Plantains and Our Becoming: Poems

by Melania Luisa Marte

*Listening Length: 3 hours and 43 minutes

A rousing, beautifully observed, and tender-hearted debut poetry collection about identity, culture, home, and belonging--for fans of Jasmine Mans and Fatimah Asghar

"We, children of pl�tanos, always gotta learn to play in everyone else's backyard and somehow feel at home."

Poet and musician Melania Luisa Marte opens PLAINTAINS AND OUR BECOMING by pointing out that Afro-Latina is not a word recognized by the dictionary. But the dictionary is far from a record of the truth. What does it mean, then, to tend to your own words and your own record--to build upon the legacies of your ancestors?

In this imaginative, blistering poetry collection, Marte looks at the identities and histories of the Dominican Republic and Haiti to celebrate and center the Black diasporic experience. Through the exploration of themes like self-love, nationalism, displacement, generational trauma, and ancestral knowledge, this collection uproots stereotypes while creating a new joyous vision for Black identity and personhood.

Moving from New York to Texas to the Dominican Republic and to Haiti, this collection looks at the legacies of colonialism and racism but never shies away from highlighting the beauty--and joy--that comes from celebrating who you are and where you come from. PLANTAINS AND OUR BECOMING is "a full-throated war cry; both a request for anointment and the responding bendici�n" (Elizabeth Acevedo).

Genres: Poetry, Audiobook, Latinx, Nonfiction, Adult, Womens, Feminism

4 pages, Audiobook

First published August 22, 2023

About the author

Melania Luisa Marte is an American writer, poet, and musician from New York. Her viral poem “Afro-Latina” was featured by Instagram on their IG TV for National Poetry Month and has garnered over nine million views. Her work has also been featured by Ain’t I Latina?, AfroPunk, The Root, Teen Vogue, Telemundo, Remezcla, PopSugar, and elsewhere. She currently lives with her partner and child between the Dominican Republic and Texas. You can follow her journey on social media: @MelaTocaTierra.

Reviews

[Ms. Woc Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black AF, Caribbean AF, Dominican AF, American AF

Full review below

https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot....

[Plus Size Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like this book was written for me. Each poem was empowering and filled with emotion. There were soo many relatable lines and spoke to me on another level.

I have not felt this connected to a poetry collection since the words of Maya Angelou.

Highly recommend for Negras and Afro Latinas.

[Lit_Vibrations · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty decent collection of poems some are like mini short stories, memories, or personal experiences from the authors life. It focuses on themes of identity, culture, home, and belonging. A few of the poems were very relatable and I loved the emotional depth and honesty shown throughout.

Favorite poems:
* Who Am I
* On Colorism
* Hecha Complete
* Future is a Space
* Dance With Me

The author begins by pointing out that Afro-Latina is not a word recognized by the dictionary. But the dictionary is far from a record of the truth. What does it mean, then, to tend to your own words and your own record—to build upon the legacies of your ancestors?

She speaks on the identities and histories of the Dominican Republic and Haiti to celebrate and center the Black diasporic experience. Through the exploration of things like self-love, nationalism, displacement, generational trauma, and ancestral knowledge, this collection uproots stereotypes while creating a new joyous vision for Black identity and personhood.
 
Overall, I really enjoyed this collection. I’m a major fan of poetry and I found it so easy to connect with the author. We see her embrace her culture, what it means to be a black woman, and her quest to self-discovery and where she fits in the world. Throughout this collection the author reminds us why we need our roots, family, and traditions. Special thanks to the author & @tinybookreps for my gifted copy!!!

[Mai H.]

Latine Heritage Month TBR

National Poetry Month TBR

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Tiny Reparations Books

[Rae | My Cousin’s Book Club · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual rating 4.5 stars

I really enjoyed the poems, especially with the mixture of Spanish sayings throughout. This was an informed, cultural moment that I’d recommend over & over again!

[Phyllis | Mocha Drop · Rating 4 out of 5]

A timely meditation of her experiences as an Afro-Latina girl and woman and child of immigrants. Thoughts and reflections of dealing with colorism, discrimination, depression, and struggling with assimilation. The reader is treated to how she found strength and pride in her roots, culture (the food, the language, the music, the art, etc.) to embrace first and foremost her Blackness to accept herself and discover her voice and self-worth. She notes colonialization’s debilitating and dehumanizing practices and goes deep within to redefine her identity in her own terms – making it 100% her own.

This collection is sobering, empowering, and for some, inspirational because there is no doubt others who have similar circumstances and experiences. There is also reverence for the mothers and grandmothers who had their own set of challenges and suffering, who survived failed marriages and relationships, and entered single motherhood involuntarily. She pays homage to her family members/the ancestors and celebrates the literary greats in verse (Toni Morrison, Lucille Clifton, and others), and references the musical greats (from Celoa Cruz to Megan the Stallation and Cardi B) who fueled her imagination and buoyed her confidence when it was lacking.

