Poetry

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head

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  • Create Date：2022-03-08 00:51:36
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Warsan Shire
  • ISBN：1784743704
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Summary

'Warsan Shire is an extraordinarily gifted poet whose profoundly moving poems so powerfully give voice to the unspoken' Bernardine Evaristo

Poems of migration， womanhood， trauma and resilience from the award-winning Somali British poet Warsan Shire， celebrated collaborator on Beyoncé's Lemonade and Black Is King。

With her first full-length poetry collection， Warsan Shire introduces us to a girl who， in the absence of a nurturing guide， makes her own stumbling way toward womanhood。 Drawing from her own life and the lives of loved ones， as well as pop culture and news headlines， Shire finds vivid， unique details in the experiences of refugees and immigrants， mothers and daughters， Black women and teenage girls。 These are noisy lives， full of music and weeping and surahs。 These are fragrant lives， full of blood and perfume and jasmine。 These are polychrome lives， full of moonlight and turmeric and kohl。

The long-awaited collection from one of our most exciting contemporary poets is a blessing， an incantatory celebration of survival。 Each reader will come away changed。

'Warsan Shire electrifies。。。 The beautifully crafted poems in this collection are fiercely tender gifts' Roxane Gay

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Reviews

Fredrika ，

Hard to rate。 Reminiscent of Rupi Kaur and Wisława Szymborska。 BLESS THIS HOUSE。 wow。

Kayleigh ，

She is my fav fav fav， this book made me cry。 Favorite was ‘Backwards’。 Highly recc！！

Lauren ，

A treasure

Jean ，

There are some books of poetry that I and enjoy but do not purchase。 But this little compilation on women must be purchased and read many times。 I see where many readers find her works repetitive， however I must read everything that I can get my hands on by Warsan Shire。

Morelia （Strandedinbooks） ，

“Mama， I made itout of your homealive， raised bythe voicesin my head。”

Alex ，

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway。 This book was phenomenal。 Everyone should read it。

Erika ，

Warson Shire is a Somali British poet who tackles difficult subjects with beauty。 "You only leave home when home won't let you stay。""No one puts their children in a boat， unless the water is safer than the land。""My beauty is not beauty here。" Warson Shire is a Somali British poet who tackles difficult subjects with beauty。 "You only leave home when home won't let you stay。""No one puts their children in a boat， unless the water is safer than the land。""My beauty is not beauty here。" 。。。more

Anna Alexander ，

Warsan is a brilliant and beautiful poet。

dobbs the dog ，

Received from NetGalley， thanks！I don’t usually do poetry， as I have a hard time understanding a lot of it。 But I did like this collection; it was straightforward and easily understandable。Warsan Shire is from Somalia， and a lot of the poems had to do with war and refugees， which felt rather poignant at the moment。 There is also a lot about women and mothers， as well as a lot of imagery that relates to motherhood。I liked that the theme of Bless the… was throughout the book。 Many of the poems sta Received from NetGalley， thanks！I don’t usually do poetry， as I have a hard time understanding a lot of it。 But I did like this collection; it was straightforward and easily understandable。Warsan Shire is from Somalia， and a lot of the poems had to do with war and refugees， which felt rather poignant at the moment。 There is also a lot about women and mothers， as well as a lot of imagery that relates to motherhood。I liked that the theme of Bless the… was throughout the book。 Many of the poems started with Bless the *insert appropriate term here*， and it helped make the collection of poems feel connected， even when they were about different topics。A nice collection of poems， good for folks who may have a hard time with poetry。 。。。more

Maryam Dirie ，

Beautifully crafted collection of poetry and Warsan’s continued ability to remain uncompromising in her art leaves me in awe every time。 I cried a lot， felt this remarkable connection to my roots， laughed， reflected and cried some more。

