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Knocking on Windows: A Memoir
Acclaimed author Jeannine Atkins revisits her past in this “brave, searing” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) memoir-in-verse about memory, healing, and finding her voice as a writer, perfect for fans of Amber Smith and Speak.
Night darkens the window to mirror.
I’m back in my old bedroom.
Six weeks after the start of her freshman year of college, Jeannine Atkins finds herself back in her childhood bedroom after an unimaginable trauma. Now home in Massachusetts, she’s struggling to reclaim her life and her voice. Seeking comfort in the words of women, she turns to the lives and stories of Sylvia Plath, Maya Angelou, and Emily Dickinson. Through raw and poignant letter-poems addressed to these literary giants, Jeannine finds that the process of writing and reflecting has become not only a means of survival but the catalyst for a burgeoning writing career.
Inspired and ready to move forward, she enrolls in her state university, where she feeds her growing passion for writing in fiction seminars. But she finds that she’s unable to escape the pervasive misogyny of her classmates and professors, who challenge her to assert her own voice against a backdrop of disbelief and minimalization. This time, though, Jeannine is not willing to go down without a fight.
A searingly honest memoir told through gorgeous verse, Knocking on Windows stands as a beacon of hope and a celebration of the enduring spirit of survivors of sexual assault—and of writers.
Night darkens the window to mirror.
I’m back in my old bedroom.
Six weeks after the start of her freshman year of college, Jeannine Atkins finds herself back in her childhood bedroom after an unimaginable trauma. Now home in Massachusetts, she’s struggling to reclaim her life and her voice. Seeking comfort in the words of women, she turns to the lives and stories of Sylvia Plath, Maya Angelou, and Emily Dickinson. Through raw and poignant letter-poems addressed to these literary giants, Jeannine finds that the process of writing and reflecting has become not only a means of survival but the catalyst for a burgeoning writing career.
Inspired and ready to move forward, she enrolls in her state university, where she feeds her growing passion for writing in fiction seminars. But she finds that she’s unable to escape the pervasive misogyny of her classmates and professors, who challenge her to assert her own voice against a backdrop of disbelief and minimalization. This time, though, Jeannine is not willing to go down without a fight.
A searingly honest memoir told through gorgeous verse, Knocking on Windows stands as a beacon of hope and a celebration of the enduring spirit of survivors of sexual assault—and of writers.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 5, 2025
8 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
About the author
Jeannine Atkins
23 books47 followersJeannine Atkins is the author of Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science, Grasping Mysteries: Girls Who Loved Math, and Little Woman in Blue: A Novel of May Alcott. She teaches in the MFA program at Simmons College. You can learn more on her website at http://www.Jeannineatkins.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
August 6, 2025
Jeannine Atkins, celebrated author of biographical works for young readers including Finding Wonders and Stone Mirrors, ventures into deeply personal territory with Knocking on Windows, a memoir-in-verse that chronicles her journey from trauma to triumph as a writer. This isn't just another coming-of-age story—it's a masterclass in how literature can literally save lives.
The book opens with eighteen-year-old Jeannine returning to her childhood bedroom after just six weeks of college, carrying the weight of an unspeakable trauma. What follows is an unflinching exploration of sexual assault's aftermath, told through verse that alternates between whisper-soft vulnerability and thunderous rage. Atkins doesn't simply recount events; she excavates them with the precision of an archaeologist, revealing how memory layers like sediment, shifting and reshaping with each examination.
The Architecture of Memory
Atkins constructs her narrative through seven distinct parts—"Edges," "Safety Pins and Shears," "Turning and Turning," "Telling," "Paper Birds," "Breaking Light," and "Bee Colors"—each representing different phases of her healing and artistic development. This structural approach mirrors the way trauma survivors often experience recovery: not as a linear progression, but as a spiral that revisits familiar territory from new vantage points.
The verse memoir format proves particularly effective for capturing the fragmented nature of traumatic memory. Atkins writes in accessible free verse that reads more like intimate conversation than formal poetry, allowing readers to witness her thought processes in real time. Lines break at natural speech patterns, creating rhythm that mirrors the hesitation and rush of someone learning to speak their truth again.
Her language shifts dramatically throughout the book, evolving from the sparse, careful diction of early trauma to the rich, confident voice of an established writer. This linguistic journey becomes a character arc in itself, demonstrating how finding one's voice as a writer often means first finding the courage to speak at all.
Literary Mentors as Healing Guides
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of Knocking on Windows is Atkins' relationship with literary figures, particularly Sylvia Plath, Maya Angelou, and Emily Dickinson. Rather than simply drawing inspiration from their work, Atkins engages in direct dialogue with these writers through letter-poems, creating an imagined community of support across time and death.