I enjoyed every page - thanks to the author for sharing her gift and insights.

Thanks to the publisher, Penguin Group Dutton, Tiny Reparations Books, and NetGalley for an opportunity to review.

[Michelle | musingsbymichelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect mix of personal storytelling and insight into the Afro-Latina diaspora. I think these poems can be very healing and empathetic for anyone who has the same identity as the author and enlightening for those who do not. This is the longest book of poetry I've read that isn't a collection or completed work of an author and it was daunting. I usually can read a poetry book in one day but this one took me several weeks.

I learned a lot while reading this in a way I did not expect! I also felt the rage and frustration behind the author's words. That being said there is still a lot of joy, humor, and love of her culture in these poems. I also liked how many of them have pop culture references. With a mix of prose and varying poetry structures, Melania Luisa Marte is a poet to keep up with! I can't wait to see what she comes out with next!

[Bek (MoonyReadsByStarlight) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel sort of bad criticizing a poetry collection, especially knowing how personal they can be. But I had a lot of mixed feelings about this collection.

There were some poems in this that I liked or made me feel. I thought it started really strong with the first several poems. And even on into the book, I particularly enjoyed the ones about her family members, and some in the beginning of part two.

However, some of this felt corny and politically confused. For every little bit of interesting commentary or revolutionary reference, there were three or more poems with empty liberal buzzwords/phrases that served no real end. And unfortunately, the parts that felt more trite impacted pieces that I think I could have liked alright had I seen them alone and not in context of these others.

[Amy Imogene Reads]

Fantastic collection! I’m having a hard time eating poetry and personal work that cuts as deeply as this, so no rating, but it’s definitely a strong recommendation.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this! I’m not a huge poetry person, but if I had to read poetry it would be this. I appreciated the variety of subjects this collection covered. Favorites of mine were the ones that discussed ~intersectionality~. Also the cover is… *chef’s kiss*.

Emojis for how I’m feeling: ☺️🥰🫨

[Nella ☾ of Bookland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this felt like standing on the shore of a sandy beach, basking in golden sunlight as the breeze caresses my skin ✨ Feeling seen by the beauty, pain, and pride in Marte's words.

[Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first heard of Melania Luisa Marte when she narrated Elizabeth Acevedo's book, Clap When You Land, so I was beyond excited to see that Marte's poetry was being collected and released as Plantains and Our Becoming!

Marte's poetry aesthetic plays with both structure and style in ways that I really enjoyed throughout this collection. She has a prose that is incredibly immersive and there is just such a richness to these poems. I think the choice to divide the poems into three different sections worked well. The first section, Daughter of the Diaspora explores Marte's experiences navigating the world as an Afro-Latina woman and the ways in which others have defined her without her being given the opportunity to define herself. The second section, A History of Plantains, discusses the history of Hispaniola and how colonial legacies shaped tensions between Haiti and the Dominican Republic that still exist today. As a history nerd, this was probably my favorite section. I found the poems to blend a very complicated history and socio-cultural taboos in such interesting ways. In the third section, On Becoming Marte explores how her life and experiences have shaped her into the woman she is becoming and how she has nurtured that woman to continue growth and healing. Each section was individually impactful, but also built off of one another to make this a cohesive collection.

I have quite a few favorite poems in this collection - if I can find them again among my many highlights, tabs, and annotations! There are some poems I would love to work into lessons with my ESL classes as I always love to find works like this that can help students see themselves, their languages, and lived experiences. Overall, this was a really great debut collection and one that I am sure I will return to!

Thank you to the publisher, Tiny Reparations Books, for an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions shared in this review are my own.

[afrobookricua · Rating 5 out of 5]

AND SHE DOES IT MF WELLLL. This breathed life into me. I needed every poem.

[Tomiwa Sobande · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe the audiobook made the poems feel cornier than they were. Either way not a big fan

[Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a celebration of Latinx people, a celebration of Blackness and the beauty of the Carribbean. It is an invitation to heal and gave me a gift through reminding me of the importance of identity.

[lissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What does it mean to need trauma to feel alive?”

With beautiful skin of the earth and as a Latina woman myself, this poetry collection managed to sweep my feet from under me. It’s a gut punch of beautiful writing detailing island culture and the black diasporic experience. Each poem read like an anthem. Each page carrying its own tempo. Lost in the music, I felt and felt —

Poetry connects, but also disconnects. If you don’t understand one poem there is always the next. It’s hard to predict which poem will meet you halfway, ready to drag you down it’s emotional depths. But when it does, you happily drown down down.

