the art of music.
 
Tamizh Language: The Tamizh language is one of the most prominent aspects of the novel. This language is portrayed as the most natural language that can occur to any being; that also goes hand in hand with everything from people to objects. The grammar, the words and the phonetics of this language are such that the words or noises a child barely a year old would make on seeing a newborn and that would be in none other than Tamizh. Murugan makes the language perpetual and never-ending by teaching it to Kuru Muni Akaththi, also known as Agastya or Akattiyam, who in turn, spreads it across the land of the South with the help of grammarians, poets, bards and scholars, where it “grew surer and more adventurous, it sank roots, and like a giant tree…and on its branches perched the mighty-winged birds of poetry, grammar and music.” And thus Kartikeya gets yet another name—Tamizh Theivan means the God of Tamizh.
 
Magical Realism: It is debatable that whether to treat the fantastical elements in mythology as pure miracles or as elements of magical realism. Well, I have chosen to call it magical realism because even in the set boundary of mythology some things go beyond comprehension and reasoning. Some of the magical realism devices are communication via dreams, epiphanies, the very birth of Kartikeya, his ability to speak to the anklets as if using a similar mellifluous sound.
 
Reconstructed Myths, Legends and Sagas with Freshly-developed Characters and Unique Working Mechanism: The author Kala Krishnan has developed her own mythology world that has its own creation story and own way of functioning. I am utterly in love with how she has presented the enigmatic images of the gods and goddesses; they are depicted as human-like as they can get and at the same time, they never lose or stop radiating the god-like aura of divine energy. It is also absolutely remarkable how the author has detailed the relationships between the siblings—Ganesha and Kartikeya, Murugan and Aambal, and one that has no equal in the universe—Shiva and Parvathy, the Mother and Father of Creation, whose relationship is just as Kala Krishnan describes it—“you couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.”
 
I will be eagerly waiting for the next part in the Murugan Trilogy to uncover the secret behind ‘Mahasena’, a name given to Murugan by Indra’s daughter Devyani, also known as Devasena or as Murugan calls her, ‘Theivanai’, which is also the title of the next book.

Happy Reading!

Thank you @vivekisms for the review copy!

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Honorable Mentions 2019 | Best Non-Fiction and Poetry Books | India

Hello readers' fam! 

Honorable Mentions 2019 (Best Non-Fiction & Poetry Books) | TOP 10 Books Series

Honorable Mentions 2019 | Best Non-Fictions & Poetry | India

After the Top 10 Fiction Books, there remains a bunch that should get equal honor. These are Non-Fiction and Poetry books that I could not include with all those fictions. So here we go! These are the best books which I think one should read for sure.

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Non-Fiction

1. Dear People, with Love and Care, Your Doctors by Debraj Shome & Aparna Govil Bhasker

Dear People, with Love and Care, Your Doctors by Dr. Shome & Dr. Bhasker (Bloomsbury)

The best thing about the book is that His Holiness, the Dalai Lama has blessed the book with the foreword. He says “The treatment of an ailment doesn’t only depend on the medical expertise of a doctor; his or her warm-heartedness, care and concern for a patient is essential for the treatment to be effective.” This is an attempt by veterans and doctors with at least 30 years of experience in their respective fields to re-strengthen the doctor-patient relationship which was the pure bond, unaltered by the technological interference a few decades ago. Doctors and patients have narrated various cases which they consider created perpetual memories to remember for the entire lifetime. 

I would like to redirect you to the review of Dear People, where I have carried out a list of points about why you need to read this book.

Buy Dear People, with Love and Care, Your Doctors on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2zIrra2

2. Daughters of the Brothel by Deepak Yadav

Daughters of the Brothel by Deepak Yadav (Bigfoot Publications)

Daughters of the Brothel by Deepak Yadav is a non-fiction book that unveils the lives trapped in an inexorable web of G.B. Road. There is a total of seven chapters where each chapter represents the voice of a sex worker, however, the first chapter narrates eunuch’s story of struggle; meanwhile, the author has put open the facts and figures of subaltern communities of India while some authorities may like to remain silent about this. Deepak Yadav has done a very commendable job at research and coming up with facts and figures, inserting them whenever needed. I love him for writing this book.

I would like to redirect you to my review of Daughters of the Brothel where I have included the things you should know about prostitution in India.