Her correspondence with Plath proves especially complex and haunting. Atkins recognizes dangerous parallels in their experiences while desperately trying to forge a different ending. The book's title itself references this knocking—the desperate plea for acknowledgment, help, and human connection that these writers embedded in their work. When Atkins writes, "You couldn't save me. I couldn't save you. / You weren't meant to show me a way to an end / —there are no endings—but to sometimes / stand side by side knocking on windows, / asking for help," she articulates the profound responsibility and limitation of literary influence.
This interweaving of personal narrative with literary biography creates a unique reading experience that operates on multiple levels simultaneously. Readers learn about these iconic writers while witnessing how their work functions as both mirror and lamp for someone navigating similar darkness.
Academic Gatekeeping and Gender Politics
Atkins doesn't shy away from critiquing the literary establishment of the 1970s, particularly its treatment of women writers. Her depiction of university creative writing workshops reveals the casual misogyny that pervaded academic spaces, where male students could dismiss women's experiences as "too confessional" while their own work was celebrated for its "universal" themes.
The book effectively demonstrates how the personal-is-political framework applies specifically to literary spaces. When Atkins writes about professors who favored "difficult" experimental work over accessible narrative, or classmates who rolled their eyes at "women's writing," she illuminates the systemic barriers that have historically kept certain voices from being heard or taken seriously.
These scenes gain additional power from their historical context. Atkins was writing during second-wave feminism's peak, yet still encountered resistance to women's stories that feels depressingly familiar today. Her persistence in continuing to write despite this resistance becomes its own form of activism.
Craft and Construction
From a technical standpoint, Atkins demonstrates masterful control over pacing and disclosure. She reveals information strategically, allowing readers to piece together her story at roughly the same rate she was able to process it herself. This creates genuine suspense in a memoir where the broad outlines are established early.
The book's greatest strength lies in its specificity. Atkins grounds abstract emotional states in concrete details: the red linoleum kitchen floor, the shriveled orange from her former roommate, the hiking boots with red laces. These objects become anchors for memory and meaning, demonstrating how writers transform personal experience into universal truth through attention to particular details.
However, the book occasionally suffers from its own thoroughness. Some sections, particularly those dealing with academic politics and literary theory discussions, feel less essential to the central narrative. While these elements establish important context about Atkins' intellectual development, they sometimes interrupt the emotional momentum.
Therapeutic Writing vs. Artistic Achievement
One of the book's most significant achievements is its demonstration of how therapeutic writing can transform into art without losing its healing power. Atkins never sacrifices honesty for literary effect, yet the book succeeds as both personal testimony and crafted narrative.
The writing process itself becomes a character in the story. Readers witness Atkins discovering that she can transmute pain into something beautiful and useful for others. Her descriptions of sitting at her blue typewriter, "reaching for a moment when paper seems like glass," capture the transcendent potential of artistic creation.
The book argues convincingly that survival narratives deserve space in literature not despite their emotional intensity, but because of it. Atkins proves that "confessional" writing can be just as formally sophisticated and culturally significant as any other mode of expression.
Final Verdict
Knocking on Windows succeeds as both memoir and manifesto, offering readers a blueprint for how literature can function as both refuge and resistance. Atkins has created a work that honors the complexity of survival while refusing to sanitize or sentimentalize the experience.
The book will particularly resonate with readers interested in the intersection of trauma, creativity, and healing. Its honest portrayal of academic misogyny makes it essential reading for anyone involved in literary education or publishing. Most importantly, it offers hope to survivors seeking their own voices.
While the book occasionally gets bogged down in academic detail, its overall impact is undeniable. Atkins has written a memoir that manages to be simultaneously deeply personal and broadly applicable, proving once again that the most specific stories often speak most powerfully to universal human experiences.
The book opens with eighteen-year-old Jeannine returning to her childhood bedroom after just six weeks of college, carrying the weight of an unspeakable trauma. What follows is an unflinching exploration of sexual assault's aftermath, told through verse that alternates between whisper-soft vulnerability and thunderous rage. Atkins doesn't simply recount events; she excavates them with the precision of an archaeologist, revealing how memory layers like sediment, shifting and reshaping with each examination.
The Architecture of Memory
Atkins constructs her narrative through seven distinct parts—"Edges," "Safety Pins and Shears," "Turning and Turning," "Telling," "Paper Birds," "Breaking Light," and "Bee Colors"—each representing different phases of her healing and artistic development. This structural approach mirrors the way trauma survivors often experience recovery: not as a linear progression, but as a spiral that revisits familiar territory from new vantage points.
The verse memoir format proves particularly effective for capturing the fragmented nature of traumatic memory. Atkins writes in accessible free verse that reads more like intimate conversation than formal poetry, allowing readers to witness her thought processes in real time. Lines break at natural speech patterns, creating rhythm that mirrors the hesitation and rush of someone learning to speak their truth again.
