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Invasive species
In Invasive species, Marwa Helal's searing politically charged poems touch on our collective humanity and build new pathways for empathy, etching themselves into memory. This work centers on urgent themes in our cultural landscape, creating space for unseen victims of discriminatory foreign (read: immigration) policy: migrants, refugees—the displaced. Helal transfers lived experiences of dislocation and relocation onto the reader by obscuring borders through language.
131 pages, Paperback
First published January 8, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
February 13, 2019
I think everyone should read this.
I really do. In some breaths Claudia Rankine, in others Whitman, Ms. Helal pulls threads from poetry and science and politics together to craft a visually, sonically, and emotionally stunning landscape. Invasive Species was an articulate, formally sophisticated work that I found to be a strong and fresh voice on the topic of immigration and cultural identity. It knocked my socks off. It was a multi-media magnum opus of art and social criticism, both cutting and tender. Without sentimentality (Keith), Marwa presents a tripartite exploration of a story both personal and global. I'm not being coherent about it because it was that good.
If you're not heavily into poetry, be sure to muscle through the first section. Even if the first sections isn't your thing (it should be, it's brilliant and disorienting and /so/ smart about the use of traditional and invented forms), you need to make it to the center. Like any good morsel, the middle is the crux of the delight. While the middle section (my favorite, obviously) is emotionally difficult to belt through in one sitting, and perhaps it should be taken in over time, the final section provides a sort of loose purity, a kind of catharsis, even as it expands and explores the issues prevented in the earlier two sections.
That may also have been incomprehensible. JUST READ IT, OKAY?
I really do. In some breaths Claudia Rankine, in others Whitman, Ms. Helal pulls threads from poetry and science and politics together to craft a visually, sonically, and emotionally stunning landscape. Invasive Species was an articulate, formally sophisticated work that I found to be a strong and fresh voice on the topic of immigration and cultural identity. It knocked my socks off. It was a multi-media magnum opus of art and social criticism, both cutting and tender. Without sentimentality (Keith), Marwa presents a tripartite exploration of a story both personal and global. I'm not being coherent about it because it was that good.
If you're not heavily into poetry, be sure to muscle through the first section. Even if the first sections isn't your thing (it should be, it's brilliant and disorienting and /so/ smart about the use of traditional and invented forms), you need to make it to the center. Like any good morsel, the middle is the crux of the delight. While the middle section (my favorite, obviously) is emotionally difficult to belt through in one sitting, and perhaps it should be taken in over time, the final section provides a sort of loose purity, a kind of catharsis, even as it expands and explores the issues prevented in the earlier two sections.
That may also have been incomprehensible. JUST READ IT, OKAY?
February 22, 2020
I devoured this book in a single evening. I was hungry for it. Every word of it is brilliant—Marwa Helal innovates new forms, turns the gaze of America back on itself, surveills the surveillers. This book should be required reading in the US, particular for those whose privilege inures them to the violence of the American immigration system.
May 26, 2019
This was amazing. Her poems made me feel angry, made me cry, made me laugh, and raised my arm hairs. I am glad that she shared her story and that I got to go along for the ride in this book.
May 15, 2021
I was disappointed by this so-called poetry book. It is NOT poetry to me.
Some parts resembled poetry and I liked how the author rearranged and recreated the language to make it her own. The story told by the author revolves around her journey and struggle to become a United States citizen even though she had been raised and educated there. It was moving and infuriating at times, given the unfairness of some situations.
However, I wouldn't call this book poetry. It resembles contemporary art and non fiction in some aspects as the author uses raw definitions from the dictionary of the word Asylum for example, prioritising the meaning over the form.
It also adds uncanny elements to justify the title of the book, with a picture of a newspaper about aquatic invasive species for example. I get that this name is related to being an immigrant in a country that does not want you in it, but adding the newspaper there, while innovative and original for a "poetry" book, does not add anything significant nor poetic to the overall meaning of the title.
I was disappointed by the book because it didn't meet the expectations and idea of it I had formed. I didn't know -and didn't look into it before buying the book- that the core of it would be immigration, racism, and the feelings of having two countries, two homes, yet, feeling estranged and singled out, and that this would be in the form of a narrative rather than in poems.
