2.5 Stars (I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

DNF
I have liked the author's collections previously but I struggled to get through her writing this time. It is very dark and chaotic, the title feels very accurate to theme of the book. My mental headspace just isn't wanting to read this type of poetry at the moment.

“All I ask is that you take me seriously” that single line in one poem is what gutted me. This book is a book of poetry of a woman dealing with her diagnosis and living with an autoimmune disorder. So moving and poignant. Heartbreaking.

This was a solid collection of poetry that centered around the author's experience with Lupus. It was a very powerful collection that was insightful in terms of living with a long-term disability as well as experiences within the medical system. I would recommend this collection if you enjoy poetry, and are interested in the experience of living with Lupus. I will say, the collection seemed a little long and repetitive, which is why I am giving it 3 stars.

Whirl Away Girl
by Tricia Johnson
Atmosphere Press
Health, Mind & Body | Poetry
Pub Date 10 Mar 2021


I am reviewing a copy of Whirl Away Girl through Atmosphere Press and Netgalley:



In a powerful collection of poetry Tricia Johnson deals with the diagnosis of her autoimmune condition, and then she attempts to answer the question: How are you?



In this book she talks about her diagnosis of Lupus, the pain, the uncertainty as she tries to figure out the new life she has been handed. She can’t help but wonder where it leads . How do you even feel? Sometimes the pathway ahead is murky, seemingly impossible to pass through. Life throws you a twist you didn't see, know or desire.




In this collection of poetry the author attempts to ask the question In the midst of adversity, how do you cope? How do you process? How do you move forward?



In this poetic journey of intimate details through the ache of life's unraveling, from the maddening free fall of diagnosis, to emerging and seeing the beautiful possibilities of living with chronic illness.



I give Whirl Away Girl, five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

This was powerful, raw, and real. I felt like I could hear her speaking the words as I read them. I often struggle with what kind of poetry is "right" for me personally, because I don't always connect with the "classic" styles, but I often feel that the modern poetry I read does not have quite the magical use of words that classic poetry does. While I didn't necessarily feel the "magic" in these words, I certainly did feel the experience she was going through, via her words. I think that's another purpose of poetry, to be able to feel/see/hear/experience what the poet is talking about. So for that reason I think this was excellent.

Whirl Away Girl is a collection of poetry written about the author’s battle with Lupus. Having a chronic illness myself, I thought I’d enjoy this and maybe resonate with the work. 

There were some decent pieces in here, but some I didn’t quite get. They seemed random, rushed and more like bullet lists rather than poetry. I struggled to make sense of some of them and they felt very random. Perhaps I just missed the point, however, this book unfortunately wasn’t for me.