Her language shifts dramatically throughout the book, evolving from the sparse, careful diction of early trauma to the rich, confident voice of an established writer. This linguistic journey becomes a character arc in itself, demonstrating how finding one's voice as a writer often means first finding the courage to speak at all.
Literary Mentors as Healing Guides
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of Knocking on Windows is Atkins' relationship with literary figures, particularly Sylvia Plath, Maya Angelou, and Emily Dickinson. Rather than simply drawing inspiration from their work, Atkins engages in direct dialogue with these writers through letter-poems, creating an imagined community of support across time and death.
Her correspondence with Plath proves especially complex and haunting. Atkins recognizes dangerous parallels in their experiences while desperately trying to forge a different ending. The book's title itself references this knocking—the desperate plea for acknowledgment, help, and human connection that these writers embedded in their work. When Atkins writes, "You couldn't save me. I couldn't save you. / You weren't meant to show me a way to an end / —there are no endings—but to sometimes / stand side by side knocking on windows, / asking for help," she articulates the profound responsibility and limitation of literary influence.
This interweaving of personal narrative with literary biography creates a unique reading experience that operates on multiple levels simultaneously. Readers learn about these iconic writers while witnessing how their work functions as both mirror and lamp for someone navigating similar darkness.
Academic Gatekeeping and Gender Politics
Atkins doesn't shy away from critiquing the literary establishment of the 1970s, particularly its treatment of women writers. Her depiction of university creative writing workshops reveals the casual misogyny that pervaded academic spaces, where male students could dismiss women's experiences as "too confessional" while their own work was celebrated for its "universal" themes.
The book effectively demonstrates how the personal-is-political framework applies specifically to literary spaces. When Atkins writes about professors who favored "difficult" experimental work over accessible narrative, or classmates who rolled their eyes at "women's writing," she illuminates the systemic barriers that have historically kept certain voices from being heard or taken seriously.
These scenes gain additional power from their historical context. Atkins was writing during second-wave feminism's peak, yet still encountered resistance to women's stories that feels depressingly familiar today. Her persistence in continuing to write despite this resistance becomes its own form of activism.
Craft and Construction
From a technical standpoint, Atkins demonstrates masterful control over pacing and disclosure. She reveals information strategically, allowing readers to piece together her story at roughly the same rate she was able to process it herself. This creates genuine suspense in a memoir where the broad outlines are established early.
The book's greatest strength lies in its specificity. Atkins grounds abstract emotional states in concrete details: the red linoleum kitchen floor, the shriveled orange from her former roommate, the hiking boots with red laces. These objects become anchors for memory and meaning, demonstrating how writers transform personal experience into universal truth through attention to particular details.
However, the book occasionally suffers from its own thoroughness. Some sections, particularly those dealing with academic politics and literary theory discussions, feel less essential to the central narrative. While these elements establish important context about Atkins' intellectual development, they sometimes interrupt the emotional momentum.
Therapeutic Writing vs. Artistic Achievement
One of the book's most significant achievements is its demonstration of how therapeutic writing can transform into art without losing its healing power. Atkins never sacrifices honesty for literary effect, yet the book succeeds as both personal testimony and crafted narrative.
The writing process itself becomes a character in the story. Readers witness Atkins discovering that she can transmute pain into something beautiful and useful for others. Her descriptions of sitting at her blue typewriter, "reaching for a moment when paper seems like glass," capture the transcendent potential of artistic creation.
The book argues convincingly that survival narratives deserve space in literature not despite their emotional intensity, but because of it. Atkins proves that "confessional" writing can be just as formally sophisticated and culturally significant as any other mode of expression.
Final Verdict
Knocking on Windows succeeds as both memoir and manifesto, offering readers a blueprint for how literature can function as both refuge and resistance. Atkins has created a work that honors the complexity of survival while refusing to sanitize or sentimentalize the experience.
The book will particularly resonate with readers interested in the intersection of trauma, creativity, and healing. Its honest portrayal of academic misogyny makes it essential reading for anyone involved in literary education or publishing. Most importantly, it offers hope to survivors seeking their own voices.
While the book occasionally gets bogged down in academic detail, its overall impact is undeniable. Atkins has written a memoir that manages to be simultaneously deeply personal and broadly applicable, proving once again that the most specific stories often speak most powerfully to universal human experiences.