Yet the theme allows for an honest and heartfelt recollection of feelings and events from the author, both the form and the content didn't live up to the challenge. It feels like the beginning of something, but overall it was too much like a collection of thoughts, definitions, quotes from other authors, parts in Arabic that were not translated, statistics about immigration, newspapers pieces and emails, and not enough like a poetry book.
Just because some texts are in verse, doesn't make it poetry overall to me. Most of the book is in prose, and retells her immigration journey from A to Z (literally using the Latin alphabet and associating a letter to something linked to her journey e.g. G is Green Card). The book is hard to label though, perhaps autobiography in some ways or nonfiction.
The book feels more like an attempt at contemporary art than poetry. I would have enjoyed it if it had been an art exhibition. I feel the form chosen wasn't suited. It also could have been a documentary, a journey tale or a dictionary. I paid 15 euros for this book, and that was too much. I would have rather seen an art exhibit instead.
The book is ambitious and I did enjoy some parts that felt more like poetry (only represents around 10% of the book though). I think people who relate to the author's struggles would appreciate it much more than I did.
I do think that good art succeeds in touching, engaging and spurring reflection and admiration in the beauty of the work of art even in people that don't relate to it. It succeeded partially, but I wasn't touched by the form nor the meaning of the "poems" (I can't accept that emails, dictionary definitions, newspapers pictures, scientific abstract etc. are labelled as poems), rather just by the story told.
This book feels too much like an insider book, and I guess it's OK. It probably targets an audience I am not part of, being neither a US resident or citizen nor having experienced any immigration process.
If you're interested in poetry, don't buy this book. Borrow it at the library or something. But it isn't worth spending 15 euros/pounds/dollars on it if it's poetry you're looking for.
If you've experienced immigration struggles or you are living in the US, or have a keen interest in the US immigration system, and like true stories narratives, then go for it.
Some parts resembled poetry and I liked how the author rearranged and recreated the language to make it her own. The story told by the author revolves around her journey and struggle to become a United States citizen even though she had been raised and educated there. It was moving and infuriating at times, given the unfairness of some situations.
However, I wouldn't call this book poetry. It resembles contemporary art and non fiction in some aspects as the author uses raw definitions from the dictionary of the word Asylum for example, prioritising the meaning over the form.
It also adds uncanny elements to justify the title of the book, with a picture of a newspaper about aquatic invasive species for example. I get that this name is related to being an immigrant in a country that does not want you in it, but adding the newspaper there, while innovative and original for a "poetry" book, does not add anything significant nor poetic to the overall meaning of the title.
I was disappointed by the book because it didn't meet the expectations and idea of it I had formed. I didn't know -and didn't look into it before buying the book- that the core of it would be immigration, racism, and the feelings of having two countries, two homes, yet, feeling estranged and singled out, and that this would be in the form of a narrative rather than in poems.
Yet the theme allows for an honest and heartfelt recollection of feelings and events from the author, both the form and the content didn't live up to the challenge. It feels like the beginning of something, but overall it was too much like a collection of thoughts, definitions, quotes from other authors, parts in Arabic that were not translated, statistics about immigration, newspapers pieces and emails, and not enough like a poetry book.
Just because some texts are in verse, doesn't make it poetry overall to me. Most of the book is in prose, and retells her immigration journey from A to Z (literally using the Latin alphabet and associating a letter to something linked to her journey e.g. G is Green Card). The book is hard to label though, perhaps autobiography in some ways or nonfiction.
The book feels more like an attempt at contemporary art than poetry. I would have enjoyed it if it had been an art exhibition. I feel the form chosen wasn't suited. It also could have been a documentary, a journey tale or a dictionary. I paid 15 euros for this book, and that was too much. I would have rather seen an art exhibit instead.
The book is ambitious and I did enjoy some parts that felt more like poetry (only represents around 10% of the book though). I think people who relate to the author's struggles would appreciate it much more than I did.
I do think that good art succeeds in touching, engaging and spurring reflection and admiration in the beauty of the work of art even in people that don't relate to it. It succeeded partially, but I wasn't touched by the form nor the meaning of the "poems" (I can't accept that emails, dictionary definitions, newspapers pictures, scientific abstract etc. are labelled as poems), rather just by the story told.