Sarah ，

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this eArc！ I love love love Warsan Shire ever since I first read her poem "For the Girls Who are Difficult to Love" and was so excited to get the chance to read her first full length poetry collection！ It did not disappoint， this was an emotional exploration of girlhood， motherhood， and growing up displaces from your home。 It reminded me a lot of Night Sky with Exit Wounds， and I really appreciated the glossary in the back explaining th Thank you so much to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this eArc！ I love love love Warsan Shire ever since I first read her poem "For the Girls Who are Difficult to Love" and was so excited to get the chance to read her first full length poetry collection！ It did not disappoint， this was an emotional exploration of girlhood， motherhood， and growing up displaces from your home。 It reminded me a lot of Night Sky with Exit Wounds， and I really appreciated the glossary in the back explaining the Somali terms， although I would still suggest reading it through once without referencing it to be able to just experience the whole collection， My favorite poem was Backwards and Bless this House。 I can't wait to own a physical copy of this collection， 。。。more

Sabrina ，

Beautiful; dark; relevant; ethereal ♥️ Read or listen to this collection asap。 *The audiobook is narrated by the author。✨

Anika J。 ，

Been anticipating a full-length poetry collection from Warsan Shire since discovering her on Tumblr years ago。 Each poem is filled with beauty and rage。 That said， I didn't find much new here to love; and the old favorites I recognized seemed sanitized， edited in a way that seemed to steal some of their power。 Been anticipating a full-length poetry collection from Warsan Shire since discovering her on Tumblr years ago。 Each poem is filled with beauty and rage。 That said， I didn't find much new here to love; and the old favorites I recognized seemed sanitized， edited in a way that seemed to steal some of their power。 。。。more

Rachel ，

Well， I’m not *not* crying。 Warsan Shire is brilliant。 A beautiful collection of poems， everyone should read this。 While tenderly written， every line is kind of a gut punch that manages to be completely worth it。 Immigration， family， womanhood， so many important themes in such a short amount of pages。 I wish it was 10 times longer。 Bless This House and Backwards hit me the hardest upon first reading， but I thought every piece was strong and I’m sure when I reread and the words have marinated lon Well， I’m not *not* crying。 Warsan Shire is brilliant。 A beautiful collection of poems， everyone should read this。 While tenderly written， every line is kind of a gut punch that manages to be completely worth it。 Immigration， family， womanhood， so many important themes in such a short amount of pages。 I wish it was 10 times longer。 Bless This House and Backwards hit me the hardest upon first reading， but I thought every piece was strong and I’m sure when I reread and the words have marinated longer， another will resonate with me even more。 And on a superficial note， can we talk about this gorgeous cover？ This is one you could judge accurately， although I try not to do that。 。。。more

Safy ，

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head imagines a secret world—or perhaps a future—that stretches beyond the constrictive parameters of daughterhood and girlhood， psychically wrapping itself around each and every Somali girl like a hug。 If I could give this poetry collection 1，000，000 stars， I would。 It transcends star classification for its playful， honest， dark， rich， obsessive， intense， linguistically flexible， deeply inspired， vividly high-concept and filmic articulation of the gri Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head imagines a secret world—or perhaps a future—that stretches beyond the constrictive parameters of daughterhood and girlhood， psychically wrapping itself around each and every Somali girl like a hug。 If I could give this poetry collection 1，000，000 stars， I would。 It transcends star classification for its playful， honest， dark， rich， obsessive， intense， linguistically flexible， deeply inspired， vividly high-concept and filmic articulation of the grime swept under the shadowy veil of diaspora。 Warsan successfully wrestles our innocence back to us。 。。。more

anna ，

A wonderful cohesive collection。 I love Warsan Shire， always a joy to read from her。