Read
August 23, 20252025 reads: 225/300
i received a digital review copy and complimentary finished copy from the publisher as part of their influencer program. i am leaving this review voluntarily.
content warnings: rape, victim-blaming, suicidal thoughts, misogyny, racism (including mentions of segregation and slavery)
in this memoir-in-verse, the author describes her life in the months following her rape. she finds comfort in the lives and stories of sylvia plath, maya angelou, and emily dickinson. she enrolls at her state university, where she takes fiction seminars, but finds she can’t escape the pervasive misogyny of her classmates and professors. but confident in what she wants, jeannine is not willing to go down without a fight.
this was such a raw memoir, from the discussions of the rape itself to the moments leading up to and following that event. jeannine’s story was not told in a linear fashion, which allowed me to share in some of that discombobulation i’m sure she felt. i loved how she discussed the authors mentioned above and drew inspiration from them for her own healing journey. overall, this was a great novel-in-verse, and i hope to read more of jeannine atkins’s works in the future.
i received a digital review copy and complimentary finished copy from the publisher as part of their influencer program. i am leaving this review voluntarily.
content warnings: rape, victim-blaming, suicidal thoughts, misogyny, racism (including mentions of segregation and slavery)
in this memoir-in-verse, the author describes her life in the months following her rape. she finds comfort in the lives and stories of sylvia plath, maya angelou, and emily dickinson. she enrolls at her state university, where she takes fiction seminars, but finds she can’t escape the pervasive misogyny of her classmates and professors. but confident in what she wants, jeannine is not willing to go down without a fight.
this was such a raw memoir, from the discussions of the rape itself to the moments leading up to and following that event. jeannine’s story was not told in a linear fashion, which allowed me to share in some of that discombobulation i’m sure she felt. i loved how she discussed the authors mentioned above and drew inspiration from them for her own healing journey. overall, this was a great novel-in-verse, and i hope to read more of jeannine atkins’s works in the future.
dnf
July 28, 2025DNF @35%
I usually love memoirs in verse, but I wasn’t in the right place when I was reading this. It’s based on the author’s life--specifically following her sexual assault in college. There were a lot of classic literature references and it was bleak (rightfully so for the subject matter). This is definitely a case of “it’s not you, it’s me.” I just am no in the place to read this right now.
I usually love memoirs in verse, but I wasn’t in the right place when I was reading this. It’s based on the author’s life--specifically following her sexual assault in college. There were a lot of classic literature references and it was bleak (rightfully so for the subject matter). This is definitely a case of “it’s not you, it’s me.” I just am no in the place to read this right now.
August 2, 2025
Thank you Simon Teen for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!
• My Reading Experience: Okay (due to format and flow, not her personal story)
• Book Spice: None
• Adjusted Rating: 3.5 stars
• Trigger Warnings: Discusses Sexual Assault & Suicide
• Content Thoughts:
I appreciate the courage it took for Jeannine Atkins to dive into piece of her personal history to talk about her journey with becoming a writer. I hate that she had to deal with how people responded to her going through a very traumatic event.
***Now separate from Jeannine’s personal life story, this is what impacted my reading experience:
The story jumped around a lot from sentence to sentence and made it a bit hard to follow the timeline that she was referencing (this got better in the back half of the book). This might have been due to her style of writing an in-verse memoir/novel, but I did my best to piece things together and made assumptions on when key points might have happened in comparison to other events, but I’m not sure if I have it right.
Again, I appreciate her courage in telling us her story and walking through her life’s journey—finding her voice as a writer.
• My Reading Experience: Okay (due to format and flow, not her personal story)
• Book Spice: None
• Adjusted Rating: 3.5 stars
• Trigger Warnings: Discusses Sexual Assault & Suicide
• Content Thoughts:
I appreciate the courage it took for Jeannine Atkins to dive into piece of her personal history to talk about her journey with becoming a writer. I hate that she had to deal with how people responded to her going through a very traumatic event.
***Now separate from Jeannine’s personal life story, this is what impacted my reading experience:
The story jumped around a lot from sentence to sentence and made it a bit hard to follow the timeline that she was referencing (this got better in the back half of the book). This might have been due to her style of writing an in-verse memoir/novel, but I did my best to piece things together and made assumptions on when key points might have happened in comparison to other events, but I’m not sure if I have it right.
Again, I appreciate her courage in telling us her story and walking through her life’s journey—finding her voice as a writer.
Want to read
August 14, 2025DNF at 25%, but not because I didn't like it...
This is an unflinchingly delicate, yet powerful book, laced with meaning and depth (everything that Memoir lovers will adore) but unfortunately isn't the book for me. I am a fiction reader through and through, and wanted to love this but it just didn't work out.
I deeply wish it was for me, but for now, it's not something I can totally commit to fulfilling and reading at this moment in time. That being said, it is a written-in-verse book with tons of heart that people will love if they are into lyrical poetry. Take care with the trigger/content warnings for this book as it does contain some content regarding vulnerable topics.
This is an unflinchingly delicate, yet powerful book, laced with meaning and depth (everything that Memoir lovers will adore) but unfortunately isn't the book for me. I am a fiction reader through and through, and wanted to love this but it just didn't work out.
