Raw

by Hana Malik

Raw is a collection of poetry written to unveil thoughts on concepts such as self-love, forgiveness, survival and cultural-identity.

Genres: Poetry

40 pages, Paperback

Published May 10, 2016

Reviews

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

this collection was certainly raw. to me it was that Hana did not mince words or meaning, which is valuable in the present climate.

[Fatuma Abdullahi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poetry book, I never really thought I'd be the type of person reading this, poetry was most definitely not my type but after reading this and Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur I plan on reading so much more. I've thought of poetry as rhyming letters and honestly I suck at my making words rhyme so I steered away from that type of writing. This book shows a lot of rawness.. haha get it? It talks a lot of feelings and what the author went through or people went through. This is a very interesting book and I definitely recommended this book to all my fellow poets and readers.

[sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was beautiful and amazing and raw all at once.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me it is one of the most beautiful books I’ve read. It’s so raw. And it made me think so much. It’s so short, but it’s okay, the book is so awesome.

[Duaah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read many books throughout the past couple of months but RAW was the first book I read in 2017. To kick in the new year with such an amazing book was a blessing. RAW is a collection of poetry on Hana Malik’s perspective on growing up as a Muslim in America. She found herself trying to find a balance in everything and I can relate to almost everything she wrote.There aren’t many books that i’ve read from Middle Eastern authors that have been this open. My first literary device is how I was able to relate and picture myself in her shoes as I read her work. She spoke about her mother “i’ve tried so hard to break free from you. I always thought being independent meant being alone. And I wonder how much of who I am is who you were”(9). Being the child of first generation immigrants is hard, you find yourself craving freedom and often fighting with your parents for not understanding. They aren’t use to a lot of the customs that are in this land but you want them to be. As you grow up you just want to move out and start fresh. But then suddenly when you move out it’s about how you need them more than you did when you were young. You even begin to see glimpses of them in things you do and I believe that’s the moment when you truly grow up. When you understand where their ideas were coming from all those years. My second literary device was the diction she used throughout the variety of poems she wrote. The topics she was writing about her were sensitive, she had to pick the right words to be able to give out the message she wanted to deliver. She wrote “the country I would die for is killing me. My death can not speak for me. Colored skin is not inferior, it is a blessing”(4). Politics and race are topics that people trend around very carefully because it is very use to offend others. People have many different opinions so she had to pick words that wouldn’t rile up other’s too badly. She was very considerate about her word choice, people would have called her out if she wasn’t. Lastly her tone spoke volumes over everything. While her diction was strong, her tone was gentle and soothing. She explained “ if you have woken and gotten out of bed, you have already done the hardest part. And the rest will be better”(20). Many times things are so bad that we forget to notice even our littlest accomplishments. Everyone goes through different things at different things, but she tells the reader that everything will be okay. I would recommend this book to someone who loves poetry or even to someone who’s never read poetry. This book may be the reason they start to go more into poetry. But for a more specific recommendation, to anyone who likes the book Milk and Honey, you’ll like this.

[Megan Parker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did I really spend my money on this? ...... I bought this because it was in my suggested reads on Amazon. This sounded just like a poetry project I did in 10th grade where I half-assed 10 quick poems the night before it was due.

[Celia Buell (semi hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love those little books of profound poetry that take no time to read but make me feel quite a bit better. They help me to be a better person myself, and it's great just to sit and read modern feminist poetry by and for women.

[Asif · Rating 5 out of 5]

wickedly written from a talented hard working girl. You can sense the household she grew up in with her background and how it translates to words. It is a must read!

[Katriona · Rating 2 out of 5]

underwhelmed.

[Crystel Allain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and Raw. Best way to describe this book. I enjoyed her writing, I just wish it were longer. How to forgive was my favorite. I'd really like to see more from Hana Malik.

[Najwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book may be short... but its so worth it. It's worth the money it costs and honestly, I love having this book in collection. I really hope Hana comes out with another book soon.

The way that its written is absolutely beautiful. I didn't know it was possible to explain so many ideas and concepts and important ideas within society the way that she did.

This book leaves you in awe, leaves you questioning and reflecting. And most of all, you learn. There are very important life lessons in this book that really make you think.

[Lilah El-Halabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow and but building poetry book. It took so much time developing an attachment to the scenarios in the cliche book. The poems would be strong and conclusive, then next be dull or repetitive. It was a book that could be created by many, but brought up specific, and unspecific detail. Kinda lost me within the quick read.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ordered this book online for $17 and was disappointed when it arrived. I didn't realise that this book was 40 pages long and a quarter of the width of my pinky nail. The poetry was very good and the poems heartfelt but to me but for a five minute read (I did time myself, weird I know) it was definitely not worth the money.

[Denise Kollock · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do not think it's a terrible read, however, I wished I saw more because the potential is up there! I hope that they put out more work in the future because there were some poems I gravitated to!

FULL REVIEW: https://denisekollock.wixsite.com/mis...

[Jennifer]

Very short collection of poems, but a nice array of thoughts and emotions.

This would be a useful way to intro a poetry unit in a creative writing class because the poems are quite accessible. Students could create their own collections, inspired by this book.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Smoke Signals" was excellent... the rest underwhelmed.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful poetry in a tiny little book.

[Emma Pincay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not much of a poetry reader but I have learned to appreciate it, but to be honest this was not my favorite book. Out of the 25 or so poems I liked a couple.

[Brittnay Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it

I love poetry & this was amazing!!! I would definitely recommend to others to read :) :) :) :) a