Jenn ，

Powerful， I love poetry and its impact。

Animée ，

Bless Warsan ShireQueen of vivid imagery 👑

Martina Clark ，

Whew。 I received the book last night。 I opened the package and read nearly the entire book before I'd even taken the time to sit down。 Shire's poetry remains as stabbing and poignant and beautiful as ever。 I will read this again。 And again。 I needed this book right now and I know I'll need it again。 And again。 Whew。 I received the book last night。 I opened the package and read nearly the entire book before I'd even taken the time to sit down。 Shire's poetry remains as stabbing and poignant and beautiful as ever。 I will read this again。 And again。 I needed this book right now and I know I'll need it again。 And again。 。。。more

kyoungeun ，

kind of underwhelmingI mean， it was okay but kind of underwhelming？ The best poems here are the ones I've already read。 Looking forward to reading more of Shire's works。 kind of underwhelmingI mean， it was okay but kind of underwhelming？ The best poems here are the ones I've already read。 Looking forward to reading more of Shire's works。 。。。more

Kaya ，

I was captivated by the title but did not connect with these poems as I hoped。 RTC

Soula Kosti ，

"No one would leave home unless home chased you to the shore。 No one would leave home until home is a voice in your ear saying—leave， run， now。 I don't know what I've become。"4。5 ✨Warsan Shire's poetry collection Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head was not easy to read but it should be considered essential reading。 The included poems deal with the experiences of refugees and immigrants， especially women， as well as loss， trauma， racism， and xenophobia。 My favorite poems were:- Home- "No one would leave home unless home chased you to the shore。 No one would leave home until home is a voice in your ear saying—leave， run， now。 I don't know what I've become。"4。5 ✨Warsan Shire's poetry collection Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head was not easy to read but it should be considered essential reading。 The included poems deal with the experiences of refugees and immigrants， especially women， as well as loss， trauma， racism， and xenophobia。 My favorite poems were:- Home- Bless Your Ugly Daughter- Backwards - Bless This House"Your daughter's face is a small riot，her hands are a civil war，she has a refugee camp tuckedbehind each ear， her body is a body litteredwith ugly thingsbut God，doesn't she wearthe world well。"Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

feux d'artifice ，

Since getting my preordered copy I've reread this collection from front to back three times。。。 The poems are about war and all the scars that go with it， it's about black womanhood， black immigrants and black refugees and it does not hold back。 The poems haunt you， ruminate in your mind， as you reread and it changes shape and grows and grows， like cancer， like love。For me， i read it straight through， then once again from the top while flipping through for the glossary， then a third time when the Since getting my preordered copy I've reread this collection from front to back three times。。。 The poems are about war and all the scars that go with it， it's about black womanhood， black immigrants and black refugees and it does not hold back。 The poems haunt you， ruminate in your mind， as you reread and it changes shape and grows and grows， like cancer， like love。For me， i read it straight through， then once again from the top while flipping through for the glossary， then a third time when the words from said glossary stayed in my mind longer。 Today won't be the last time i reread this collection。 。。。more

Emma B。 （Emma's Bookshelf） ，

I have been a fan of Warsan Shire since the days of Tumblr。 Did you know she is also the poet behind Beyoncé’s Lemonade？ She has a couple of chapbooks but this is her first full-length poetry collection and it was excellent！ Full of deeply moving poems about womanhood， immigrants and refugees， and life。 I think this poetry is highly accessible and I would highly recommend checking it out！

Susan ，

Please note: there is a glossary at the end of this book。 I wish I’d discovered that before I spent so much time puzzling out the meanings of unfamiliar words。A collection of beautiful poems exploring womanhood and sexuality。 #BlesstheDaughterRaisedbyaVoiceinHerHead #NetGalley