I deeply wish it was for me, but for now, it's not something I can totally commit to fulfilling and reading at this moment in time. That being said, it is a written-in-verse book with tons of heart that people will love if they are into lyrical poetry. Take care with the trigger/content warnings for this book as it does contain some content regarding vulnerable topics.
April 21, 2025
“Can you be brave if you have no choice?”
Thank you to SIMON Teen for the NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Though this book doesn’t come out until August, April is Poetry month and so I thought it was fitting. It is always hard to rate nonfiction, so I am
Rating the prose and delivery over story. I thought the prose was beautiful. What a creative way to tell a difficult story.
Thank you to SIMON Teen for the NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Though this book doesn’t come out until August, April is Poetry month and so I thought it was fitting. It is always hard to rate nonfiction, so I am
Rating the prose and delivery over story. I thought the prose was beautiful. What a creative way to tell a difficult story.
August 5, 2025
It’s a bit difficult to write a review for nonfiction but this was such a creative way to tell this story. It was raw and filled with rage, grief, and empowerment. Getting help and letting your voice be heard were very relevant in this. I really enjoyed the writing style, it was so beautifully done.
(Note: I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity!)
Read For
✓ Poetry
✓ Healing
✓ Memoir
✓ Hurt/Comfort
✓ Finding Your Voice
⚠️ Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault
𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊
Spice Level: n/a
Sad Level: 💧💧💧💧
Enjoyability: 7/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Would I Recommend? Yes
Favorite Quote: ❝The furious mother split time into seasons, ripped off green leaves, clenched them until they crumbled in chilled air.❞
Pages: 320
Format: eBook
Language: English
Release Date: 05, August 2025
July 27, 2025
I cannot rave about this enough, and I do believe that this book will have a special place in my spirit for a long time. the honesty that it takes for a survivor to write this kind of a book is incredible, and as one myself, this meant the world to me, especially since I am also a poet and only know how to really express these things through writing. and I mean... a memoir made entirely of poetry???? like??? WHAT AMAZING!!!! I loved this so much, and it was hard and sometimes activating, it was beautiful and good and hopeful.
Read
April 19, 2025Didn't finish in time for the ARC reading. While beautifully written, it reads more like a collection of poems than a novel in verse. Each poem is quite meaty, and there's not much clear narrative drive--at least not enough for me to get much reading momentum. Also unsure how to feel about how race was addressed--don't want to speak too much on in though since I know I didn't finish reading, and there may have been more as the book progressed..
February 23, 2025
I received this arc through my job. This is a gorgeous memoir in verse and oh do I just love you and feel for you Jeannine Atkins. Every woman needs to read this
September 3, 2025
Two women in my family are rape survivors, and I was a bit afraid to read this. But the scorching vulnerability and the rage echoed in me in a kind of painful and beautiful way as I read.
"Quiet as ghosts, we make our bodies into a courthouse
where we're not only victim, but judge, jury, lawyers.
...
Why didn't you try harder to run?
Why didn't you scream louder, longer?"
"Everyone has stories that take years, not minutes, to tell.
While rocks are battered by waves,
sand ever so slowly, beautifully crumbles."
"Like with the women called witches
who drowned when dunked, the only proof
she fought hard enough is as if she's dead."
Jeannine's lifeline is writing, and as she finds her voice, she also finds a way to let her rage and pain out. When she flaps and spins and cries at the drunk frat boy shouting at her, I am so utterly relieved and encouraged.
I also have family members who have struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts. The poem "On Our Way Home," about the small acts that have unknown large results just about broke me. I keep answering the phone, but what if I'm not there to answer one day? One of my biggest fears.
This was a hard book for me to read. But I'm glad I did. I'm still thinking about the book weeks after reading it, and I think I'll continue to do so. It reminds me of the things I need to do to support other women. It reminds me of how dangerous our world is, and how we can still make beauty in the midst of danger.
"Quiet as ghosts, we make our bodies into a courthouse
where we're not only victim, but judge, jury, lawyers.
...
Why didn't you try harder to run?
Why didn't you scream louder, longer?"
"Everyone has stories that take years, not minutes, to tell.
While rocks are battered by waves,
sand ever so slowly, beautifully crumbles."
"Like with the women called witches
who drowned when dunked, the only proof
she fought hard enough is as if she's dead."
Jeannine's lifeline is writing, and as she finds her voice, she also finds a way to let her rage and pain out. When she flaps and spins and cries at the drunk frat boy shouting at her, I am so utterly relieved and encouraged.
I also have family members who have struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts. The poem "On Our Way Home," about the small acts that have unknown large results just about broke me. I keep answering the phone, but what if I'm not there to answer one day? One of my biggest fears.
