Amazon Summary
In Steel Slides and Yellow Walls, Alicia Swain navigates the labyrinthine journey women undergo to form their identities. Through a feminist lens and distinctive voice, her collection veraciously portrays the trials that forge women into sagacious, resilient adults. From contemplation of how to balance mental health despite knowing what tribulations are sure to come, to the title poem’s exploration of how traumatic memories can continue to haunt in the most unexpected situations, Swain offers a look at the diverse experiences that mold women into the tenacious beings they are.
My Thoughts About Steel Slides And Yellow Walls by Alicia Swain
Before I start this review, I just want to disclose that I was sent an advanced reader copy (ARC) of this book to read and the author mentioned that I could share my review if I wished to. And I did because I think it definitely deserves a review.
Wow. Just wow. Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think I’ve ever started a review with the word “wow.” However, I had to for this one because the poems in this collection blew me away. I don’t even know if I can write a review that does justice to Alicia Swain’s incredible book.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m not great with reviewing poetry or poetry collections so I’ll just share how reading this book made me feel and the poems that particularly stood out to me.
Have you ever read a poetry collection that echoes your thoughts so well that you begin to think it may just be written for you? And then you have that warm feeling that you’re not alone in feeling those emotions. That someone else feels them too and is able to encapsulate those feelings perfectly with their words. That’s how I felt reading Steel Slides And Yellow Walls.
Poems That Stood Out To Me
As I mentioned, I wanted to talk about some poems that really stood out to me and that I felt really connected with. The first is Crashing Waves. When I first read this, it hit me like a kick to the stomach. My depression has been pretty bad for the last few weeks and I think this short but accurate poems captures exactly what it feels like to be dealing with a depressive episode.
The next poem that stood out to me was Trying To Find Peace Of Mind. I found this to be one of the more hopeful and uplifting poems in the book. The reason I liked it so much was because when you’ve been through so many struggles it’s hard to remember that things will eventually get better and a reminder is always nice. Even though she’s talking about it from her own experiences in this poem, I felt like I needed to hear it too. Also, a good reminder that no one can do the work for you other than yourself.
Lastly, Welcome Signs was amongst my favourites because it was a much needed reminder about the importance of boundaries.
I have more poems that I really wanted to discuss but I think I’ll give away too much if I share them all. And I know people don’t always love longer posts. However, just know that pretty much every one of the poems in the book are worth discussing individually.
Overall
Overall, I absolutely loved Steel Slides And Yellow Walls by Alicia Swain. It’s one of the best poetry collections I’ve read. It’s intense, personal, raw, beautiful, relatable and so much more. It is everything one expects from a poetry collection. If you enjoy poetry, than this is the book for you. However, many of the poems have darker themes and if you’re sensitive to that sort of material this collection may not be for you. BUT, if not than I would highly recommend the book.
Although the book is not out yet, you can preorder it using the link below. The book will officially be released in August but I would recommend not waiting till then and placing your order asap.
You can preorder Steel Slides And Yellow Walls by Alicia Swain on Amazon.
You can also find her website here. Learn more about Alicia Swain here.
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