Deedi Brown （DeediReads） ，

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking。com/reads/。TL;DR REVIEW:Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head is a masterful collection of poems by a master poet on womanhood， trauma， and the refugee experience。 They’re heavy， but hard-hitting and moving。For you if: You want to read poetry that adds to your view of the world and humanity。FULL REVIEW:Thank you， Random House， for the advanced electronic copy of this book！ It’s the first full-length poetry collection from Warsan Shire， the All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking。com/reads/。TL;DR REVIEW:Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head is a masterful collection of poems by a master poet on womanhood， trauma， and the refugee experience。 They’re heavy， but hard-hitting and moving。For you if: You want to read poetry that adds to your view of the world and humanity。FULL REVIEW:Thank you， Random House， for the advanced electronic copy of this book！ It’s the first full-length poetry collection from Warsan Shire， the award-winning Somali British poet who worked with Beyonce on Lemonade and Black is King。 So yes， it’s as good as you’re expecting。The poems draw from her own experiences， loved ones’ experiences， headlines， etc。 to shape a journey through womanhood， motherhood， daughterhood， being a refugee and immigrant， abuse， trauma， and defiant hope。 I feel like I need to reread this to get the full effect， but I was especially impressed with how Shire merges pop culture and poetry to make the collection feel not only modern but current and timely。 She has something to say here， and you’re certainly going to hear it。 And， of course， there are lines and couplets and stanzas that come out of nowhere punch you in the gut。It’s a quick read， but worth it if you are a fan of poetry （and maybe even if you’re not）。CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNINGS:Sexual assault / rape; Child abuse; Grief; Xenophobia 。。。more

jean ，

What an amazing book， full of raw emotion and barely suppressed anger particularly about the plight of refugees who don't ask or want to leave their home countries but are forced out of them。 I found "Home" particularly affecting。I didn't know of Warsan Shire before I read this， and although we are very different ages and with different cultural heritage， I felt that her poems touched on universal themes of many women's lives。 I particularly liked her use of somali words which sounded right in t What an amazing book， full of raw emotion and barely suppressed anger particularly about the plight of refugees who don't ask or want to leave their home countries but are forced out of them。 I found "Home" particularly affecting。I didn't know of Warsan Shire before I read this， and although we are very different ages and with different cultural heritage， I felt that her poems touched on universal themes of many women's lives。 I particularly liked her use of somali words which sounded right in the poems， - but I was pleased of the glossary so I could understand them。Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book 。。。more

Jo ，

A moving and electrifying collection of poetry。 I have never read anything by this poet before and I found this collection to be captivating。Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC。

Cath （Cather。reads） ，

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC！Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head is a powerful collection of poems that talk about growing up as a woman and a person of color in a world that is not friendly to either of those demographics in a variety of ways。 It was easy to read and relatively short。 The only reason why I rated this and many other poetry collections three stars is because so many of these poems aren't really poetry。 They're just powerful words thrown onto Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC！Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head is a powerful collection of poems that talk about growing up as a woman and a person of color in a world that is not friendly to either of those demographics in a variety of ways。 It was easy to read and relatively short。 The only reason why I rated this and many other poetry collections three stars is because so many of these poems aren't really poetry。 They're just powerful words thrown onto a page with no rhyme or meter at all。 I'm definitely not qualified enough to be a poetry critic， but the fact that there isn't poetic structure to it often makes me not like poetry collections such as this。 However， this book does pack a powerful punch and if you do like the format of more modern poetry， this is a must read。 。。。more

s。penkevich ，

Over the past few years you’ve likely encountered the poem Home by Somali British writer Warsan Shire， a heartbreaking poem about refugees that begins with ‘no one leaves home unless / home is the mouth of a shark / you only run for the border / when you see the whole city running as well。’ The poem implores empathy and understanding， and the tragedy is how many times the poem has circulated the internet because Shire’s words are the words needed at that moment of the news cycle。 But Warsan Shir Over the past few years you’ve likely encountered the poem Home by Somali British writer Warsan Shire， a heartbreaking poem about refugees that begins with ‘no one leaves home unless / home is the mouth of a shark / you only run for the border / when you see the whole city running as well。’ The poem implores empathy and understanding， and the tragedy is how many times the poem has circulated the internet because Shire’s words are the words needed at that moment of the news cycle。 But Warsan Shire is much more than a viral poem， and with Bless the Daughter Raised By a Voice in Her Head， the 33 year old poets first full-length collection， she shows she has a multitude of words that will all make us better for having heard them。 With arresting poetic language and visceral imagery， Shire’s long awaited collection will break your heart over and over agains as she addresses themes or migration， womanhood， familial relations fractured across the globe， and while trauma permeates the pages so does hope and the will to survive。Speaking of the poem Home， it reappears in this collection newly revised and with a part 2 accompanying the already harrowing words。 The line breaks mostly removed to read as prose poetry， Shire revists the poem to discuss the trauma that comes after leaving home and finding yourself lost in a new place。 ‘Where I came from is disappearing。 I am unwelcome。 My beauty is not beauty here。 My body is burning with the shame of not belonging， my body is longing。 I am the sin of memory and the absence of memory…’ So much is contained in this passage and these words resonate throughout the collection， addressing themes of being Othered in a new place while feeling your past disintegrating。 ‘I can’t get the refugee out of my body，’ she writes in Assimilation， a poem of either sleepless nights or ‘dreaming in the wrong language。’ Always ready with a well earned stunner of an ending she warns: ‘those unable to grow the extra skindie within the first six months in a host country。At each and every checkpoint the refugee is askedare you human？The refugee is sure it’s still human but worries that overnight，while it slept， there may have been a change in classification。’Another aspect of the poem Shire has frequently wanted to highlight is that she writes about Black refugees。 The poem has been used and gone viral during many refugee situations， and she has said in interviews 'I wrote those words for Black immigrants， and the most I’ve ever seen those words used was when the immigrants and refugees were lighter-skinned with lighter eyes。 Obviously， you want your work to be used in any way to raise funds for all suffering people， but I want people to know who I wrote that about。' So， at the wishes of the author， please keep this in mind when reading the poem。Dreaming recurs throughout the collection， such as the conclusion to Saint Hooyo （Hooyoo meaning mother as explained in the glossary of Somali terms at the end of the collection）:‘I don’t recognize my childrenthey speak and dream in the wrong languageas much as I understandit may as well be the language of birds’A moving passage with a dynamic approach to separation and migration with images of birds as well as a barrier even in dreams。 I can’t attest to the validity but I’ve heard it said that you should translate into the language in which you dream， and this passage brought me the thought of translating oneself into a new country， as well as a person’s hopes and dreams being reconfigured because of the passage to a new country。Shire addresses the agency over one’s own body in multiple ways throughout the collection， from skin and voice marking one as an Other， to the gaze of men in a patriarchal society。 Poems of women using pigeon blood on their wedding night to appear ‘chaste’， to ‘protecting body and home / from intruders。’ Dangers are everywhere， such as in a traffic stop where young people are compared to ‘an animal standing on hind legs / pretending to understand why it must die。’It is a joy to read through these poems and see Shire continue to bless the reader with her words。 Musical artist Beyonce had a good eye when she chose Shire to write for her Lemonade documentary and we are all better for having had her brought into the literary world。 Bless the Daughter… chronicles life from ‘extreme girlhood’ to coming into womanhood， carrying the history of traumas—both personal and generational—across borders of self， culture and country。 These are poems of ‘fragrant life， full of blood and perfume and shisha smoke and jasmine and incense，’ as the poet writes， ‘full of henna and moonlight and lipstick and turmeric and kohl。’ There is trauma present on every page， but through her words of understanding and examination we find that she is able to ‘rewrite this whole life and this time there’ll be so much love， / you won’t be able to see beyond it。’ A must read。5/5Midnight in the Foreign Food AisleDear Uncle， is everything you love foreignor are you foreign to everything you love？We’re all animals and the body wants what it wants，I know。 The blonde said Come in， take offyour coat and what do you want to drink？Love is not haram but after years of fuckingwomen who cannot pronounce your name，you find yourself in the foreign food aisle，beside the turmeric and the saffron，pressing your face into the ground， prayingin a language you haven’t used in years。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0