This was a hard book for me to read. But I'm glad I did. I'm still thinking about the book weeks after reading it, and I think I'll continue to do so. It reminds me of the things I need to do to support other women. It reminds me of how dangerous our world is, and how we can still make beauty in the midst of danger.
September 16, 2025
In Knocking on Windows, author Jeannine Atkins pens a memoir through the lens of poetry—both her own and that of poets who affected her life. Grouped sometimes chronologically, sometimes topically, these poems tell the story of Atkins's personal trauma, and how that trauma extended into every area of her life.
As a college student attempting to look forward and find her voice as a poet, she finds comfort in the lives of other women who have endured similar suffering. Sylvia Plath becomes a regular touchstone, as does Emily Dickinson. As she and the people close to her explore what it means to be a writer, she considers relationships, parenthood, the aftermath of sexual assault, and how the people around us respond to the tragedies and traumas in our own lives.
Usually I do not review memoirs. I tend to stick to fictional works and the occasional science-adjacent nonfiction. But I gave Atkins a chance, and I was wowed. It's not an easy read, as she speaks frankly about traumatic issues, but she sketches her complicated feelings out in a way that will resonate to many. Seeing her find peace and comfort in her writing, and eventually in the companionship of a fellow creative willing to meet her where she is, is a wonderful upshot, even (and especially) in the wake of all she loses and leaves behind. Even if you're not sure if this is for you, give it a few pages. You may be surprised.
As a college student attempting to look forward and find her voice as a poet, she finds comfort in the lives of other women who have endured similar suffering. Sylvia Plath becomes a regular touchstone, as does Emily Dickinson. As she and the people close to her explore what it means to be a writer, she considers relationships, parenthood, the aftermath of sexual assault, and how the people around us respond to the tragedies and traumas in our own lives.
Usually I do not review memoirs. I tend to stick to fictional works and the occasional science-adjacent nonfiction. But I gave Atkins a chance, and I was wowed. It's not an easy read, as she speaks frankly about traumatic issues, but she sketches her complicated feelings out in a way that will resonate to many. Seeing her find peace and comfort in her writing, and eventually in the companionship of a fellow creative willing to meet her where she is, is a wonderful upshot, even (and especially) in the wake of all she loses and leaves behind. Even if you're not sure if this is for you, give it a few pages. You may be surprised.
September 15, 2025
Jeannine Atkins' memoir in verse, "Knocking on Windows," bravely and candidly shares her arduous journey of recovery from a scathing attack of rape at age 18, her struggles with her mother's silences in the aftermath, and her slow movement from wary vigilance and self-doubt to mature strength, discerning trust, hard-won wisdom, and love. It also chronicles a writer's journey -- particularly a young woman writer's -- from insecurity to self-realization, as she seeks mentors, perseveres through disappointing encounters with male professors, finds inspiring hope in women poets, and discovers her own voice and her authentic calling.
For girls and women who have survived sexual assault, "Knocking on Windows" may offer solace and hope; for boys and men, it may offer important revelations about the psychic trauma inflicted on women by sexual violence.
For artists of all genders, Jeannine Atkin's powerfully written book provides a model of how to persevere through the doubts and disappointments that creative people encounter, and it offers as well a validating note of ultimate triumph.
For all of us, "Knocking on Windows" is a meticulously crafted, luminous book that glows with a message of courage and resilience.
Highly recommended.
For girls and women who have survived sexual assault, "Knocking on Windows" may offer solace and hope; for boys and men, it may offer important revelations about the psychic trauma inflicted on women by sexual violence.
For artists of all genders, Jeannine Atkin's powerfully written book provides a model of how to persevere through the doubts and disappointments that creative people encounter, and it offers as well a validating note of ultimate triumph.
For all of us, "Knocking on Windows" is a meticulously crafted, luminous book that glows with a message of courage and resilience.
Highly recommended.
August 9, 2025
"Bruised, bleeding, we knock
and knock on windows, peer in.
Our knuckles hurt. Who can see
girls pleading for a way home?
Car lights flicker and disappear".
This memoir echoes the trauma Atkins endured. At first, the narrative is fragmented by the depression and silence she suffers. As the book progresses, and she begins to heal and connect with people around her, the writing moves to a more linear format.
Since her own mother is distant, unsupportive, and incapable of properly dealing with her own illness, and her father only shows a scrap of support, Atkins is left in a sea of suffering without words and tools to find healing. Atkins copes with her neglect and pain through writing. She identifies strongly with past female poets like Platt, Angelou, and Dickinson. Some of her most powerful writing analyzes those writers in relation to her own pain through her own poems.
Through verse, Atkins tackles the nuances of extraordinary trauma with honesty and strength while capturing a voice that starts numb and unsure to one that is questioning and much more self-assured.
This isn't a light read by any means, but it is a necessary one.
and knock on windows, peer in.
Our knuckles hurt. Who can see
girls pleading for a way home?
Car lights flicker and disappear".
This memoir echoes the trauma Atkins endured. At first, the narrative is fragmented by the depression and silence she suffers. As the book progresses, and she begins to heal and connect with people around her, the writing moves to a more linear format.
Since her own mother is distant, unsupportive, and incapable of properly dealing with her own illness, and her father only shows a scrap of support, Atkins is left in a sea of suffering without words and tools to find healing. Atkins copes with her neglect and pain through writing. She identifies strongly with past female poets like Platt, Angelou, and Dickinson. Some of her most powerful writing analyzes those writers in relation to her own pain through her own poems.
Through verse, Atkins tackles the nuances of extraordinary trauma with honesty and strength while capturing a voice that starts numb and unsure to one that is questioning and much more self-assured.
This isn't a light read by any means, but it is a necessary one.
October 31, 2025
This book is the perfect example of how verse/poetry can say things without saying them, heightening the details given and punching the emotional impact. Each poem is so well crafted that though the subject matter is difficult, readers can savor the language. Each poem was well chosen and well placed to move the memoir forward through Atkins' return home from college after being raped through her healing process in part thanks to the works of other women poets and her own writing, to stability and happiness.
Atkins soaks in Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson, and Maya Angelou as she returns to university and works to find her own writing voice. She seeks help in dealing with her trauma and finds that she must find her own way. She maintains a select few relationships and wonders which of them she can truly trust.
Through it all, she turns to literature--reading and writing--as a way to find herself again and a way to go beyond herself.
I borrowed a copy from my library and almost immediately realized that I must buy a copy because I was bookmarking almost every page for a beautiful or powerful line. I look forward to spending more time with this book.
Atkins soaks in Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson, and Maya Angelou as she returns to university and works to find her own writing voice. She seeks help in dealing with her trauma and finds that she must find her own way. She maintains a select few relationships and wonders which of them she can truly trust.
Through it all, she turns to literature--reading and writing--as a way to find herself again and a way to go beyond herself.
I borrowed a copy from my library and almost immediately realized that I must buy a copy because I was bookmarking almost every page for a beautiful or powerful line. I look forward to spending more time with this book.
August 4, 2025
This was a beautifully rendered book, both poignant and inspirational despite the difficult subject matter, and an example of how writing--as hard as it is--can ultimately save us from the impact of unimaginable trauma. Atkins's interweaving of her own journey on the writing path with the stories of women writer "giants" who came before her like Sylvia Plath and Maya Angelou, who also survived sexual assault, sheds a necessary light on the numerous ways women are still victimized by societal mores. Yet, the message is coupled with a stronger shine on Atkins's triumph as she reclaims not only her writing voice, but her life.
September 6, 2025
Book Review⭐️⭐️
Knocking on Windows by Jeannine Atkins
Thank you to @SimonTeen and @NetGalley for the #gifted book.
Acclaimed author Jeannine Atkins shares her story in a memoir-in-verse that explores memory, healing, and finding her voice as a writer. While I admire the bravery and vulnerability it took to create this book, I’ll be honest—it just wasn’t for me. The writing style and story didn’t click, and I struggled to connect with it. Still, I can see how this may resonate deeply with others, especially those who enjoy lyrical, reflective reads.
Knocking on Windows by Jeannine Atkins
Thank you to @SimonTeen and @NetGalley for the #gifted book.
Acclaimed author Jeannine Atkins shares her story in a memoir-in-verse that explores memory, healing, and finding her voice as a writer. While I admire the bravery and vulnerability it took to create this book, I’ll be honest—it just wasn’t for me. The writing style and story didn’t click, and I struggled to connect with it. Still, I can see how this may resonate deeply with others, especially those who enjoy lyrical, reflective reads.
October 1, 2025
Reading 2025
Book 192: Knocking on Windows: A Memoir by Jeannine Atkins
Book 15 of #30booksin30days is a memoir in verse that I read on my Kindle. Love memoirs, so when I saw one that was written in verse had to grab it.
Quick Take: Well as excited as I was about reading this memoir, it fell flat for me. The verse was repetitive and jumped around all over the place, sometimes from one line to the next. It was hard to follow. The topic is raw and traumatic, so thank you to the author for the courage to share that part of her life with the readers. My rating 3.5⭐️
Book 192: Knocking on Windows: A Memoir by Jeannine Atkins
Book 15 of #30booksin30days is a memoir in verse that I read on my Kindle. Love memoirs, so when I saw one that was written in verse had to grab it.