This book feels too much like an insider book, and I guess it's OK. It probably targets an audience I am not part of, being neither a US resident or citizen nor having experienced any immigration process.
If you're interested in poetry, don't buy this book. Borrow it at the library or something. But it isn't worth spending 15 euros/pounds/dollars on it if it's poetry you're looking for.
If you've experienced immigration struggles or you are living in the US, or have a keen interest in the US immigration system, and like true stories narratives, then go for it.
June 3, 2019
Read Harder 2019: A collection of poetry published since 2014
While googling the author I came across milquetoast- albeit positive- reviews calling this book of poetry things like "politically-charged." Somehow that seems even more weaselly than saying "racially-charged." 'Racially' at least has 'race' at the root-word. 'Politically-charged' reminds me of people who go "oh, you know, I'm not really political" despite having a history of voting for people who actively harm others.
To describe this work, I'd say it's full of justifiable rage. It's a searing portrayal of the way American bureaucracy dehumanizes people individually and systematically. It's about how racism and xenophobia are behaviors that can be incredibly personal and depersonalized. There's a lot of love here, too; love for her family, for America and Egypt, for nature and for people and how you can't separate them from one another.
As I write this review and mentally quibble over how many stars to give it, there are children being held in concentration camps at the border. America has a stain on its soul and this book dares to name it. This book isn't "politically-charged." The world is politically-charged (makes me think of electrical currents) and this book holds up a mirror to that.
While googling the author I came across milquetoast- albeit positive- reviews calling this book of poetry things like "politically-charged." Somehow that seems even more weaselly than saying "racially-charged." 'Racially' at least has 'race' at the root-word. 'Politically-charged' reminds me of people who go "oh, you know, I'm not really political" despite having a history of voting for people who actively harm others.
To describe this work, I'd say it's full of justifiable rage. It's a searing portrayal of the way American bureaucracy dehumanizes people individually and systematically. It's about how racism and xenophobia are behaviors that can be incredibly personal and depersonalized. There's a lot of love here, too; love for her family, for America and Egypt, for nature and for people and how you can't separate them from one another.
As I write this review and mentally quibble over how many stars to give it, there are children being held in concentration camps at the border. America has a stain on its soul and this book dares to name it. This book isn't "politically-charged." The world is politically-charged (makes me think of electrical currents) and this book holds up a mirror to that.
January 9, 2019
the entire thing is stunning, but I have a particular affinity for the middle section: immigration as a second language. the push of genre is aspirational & inspiring. this is true throughout the collection, but the awareness of language the poems possess is disarming & productive--the poems know they are poems and know they are making up for the failure of language in the failing language. It's heart wrenching even in the most denotated moments. marwa helal is amazing.
July 30, 2020
I'm not sure why I bought this book--maybe I read a review; maybe I came across some of Helal's work on the web. In any event, I'm glad I did--I really enjoyed it.
I expected it to be poetry; while it does contain poetry, I would classify it more as cross-genre memoir. I thought the second section, "Immigration as a Second Language," was especially strong.
I expected it to be poetry; while it does contain poetry, I would classify it more as cross-genre memoir. I thought the second section, "Immigration as a Second Language," was especially strong.
December 13, 2018
This is a hybrid book -- part poetry, part alphabet narrative (immigration A through Z). The book had its moments and the underlying metaphor of immigrants as invasive species worked. My major complaint is that some of the poems try a little too hard to be "edgy."
August 19, 2020
Heartbreaking and poignant. As much a narrative as it is a collection of poems, Marwa Helal's prose is a transportation into her world and a harrowing glimpse at the broken US immigration system and its lifelong trauma.
January 17, 2023
Must be read. Invasive species.
I’ve changed.
“if this was a different kind of story id tell you about the sea”
"Invasive species" by Marwa Helal.
I’ve changed.
“if this was a different kind of story id tell you about the sea”
"Invasive species" by Marwa Helal.
September 1, 2023
Loved: Rage and grief. No honor to the english language, only destruction and rebirth. All my favorites.
::
The notes at the end are also so beloved.
::
The notes at the end are also so beloved.
May 26, 2022
Homeland security's terms: 'legal' or 'illegal'. Both end up with many of the same consequences: soul loss, loss of familial ties, and in some cases, loss of native culture and language. Both terms inherently deny the immigrant's humanity.
So I made my own term: I, Invasive species.
I think I'm just not the right audience for this one. The one element I really liked about this book is the author's connection of "invasive species" to the racist, unjust, and hypocritical process of the American immigration system. Beyond that, however, I really struggled to connect with this one. Firstly, this book is described as poetry, but upwards of 60% of the book reads like (and is styled as) prose. The entire focus of this prose, and the book as a whole, is on the author's infuriating experience with the US immigration process. Despite the emotional topic, I really struggled to connect with the writing. I found it to be a combination of dry storytelling and info dumping. For example, there are many full pages that just repeat definitions of words and restate laws or procedures. The two sections of the book that include poems were as dry as the prose for me. I also felt that a fair number of the poems relied on stylistic formatting (e.g., abnormal spacing, excessive repetition), which I don't usually get or enjoy. Overall, I think there is meaningful story here, but I personally did not connect with the writing style and think that this book is not advertised correctly.
March 4, 2019
we each arrive at the same dream differently: in one the fly goes unnoticed; in another the fly is swatted; the fly crumples; the fly goes free...
In the line above, Marwa Helal is describing the difference between journalists' and poets' approach to the written word. The same could be said of poems: some are meant to soothe, others to paint pictures, and others still, to deliver a message. Invasive Species is definitely not here to soothe. There is no hiding Helal's intent with her emotionally-charged, form-stretching, political debut. She's exposing the hypocrisy of immigration to the U.S., forever changed following 9/11, and all that comes with it.
I do believe it's important to hear stories like Helal's. I am not ignorant to America's poor treatment of refugees and immigrants throughout the past twenty years; I detest our current position, especially.
That said, I did not always enjoy this poetry. The middle section, which read as narrative memoir instead of poetry, riveted me. The bookend sections were where I had quibbles on style over substance, as well as a division of beliefs with the author.
Overall, I think Invasive Species will find an audience, and it will gain haters, too. Anything telling a hard truth is bound to have both.
In the line above, Marwa Helal is describing the difference between journalists' and poets' approach to the written word. The same could be said of poems: some are meant to soothe, others to paint pictures, and others still, to deliver a message. Invasive Species is definitely not here to soothe. There is no hiding Helal's intent with her emotionally-charged, form-stretching, political debut. She's exposing the hypocrisy of immigration to the U.S., forever changed following 9/11, and all that comes with it.
I do believe it's important to hear stories like Helal's. I am not ignorant to America's poor treatment of refugees and immigrants throughout the past twenty years; I detest our current position, especially.
That said, I did not always enjoy this poetry. The middle section, which read as narrative memoir instead of poetry, riveted me. The bookend sections were where I had quibbles on style over substance, as well as a division of beliefs with the author.
Overall, I think Invasive Species will find an audience, and it will gain haters, too. Anything telling a hard truth is bound to have both.
November 29, 2018
This poetry collection is very timely and addresses some difficult topics around insider/outsider status and immigration challenges. My favorite part of this collection is the middle section (the A to Z section) that describes Helal’s difficult immigration pathway into the United States. It’s almost prose but also poetry and very beautifully done. It was emotionally impactful for me. I really appreciated Helal’s show of anger and resentment as well as her hope for a brighter future and a desire to work towards a happier immigration environment. I also loved Helal’s description and explanation of the beautiful cover art. I wish more books would include such an explanation. My one issue with the collection is the strange organization of the various sections. There seem to be several smaller collections included together here, but I got lost in trying to tell where the various parts start and stop. And at the end of the book (I think even after the acknowledgements), there are a few additional poems thrown in. I wasn’t sure what to make of that structure. Is there meaning in it? Or is it just haphazard? Overall, a very accomplished collection.
Read
November 3, 2023razor-sharp and rich. cuts away at the injustices constantly faced by immigrants and feels like a heart laid bare
October 20, 2021
1.5, maybe 2 on a generous day.
I have a slight hesitation while rating this-- as I do with many Arab writers. It's obvious that the author has experienced deep turmoil and trauma in regard to immigration. The in-between, the gray, the limbo of being of two countries yet not enough for each is well understood and hard to criticize but I oh so wish the writing was better.
