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Night-Blooming Jasmin(n)e: Personal Essays and Poetry
For Jasminne Méndez, pericardial effusion and pericarditis are not just an abnormal accumulation of fluid and increased inflammation around the heart. It s what happens when you stifle the tears and pain of a miscarriage, infertility and chronic illness for so long that your heart does the crying for you until it begins to drown because its tears have nowhere to go.
Diagnosed with scleroderma at 22 and lupus just six years later, her life becomes a roller coaster of doctor visits, medical tests and procedures. Staring at EKG results that look like hieroglyphics, she realizes that she doesn t want to understand The language of a life lived with chronic illness is not something I want to adapt to. I cannot let this hostile vocabulary hijack my story.
The daughter of Dominican immigrants, Méndez fought for independence against her overly-protective parents, obtaining a full scholarship to college, a dream job after school and a master s degree shortly thereafter. But the full-time job with medical insurance doesn t satisfy her urge to write and perform, so she leaves it in search of creative fulfillment. In this stirring collection of personal essays and poetry, Méndez shares her story, writing about encounters with the medical establishment, experiences as an Afro Latina and longing for the life she expected but that eludes her.
Diagnosed with scleroderma at 22 and lupus just six years later, her life becomes a roller coaster of doctor visits, medical tests and procedures. Staring at EKG results that look like hieroglyphics, she realizes that she doesn t want to understand The language of a life lived with chronic illness is not something I want to adapt to. I cannot let this hostile vocabulary hijack my story.
The daughter of Dominican immigrants, Méndez fought for independence against her overly-protective parents, obtaining a full scholarship to college, a dream job after school and a master s degree shortly thereafter. But the full-time job with medical insurance doesn t satisfy her urge to write and perform, so she leaves it in search of creative fulfillment. In this stirring collection of personal essays and poetry, Méndez shares her story, writing about encounters with the medical establishment, experiences as an Afro Latina and longing for the life she expected but that eludes her.
- GenresPoetryNonfiction
160 pages, Paperback
First published April 30, 2018
6 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
About the author
Jasminne Mendez
15 books62 followersJASMINNE MÉNDEZ is a Macondo and Canto Mundo Fellow, as well as a Voices of Our Nations Arts (VONA) alumna. She is the author of a multi-genre memoir, Island of Dreams (2013), winner of an International Latino Book Award. She lives and works in Houston, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 17, 2018
Jasminne Mendez's "Night Blooming Jasmin(n)e" is the follow-up book that her terrific first collection, "Island of Dreams" deserves. Mendez's new collection is raw, nuanced, heart-wrenching, and poignant while showing the beauty of humanity and the power of friends and family. That Mendez does this within an Afro-Latina context only adds to the weight of this important collection. Put simply, these stories are underrepresented. As the book shows, women of color disproportionately suffer from chronic illnesses such as lupus, yet government funding and research on the illness is brushed aside, much like the experiences of Afro-Latinas in the United States. Now is the time to address these issues and Mendez's collection offers the perfect entry point into this discussion. Powerful powerful work here. I simply couldn't put this book down!
August 6, 2018
I am always impressed by writing that creates layers but reads subtly. The poet, can be an excellent essayist or memoirist, because of what poetry demands. Mendez is skillful in her work, the tone of her essays draw us into the point that we are part of her daily experience with chronic illness—its "everyday-ness." As a Dominican American, the cultural and immigrant experiences shared in the poetry and prose rekindle many memories. I highly recommend this collection, it is written in a budding tradition of Afro-Latinx writers making their mark on the literary scene.
May 26, 2018
Let’s start by saying that this for me what like reading my friend’s diary. Jasminne and I became friends toward the end of the brunt of her symptoms. Wait! Don’t say that it’s over. With chronic illness, there’s not an ending per say. And that’s one of the gems of this memoir, the learning curve is quick and visceral. Jasminne takes the reader on a narrative journey, life right before the illness and right into the heart of it. Through doctors visits, marrying the love of her life, and the symptoms that result in life and body alterations, these are the ups and downs of living with chronic illness.
What’s surprising (but not really surprising if you talk to Jasminne about it ) is that there is no nostalgia here. There is pragmatism. But there is also hurt and pain. However, glory does come in the quiet spaces.
This memoir uses creative nonfiction and poetry masterfully. As discussed in the podcast, the goal of every writer despite their genre is to become a master storyteller. Jasminne sharpens her tools on the flint of her chronic illnesses. She uses narrative nonfiction to keep the pacing and for movement of the storyline, what a traditional memoir does. However, poetry is for exploration. It doesn’t stop the pacing but takes a deeper dive, telling the reader that moments deserve to be observed, understood, and taken in by a form of osmosis. Jasminne’s pain becomes the reader’s pain. Her anger, the reader’s anger. Her new vocabulary, the one she learned as she sought more information on her illness, is now the reader’s vocabulary. And as her skin tights and fluid fill her heart, the reader becomes breathless.