Quick Take: Well as excited as I was about reading this memoir, it fell flat for me. The verse was repetitive and jumped around all over the place, sometimes from one line to the next. It was hard to follow. The topic is raw and traumatic, so thank you to the author for the courage to share that part of her life with the readers. My rating 3.5⭐️
May 8, 2025
A truly gorgeous and masterfully-executed image system drives this memoir-in-verse that finds 18-year-old Jeannine returning from college in Florida to her childhood home in Massachussetts as she tries to heal, physically and emotionally, from rape. By writing poem-letters to female heroes (including Sylvia Plath, Maya Angelou, and Emily Dickinson), Jeannine finds her voice as a poet--and the strength to carry on.
A moving story with crossover appeal for new adult readers.
A moving story with crossover appeal for new adult readers.
August 5, 2025
You know I was drawn to this book because of the cover and title, right? I wasn’t ready for the pages of power. Wow. Knocking on Windows isn’t just a memoir—it’s a gut-punch wrapped in poetry. Told entirely in verse, this powerful book follows Jeannine as she flees college, trying to piece herself back together after rape. And while the subject matter is heavy, the way it’s told? Absolutely stunning.
Jeannine writes poem-letters to fierce women—as she slowly reclaims her voice and identity. It’s raw, it’s honest, and at times it’ll leave you in tears or full of rage (sometimes both). The imagery throughout is masterful, and somehow, amidst all the heartbreak, there’s hope.
This isn’t just a book—it’s a tribute to survivors and the power of poetry to heal. It’s hard and beautiful and brave as hell. If you read it, don’t be surprised if it stays with you for a long time.
Jeannine writes poem-letters to fierce women—as she slowly reclaims her voice and identity. It’s raw, it’s honest, and at times it’ll leave you in tears or full of rage (sometimes both). The imagery throughout is masterful, and somehow, amidst all the heartbreak, there’s hope.
This isn’t just a book—it’s a tribute to survivors and the power of poetry to heal. It’s hard and beautiful and brave as hell. If you read it, don’t be surprised if it stays with you for a long time.
November 12, 2025
I didn’t find myself enjoying this book very much. I never learned much about the narrator or what she likes (outside of poetry which arguably doesn’t count) so I found it especially hard to relate with her. I also disliked a majority of the other characters so it was rather grueling to get by. A lot of things felt incomplete and unsaid which left me wanting more answers. The subject matter is so important but I’m struggling to like anything else about this memoir.
August 8, 2025
This renowned author of books about overlooked women of history shares a powerful verse memoir of how she reclaimed her voice after being raped in her freshman year of college. She drew strength from her readings of Sylvia Plath’s works, and the way she interweaves Plath’s story into the narrative is powerful.
September 5, 2025
KNOCKING ON WINDOWS is Jeannine Atkins' memoir-in-verse about healing from trauma and finding her voice as a writer. It's immersive, emotional and healing, all wrapped into a single book. Find my podcast interview with her here: https://www.alitlife.com/2025/09/02/w...
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October 17, 2025Graded By: Brian
Cover Story: Why Did it Have to Be Bees?
Drinking Buddy: Yes
MPAA Rating: R (sexual assault)
Talky Talk: The More Things Change
Bonus Factors: Poetry
Bromance Status: Prolific
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Why Did it Have to Be Bees?
Drinking Buddy: Yes
MPAA Rating: R (sexual assault)
Talky Talk: The More Things Change
Bonus Factors: Poetry
Bromance Status: Prolific
Read the full book report here.
November 1, 2025
This is a really powerful memoir in verse - it’s a love letter to writing and authors and persevering, and in the first half in particular I found myself folding down page after page to go back to later.
I didn’t resonate with the second half quite as much, but her writing about writing, brutal honesty, vulnerability, and determination to find and be her best self were inspiring
I didn’t resonate with the second half quite as much, but her writing about writing, brutal honesty, vulnerability, and determination to find and be her best self were inspiring
August 10, 2025
An important and honest book that demonstrates how long (never-ending?) the recovery from trauma can be. But also, how reading and writing can save us.
She forever changed the way I think about the story of Demeter.
She forever changed the way I think about the story of Demeter.
November 14, 2025
This book was absolutely breathtaking. It is Jeanine Atkins memoir and it is written in the form of one to two page free written poems.
This is written beautifully, and has amazing perspectives on life and death and living.
An wonderful book any girl should read.
This is written beautifully, and has amazing perspectives on life and death and living.
An wonderful book any girl should read.
September 8, 2025
Memoir in free verse by a young woman who was raped early in her first year of university, and how it affected her life going forward.
September 17, 2025
Very hard to read but if you're in the headspace I would recommend it because it's very real, raw and very unforgettable. I don't even usually read memoirs.
September 22, 2025
Memoir in verse shares the author's experience in the aftermath of her attack (first semester of college).
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