That’s the power of connection and understanding. When you see the words, the intentions, for what they are. When you see someone for who they are. not just internally, but externally. What are their every day struggles? What does the color of their skin dictate for their day?

What are some of the things the world projects and tries to use against them? Can you understand? Or better yet, do you want to?

When you know someone’s struggles
the exterior
the superficial
the things they crucify them for

Then maybe, just maybe, you will understand the pain of walking out the door unaware if you will make it back home.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not terrible, but not a favorite either. While there are some memorable pieces in this collection, they sorta get buried in her cliché of poems.

[H (sosheescapes)]

I would recommend a tandem read, especially if you aren't a Spanish speaker. The author switch between Spanish and English in some poems. It would be easier to find translations if reading the ebook but I also love listening to poetry books narrated by the author.

Some Poems I Enjoyed:
- One The Subject of Cardi B
- Ode to Amara La Negra
- Internalized and Anti-
- If I Could Buy All My Homies an Island/Where they at’
- I trace back my black so ancestry.com don’t take my money
- Eco-Hood
- What Nereyda, Ari, Jazmin, Gabbi and Keyshia Taught Me
- An Ode to Love

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read Plantains and Our Becoming: Poems by Melania Luisa Marte. This collection tells such a powerful story of Marte's identity as Afro-Latina, a word which the dictionary does not recognize. She uses different forms of poetry throughout, which I found to be such a creative mode of storytelling. Marte shares of her Black diasporic experience, paving her way in a tumultuous racist world. I really loved the perspective this book gave me.

[Amaka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of poetry about what it means to be a dark skinned Afro Latina. Really interesting learning more about this culture and the authors personal experiences

[Deirdre Megan Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t feel qualified to truly express the depth of this collection but when I tell you both my husband and I were Amazed, the writing is incredible.

[Ericka Clou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is special for the bilingual ladies. It's a war cry you can dance to.

[Harley · Rating 4 out of 5]

huge thank you to the publisher and author for providing this e-arc via netgalley! (this does not affect my opinion)

such a beautiful collection of poetry, highlighting the author’s afro-latina identity. melania evokes such raw emotions, touching on themes of race and culture, love, family, deracination and so much more. i’m not normally a poetry kind of person, but I’m in awe of the authors ability to draw readers of any kind in.

[Elisabeth Zalepa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so highly anticipated for me I was waiting for it on hold from my local library for WEEKS!!! These poems were so good some of my favorites were Island Gyal, I Wanna Thank Me, The Book of Tina and many more! Definitely a must read!

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some beauty, a great deal of repetitive themes;hackneyed and cliche. Like a first draft of a book that would benefit from more brevity.

[ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

BITCH YES. the author ATE this audio and preached ya’ll

[Brittany]

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

For my first prompt (reading for #TheDiverseBaseline 2024 reading challenge) “a book of poetry,” I read this powerful collection of poetry. Melania Luisa Marte is Dominican & Haitian American & explores these roots in this collection with biting commentary on immigration, colonization, colorism, racism, misogyny, classism, family, culture, and hope.

She begins with the Merriam-Webster dictionary erasure of “Afro-Latina” & this sets the stage for the rest of the poetry. Marte continues to reflect on her childhood & growth as she learned to take up more and more space in a world that refuses to recognize & validate her biracial identity, her body, her skin, & her lived experience. She saw folks who looked like her in the background of telenovelas, but never front & center. Never the main character. Though Afro-Latinas were seemingly erased in media representation as she grew up, no one let her forget this central part of her identity.

The “Afro” in Afro-Latina comes first, & this collection pays tribute to that. In “Ode To Amara La Negra,” she says: “Ode to resisting the task of making your Blackness more digestible. To discovering the history of colonization, whitewashing and erasure in the Caribbean and across the diaspora…To the way you learned to take up all this space.” She packs every single line, verse, poem with a punch, ensuring you’re taking note.

In “Questions for Hispaniola,” she writes: “Teach me to choose violence. Teach me to be a root. To stand firm in something.” There is another poem at the end called “I Am Rooting For You,” & that is something that viscerally stood out to me because I say so much. I really am, I’m rooting for us & so is Melania Luisa.

Though this poetry covers topics that do bring up real rage & heartache for me, I closed the book feeling a desire to dive deeper into community & feeling empowered that one day we will all be free.

I can’t wait for what Melania Luisa Marte does next, because I will be following her journey. This was wildly impactful & I highly recommend you buy yourself a copy to annotate, highlight & reread!

Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death of parent, Colonisation, Grief, Racism, Cursing, Genocide, Sexism, Abandonment, Cultural appropriation, and Eating disorder

[Alicia Ceasar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plantains and Our Becoming is the debut poetry collection by Melania Luisa Marte. This book delves deeply into conversations about the identity and culture of being Afro-Latina in a lyrical and raw way that had me captivated from the first page.

Marte starts this collection off with what the term Afro-Latina means to her and her identity as a whole and how this world has tried to box her into one half of her heritage while ignoring the other half. I found this whole introduction fascinating because it is not something I have ever thought about but now I can’t stop thinking about it. This collection taught me a lot about this culture while being so well written, I was constantly rereading lines.

I’m not really a poetry person. I find it hard to connect with the style. But this collection was absolutely stunning. Maybe I haven’t connected to poetry before because I didn’t feel like I was gaining a lot from it whereas this felt like a history lesson, a class on culture and colonialism and racism. The luscious writing and style choices made each entry into this collection feel unique while painting a larger story.

This is an ownvoices story and I cannot wait to see ownvoices reviewers pick this up a read it. As much as this hit me, I can only imagine how much more it will mean to someone who feels seen through this collection. I am desperate to get my hands on a physical copy of this book when it releases because I would love to go back through an annotate some of my favorite parts. This was a stunning debut and put this author immediately on my autobuy author list. I will be patiently waiting to see what she comes out with next!

Thank you so much to the marketing team at Tiny Reparations Books for sending me the arc! All thoughts and feelings are my own.

[Israel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection was absolutely stunning and left me feeling all the emotions. Every word is intentional and powerful. Marte plays with all the tools she has - capitalization, punctuation, and paragraph breaks - to make each piece a weapon.

I appreciate that Marte begins the story by claiming space for Afro-Latinas. From there, the momentum doesn't stop. Every piece shows specific, powerful moments, both the good and bad. Topics include her family history, her childhood, present-day struggles in America, and the overall Afro-Latina experience.

What I absolutely love about this collection is that many specific names, events, and descriptions are used without explanation; Marte does not stop to define anything for the reader. There is power in the reader already knowing the history and experiences you're talking about, which is a privilege white heterosexual people take for granted, leaving all others to constantly play the role of teacher if they want to be heard. Marte is having none of this. She claimed her space and told her story. If you don't know the context, go look it up yourself, because Marte does not stop to coddle. Exactly how it should be! Honestly, I was ashamed of how much context I didn't understand; it really showed me how uneducated I am and that I'm part of the problem, too.

Overall, this is a diverse and powerful collection. I initially wanted to say I'd just recommend the book to anyone looking for a powerful story and voice, but in reality everyone should read this collection and hear what Marte has to say. Period.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Totahly · Rating 5 out of 5]

✰✰•𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖•✰✰

YASSSS QUEEN!! YASSS!!! I had so many favorites from this collection, I’d prob end up quoting the whole book, 😂 so here are my top 3:

•Immigrant Math Problem
•Telenovelas/How I Learned To Be A Girl
•Synonyms for Stolen People

What a fantastic collection! Another one I have not really seen around here so let’s do better #booksta! She explores so much delving into identity, self-exploration through Diaspora & displacement, weaving history & modern events, famous artists from the industry to slashing through stereotypes of her Dominican & Haitian background. I LOVED this collection!

I felt her words because I can relate to them as a woman of color-a woman who’s people are displaced. She highlights so many beautiful aspects of her culture through her intergenerational trauma, life experiences as a darker Afro-Latina woman & through her humbling experiences of a girl breaking free from being a token.

I swear I always have conversations with people who just don’t jive with poetry & it hurts my soul. Totally understandable when it just doesn’t make shit for sense or there’s just no emotional connection, but I feel like so many collections nowadays are legit straight forward. This collection was so relatable & straight forward, so I knew what was going on & connected through her experiences.

She makes a name for herself by depicting real life tragedies, historical & present oppression, I truly ruminated on this collection. Poetry is such an underrated genre & I wish more works were like hers bc then people could truly relate, understand & fall in love with poetry. But who am I right? Pick this one up ya’ll, I feel this one is everything I always tell ya’ll to read-diverse, representation, realness & so much more!

 ꕤ I’ll share some adjectives bc I loved doing that in my last review. So read this if these adjectives call to your soul:

⇢Explosive, imaginative, creative, real, blistering truth, searing reality, identity crisis in raw formation, diaspora, displacement, beauty

Always celebrating Latine & Hispanic Heritage Month! GET THIS BOOK YA’LL!

✯WHAT I LOVED:
•Proud AF
•Relatable
•Substance
•Beautiful cover
•Creative, witty & bold
•Diaspora & displacement
•Stunning depiction of generational trauma

❥Thank you so much @tinyrepbooks @duttonbooks & @melatocatierra for this necessary & stunning debut! ♡

VIEW MY REVIEW & BEAUTIFUL PICTURES ON INSTAGRAM @totahlybooked