One of the toughest parts for me was the story of her miscarriage. I am infertile, and it’s a topic Jasminne as I have discussed. The pain of losing a life as her took drastic changes not only makes the reader break down but assume the fetal position with grief. And like the rest of the memoir, this isn’t nostalgic which adds to the heartbreak.
Listen, I was obviously going to tell you to buy my friend’s book, but this is a story that needs to be read. This memoir will not only deepen your understanding of chronic illness but the impact it has on lives, expectations, and how life takes form despite challenges. What is it like to fight through this? What is it like to win? What does winning look like for someone with chronic illness? In short, what is it like to bloom despite it all? Jasminne Mendez knows and she continues to battle through it. This book is a big body shot against the illness and its mystique.
What’s surprising (but not really surprising if you talk to Jasminne about it ) is that there is no nostalgia here. There is pragmatism. But there is also hurt and pain. However, glory does come in the quiet spaces.
This memoir uses creative nonfiction and poetry masterfully. As discussed in the podcast, the goal of every writer despite their genre is to become a master storyteller. Jasminne sharpens her tools on the flint of her chronic illnesses. She uses narrative nonfiction to keep the pacing and for movement of the storyline, what a traditional memoir does. However, poetry is for exploration. It doesn’t stop the pacing but takes a deeper dive, telling the reader that moments deserve to be observed, understood, and taken in by a form of osmosis. Jasminne’s pain becomes the reader’s pain. Her anger, the reader’s anger. Her new vocabulary, the one she learned as she sought more information on her illness, is now the reader’s vocabulary. And as her skin tights and fluid fill her heart, the reader becomes breathless.
One of the toughest parts for me was the story of her miscarriage. I am infertile, and it’s a topic Jasminne as I have discussed. The pain of losing a life as her took drastic changes not only makes the reader break down but assume the fetal position with grief. And like the rest of the memoir, this isn’t nostalgic which adds to the heartbreak.
Listen, I was obviously going to tell you to buy my friend’s book, but this is a story that needs to be read. This memoir will not only deepen your understanding of chronic illness but the impact it has on lives, expectations, and how life takes form despite challenges. What is it like to fight through this? What is it like to win? What does winning look like for someone with chronic illness? In short, what is it like to bloom despite it all? Jasminne Mendez knows and she continues to battle through it. This book is a big body shot against the illness and its mystique.
July 24, 2023
I enjoyed some parts of this book , I enjoyed some of the essays over the poetry. But although this wasn’t my favorite read, I enjoyed the writers voice and how she presented the stories.
February 26, 2021
Jasminne Méndez writes what many of us have trouble talking about: discomfort, chronic illness, miscarriage, infertility, death. She also writes about love and *with* love. She illustrates illness with patient, beautiful poems and explores the journey toward acceptance/okayness (because some medical journeys have no "cure") with short, plainspoken essays.
This book is for anyone who has glimpsed the toxic side of the U.S. healthcare system. You are not alone.
This book is for any woman who has struggled with their body, who has wondered if she's broken. (Hint: You're not, but it helps to feel seen.)
This book is for anyone who wants to hear said the things that usually live in silence.
This book is for reading slowly. Don't rush. These things need to sit.
This book is for reading and then listening and watching Jasminne Méndez talk about her work and her life. She's brillante.
This book is for anyone who has glimpsed the toxic side of the U.S. healthcare system. You are not alone.
This book is for any woman who has struggled with their body, who has wondered if she's broken. (Hint: You're not, but it helps to feel seen.)
This book is for anyone who wants to hear said the things that usually live in silence.
This book is for reading slowly. Don't rush. These things need to sit.
This book is for reading and then listening and watching Jasminne Méndez talk about her work and her life. She's brillante.
April 16, 2021
I loved this book. I came across it while browsing on Amazon and it really stuck out to me because of the title/ authors name and the experience with a chronic illness. Seeing a woman of color who was diagnosed with a chronic disease share her story made me feel less lonely. Her words were poetic and led me to tears several times. I want to read everything she writes from now on.
April 12, 2022
An incredible mix of poetry and prose, this Afro-Latinx poet takes us through the body that holds and betrays her. I couldn't put it down. So glad to see her work has gotten bigger press lately. I'm a lifelong fan!
February 14, 2025
"In her stillness we found grace."
April 5, 2021
excelente libro! es una memoria sobre experiencias de vida de la autora que toca diferentes temas como infertilidad, ser mujer, familia, y el tener una enfermedad cronica. este libro esta escrito de manera fantastica, excelente, real y emocional. me toco bastante. honestamente no se que mas decir mas que leanlo!
May 18, 2025
really loved the back and forth between the prose and poetry, though found myself more drawn to the essays. there were, however, certain poems that really stood out to me. found myself being incredibly frustrated with the handling of haitian and dominican history, and also mendez’s shallow attempts to decolonize and rid herself of her internalized anti blackness
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews