Thick with Trouble

by Amber McBride

From National Book Award finalist Amber McBride, a mystical, transcendent poetry collection about Black womanhood in the American South

In Thick with Trouble , award-winning poet Amber McBride interrogates if being “trouble”—difficult, unruly, powerful, defiant—is ultimately a weakness or an incomparable source of strength. Steeped in the hoodoo spiritual tradition and organized via reimagined tarot cards, this collection becomes a chorus of unapologetic women who laugh, cry, mesmerize, and bring outsiders to their knees. Summoning the supernatural to examine death, rebirth, and life outside the male gaze, Amber McBride has crafted a haunting, spellbinding, and strikingly original collection of poems that reckon with the force and complexity of Black womanhood.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Audiobook

112 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 13, 2024

Reviews

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars for Thick With Trouble (audiobook) by Amber McBride read by the author.

This was my first book by the author. It provides a wonderful insight as to how she sees herself and the world.

[Rogier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amber Mcbride's poetry is beautiful in every form. I loved her YA in verse debut ''Me Moth" and Mcbride was an instant auto read author. This is her debut poetry collection and i love the poetry of rootwork is included in every work. The poems are heartfelt, uplifting and deconstructions of the church, america and black womenhood. I really recommend all of her work

[abby quade · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was quite good! i didn't understand most of this, but i felt all of it. every sentence was haunting and seductive and filled with honey. i really enjoyed the tarot-card structure of this collection, i feel like it had a lot to do with fate, life, death, pain, joy, etc... all of those witchy, supernatural things. the little details of spiritual southern womanhood really delivered. AND the emphasis on the "blood stains" left behind by American history, oof.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Parts 4 and 5 were easily my favorites — when the poems hit, they really hit. Even though I didn’t click with most of the book, there were some lines scattered throughout that made me pause and appreciate how well they were written.

While reading it reminded me of another book I read and loved recently called Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne M Valente. So if u like this and also like fantasy and snow white, give that a go.

[Rosy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the most stunning collections of poetry I have ever read. “I won’t let anyone (Black) die alone” stood out especially, wow what a poem. Amber Mcbride, I am about to read everything you’ve ever written.

[Mary Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favorite poems: Skull Hill Baptist Church, Grown-ish Black Girl Living Alone with Whitman, Two-Headed Snake, Southern Love Story One: Call Me The First Horse-Woman

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. I dont think Amber McBride will ever disappoint. Audiobook is like spoken word, and I love it ☆

[dreamgirlreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn’t wait to read Amber McBride’s adult debut and first poetry collection about her experiences with Southern Black Womanhood! I couldn’t recommend this and other works by this author enough. So vulnerable, deep, and powerful. I especially recommend listening along as Amber McBride narrates this one on audiobook. I would love to hear her perform live slam poetry style.

“Remember us, gospel us, into folklore.”

[Andy Oram · Rating 4 out of 5]

McBride is a expert at many styles, which she can change dexterously from poem to poem or within a poem. For instance, the narrative of "Dutch Door (1940)" is followed soon by "Eulogy for Blood Left Behind," which is syntactically fragmented. She has definitely mastered the current flighty, fast-morphing, dreamlike (or nightmarish) poetic style of our time. We all would probably benefit from taking a class with her.

However, these poems are unrelentingly challenging. Although she writes, "why not love in every poem?" I fimd the fleeting expressions of love for people or her culture drowned constantly in blood, violence, and death. Not only are police violence and the racism of American society excoriated over and over; the Black church and intimate relationships also come in for suspicion if not rejection. (Ironically, the least shocking poem is ominously titled, "I am the flood & fire XOXO.")

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poet uses the concept of the divination cards as an interesting means of organizing the collection, but the poems seem more like seances than card readings. That said, the poet conjures the dead like nobody’s business to slap some sense into the living and posers who pretend to have a pulse.

Favorite Poems:
“Roll Call: New Tarot Names for Black Girls”
“The Birthing of Me”
“Alba & Whimsy (1999)”
“For Black Kids Building Up Their Bones”
“Fragments of Dreams Left to Char at the Bottom of the Pot”
“Southern Gothic (Come Sit)”
“Dutch Door (1940)”
“Trespass”
“The House That Drips”
“Not Even a Nina Simone Hymn Can Perform Magic Tricks”
“Y’all Can Pray Too Much (Pestilence Steps Out)”
“That’s Not a Scar: Museum Exhibit (In My Mind)”
“Exquisite Corpse (America’s House)”
“I Won’t Let Anyone (Black) Die Alone”
“When I Hear Talk of the Edge”
“I Am the Flood & Fire XOXO”
“Pretty Please: Clip My Wings: Cast Me Out”

[Courtney LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of poems about home, hauntings, desire, survival, and the complexity of Black womanhood.

from Grown-ish Black Girl Living Alone with Whitman: "The thing is, I don't bleed anymore— / I started so young / I bled dry years ago. // I am trying to tell you / it's impossible to kill me. / I've been gone."

from Trespass: "Anger starts as a tickle. / Like a mosquito / that kisses, then itches, then scars. // I like a scar if it stay closed // but when you die in the streets / you are moved to a morgue."

from Hoodoo (Home): "I grow trees, plant flowers— / offerings of life, unsure if it is a gift / or a torment."

[Soojung Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook production narrated by Amber McBride. Her lyricism is always top notch; she crafts a picture of black femininity mixed with Southern culture, including Hoodoo. I think this book is worth a read/listen.

Topics: feminism, sexuality, female Black experience, southern USA, poetry/prose

Notes as a teacher: some profanity, objectification of women and sexual themes explored, squarely YA

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

I technically didn’t finish this, giving up at lik 85/100 pages tho so I’m counting it as done. It was a decent poetry book I just didn’t hang onto it so well. Mostly finished it several weeks ago and never cleaned up the ending. It was alright, I probably would have better notes if I wrote this a week ago but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am already a big fan of Amber McBride’s, having read previously read two of her novels-in-verse. She is an incredible talent. This collection of poetry is exactly that—a collection of thoughts and words that are continually weaving in and out of all of the poems here. It has a focus that one doesn’t always see in other poetry books. Love her, love her work!

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these are really good. I love how dark they are and all the allusions mentioned throughout - even if i don’t necessarily understand all of them.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection exploring black womanhood as well as a critical look at America

[Michael Earp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astoundingly good!

[Liz Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a powerful poetry collection. From the beautiful language to the themes to the use of tarot cards, I will be thinking about these poems for a very long time.

[Lorena Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it it had a depth that other popular poets lack

[Elena Macdonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

some bangers in here

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

#TheSealeyChallenge

[Ella · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s some okay stuff in here but for the most part I was just kind of bored. It just all feels rather surface-level and superficial.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

MIND. BLOWN. The best words I have to describe this are FIERCE and POWERFUL. Just WOWWWW- a whole lot of fire packed into this!