Buy Daughters of the Brothel on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ZyfK1B

Poetry

1. Ivory Gleam by Dr. Priya Dolma Tamang

Ivory Gleam by Dr. Priya Dolma Tamang (Leadstart Publishing)

Ivory Gleam is accurately a deluge of poetry and prose. Talking about the basic structure of the book, it is divided into three chapters of learning, longing and loving. The best thing about Ivory Gleam is its raw and pure form. The very essence of poetry as it should be are words. As I mentioned, its rich set of words gives you the opportunity to learn and savor the art of literature. Ivory Gleam is about different states and feelings from life to death, loss and love, I can’t even count a number of topics addressed. Poetries are not easy to comprehend, just like dreams. It is as complex as the feelings it talks about. Not all of them are complex, there is balance in it. I would never stop reading them, would keep it handy and relish whenever I want. At last, I would like to thank the author, Dr. Priya Dolma Tamang for creating such a paradise of words that, creatively took over my mind and I found nothing but peace of mind.

Buy Ivory Gleam on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2WFcoXm

2. EASE: A poetic journey within by Mukhpreet Khurana

EASE by Mukhpreet Khurana (White Falcon Publishing)

EASE by Mukhpreet Khurana is actually beyond what its title suggests. The book is a collection of poetry and prose, which mainly focuses on self-love, self-healing, gratitude and more. You will be able to deal with outside effectively only if you are aware of your insides. EASE is all about that last bit. As I mentioned a few subjects above, there are many more things addressed here by the author Mukhpreet Khurana. I will talk about a few from them. Not to generalize but it is as real as you are, anxiety, hesitancies, broken heart and being introvert. These poetries will take away all your worries and show you the path to acceptance, the first step of healing. After reading this book, I assure you that, it is meant for you all, the readers, no matter what age you are. Truly it is written with love, it will pamper you, appreciate you and at times will guide you right.

Buy EASE on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2WFcoXm


Thank you guys for reading!! I hope you liked this Best Books 2019 Series on my blog. If you have read any of these books then share your views in comments. Let me know how was your 2019 reading year. See you guys soon!

FIN

If you have survived through this, please give it a chance! Holly crap. I wrote a book! (Sorry Superwoman for stealing the line.)

Buy on Amazon

(Click on above image to buy Winged Sisters)

Thank you so much for reading y'all. I hope you enjoyed and got some recommendations.

Comment below if you have read any of this and tell me your views on it.


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Book Review: Diary of a Twenty-Something: A collection of Teenage Musings by Siya

Book Review

Diary of a Twenty-Something by Siya

Diary of a Twenty-Something by Siya

Author: Siya Singhania

ISBN: 978-1646506699

Genre: Poetry

Length: 170 Pages

Publisher: NotionPress (14 August 2019)

My Ratings: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Order your copy right now: https://amzn.to/2mQHaAV

About the author: 

Siya is a fictional character whose eyes the author uses as a mirror to reflect the teenage world. It is also the pen-name of said author, Anjali Roongta. Anjali is a twenty-something student living in Pune, India, who has published another book before this. An avid reader, she loves fan-fiction and her stories are a mix of real-life experiences, stories heard from others, and those developed through her own imagination—courtesy of a lot of reading. In this book, she presents a set of poetry that Siya feels are issues and thoughts that cross the minds of teenagers and young adults.

Follow her on Instagram: @siyaa20_official

Twitter Handle: @anjali_roongta
Website: https://roongtaanjali.wordpress.com/

REVIEW

Diary of a Twenty-Something is a collection of poetry from the perspective of a teenager who is a fictional character. Poetries are narrated by this fictional character in a very simple yet poetic way. These teenage musings are kind of smooth and fluid, one would keep reciting without taking a break. What I mean by simple is, the writing style and language are very simple that you would know the meaning while reading as you go but that makes it inadequate. Besides, it serves a good trait of being not at all time-consuming.

Musings are quite relatable that reminds you of how silly you used to be in your teenage years and what you have gone through in those years, those first and bitter experiences. Subjects addressed were anxiety, validation, disorders, pain, love and a lot of questions that teenagers seek answers to. There are many topics that break stereotypes but at other hand, there are also few clichés included in this book. That is when it goes a little stupid just as teenage lives and sometimes makes offensive remarks. Which obviously not everyone would like.

These are a few of the subjects I liked reading about: depression, body shaming, growing up and dream to be at peace. At once the author Siya talks about asexuality and I really appreciate that, because its real and no one talks about it so freely.

Another thing, the author Siya made it really easy like the way she explained complicated feelings with ease, for example, falling in love. Lacked that standard but it is okay. Poetries had these contemporary and modish vibes.

Personal views

My reading experience was quite content. I would really like to recite some of the poems/poetries out loud to friends and family. My favorites from this book are, Question to the Creator and Navigating Waters and there might be more but I can remember these two right now. I think this book definitely deserves a chance, grab your copy and read it.

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Will see you in the next post. Till then buh-bye. Take Care. Peace. ☮