The first part of the book was difficult to get through. Migraine-inducing but for all the wrong reasons.
The second part went better. The definitions throughout the section initially served (well) as a hard stop. An accurate symbolism of how legal jargon-filled and dehumanizing the experience is... but after like 3 definitions.. it gets repetitive and reads off as lazy.
Many of her "poems" were more like journal entries & I think if the collection was structured as such.. it would have turned out a lot better than it is now.
I have a slight hesitation while rating this-- as I do with many Arab writers. It's obvious that the author has experienced deep turmoil and trauma in regard to immigration. The in-between, the gray, the limbo of being of two countries yet not enough for each is well understood and hard to criticize but I oh so wish the writing was better.
The first part of the book was difficult to get through. Migraine-inducing but for all the wrong reasons.
The second part went better. The definitions throughout the section initially served (well) as a hard stop. An accurate symbolism of how legal jargon-filled and dehumanizing the experience is... but after like 3 definitions.. it gets repetitive and reads off as lazy.
Many of her "poems" were more like journal entries & I think if the collection was structured as such.. it would have turned out a lot better than it is now.
January 23, 2023
I am a generous reader but this book snuffed out all kindness. This is a mean-spirited and petty book of poems and prose where no one, other than the author, is rendered as human. Through Helal’s writing, I finally understand the egregious entitlement of “perceived victimhood.” The author is writ “victim-at-large” as she navigates the bureaucracy of green cards, visas, and naturalization, however, the real victims are the TSA and immigration officers whom her spiteful gaze and racist projections land upon. This is a literature that capitulates the currency of reactionary politics over educative reasoning, pettiness over generosity, snap judgments over curiosity, and unthinking “social justice” ideology over nuance and compassion. Furthermore, the reach for a 1:1 metaphor of invasive species to migrants doesn’t carry weight as it is blundered in the author’s misunderstanding of ecology.
December 31, 2023
Come for the poetry, but oh man, stay for the prose section and just really sit and think with it for a bit. Helal writes about her experience with immigration and becoming an American citizen. I am grateful for her perspective, which helps to shed light on why Helal and so many other people in her position are mad. I could feel her anger radiating through the pages, through each word, through grammar and punctuation. As another reviewer noted, this should be required reading for everyone.
On a side note, one of my book resolutions in 2023 was to read poetry. It's been an incredible journey, and I will continue to do so into the new year and beyond. Reading Helal's book was a reminder of why I wanted to venture into poetry, as I have been exposed to identities and perspectives that I might not have been otherwise. More importantly, it has increased my empathy. Everyone should read poetry.
On a side note, one of my book resolutions in 2023 was to read poetry. It's been an incredible journey, and I will continue to do so into the new year and beyond. Reading Helal's book was a reminder of why I wanted to venture into poetry, as I have been exposed to identities and perspectives that I might not have been otherwise. More importantly, it has increased my empathy. Everyone should read poetry.
November 14, 2020
Starting with the ingenious cover, this book is one whole, even integrating notes and gratitude/acknowledgements into the flow of its composition. While it charts the author's and her family's long and difficult limbo in the US immigration system it comments incisively on that system's inadequacy, its inherent racism, arbitrariness and the cruelty in that. Use of language is examined and ideas of 'home' and 'origins' are put into question in accounts that move between prose and poetry, between story and fragment fluidly like the poet herself trying to locate her own place in this shifting in between. For myself as an immigrant from a country whose inhabitants have always been welcome in the US this has been a searing read. How easy it can be to say I love this country for some of us and how fraught for others!
May 5, 2019
I do not say this lightly when I say this is not just the best poetry book I have read in 2019, but the best book I have read in 2019. Period. As a poet, I have learned so much on how to write, how to craft a poem, how to create a collection. It is a whole education on deconstructing and innovating form. As the daughter of immigrants and a teacher of immigrants, this book broke my heart and opened it wide, made me reckon with my own lingering complacency, and face head on this America, "the one we are making together." Will be coming back to this one again and again. Thank you, Marwa Helal, for Invasive species- deeply grateful for your work.
July 11, 2019
I’m very glad I read these poems. This was an intimate look at an immigrant’s experience in the United States (and outside of the United States) in these days (the last 20 years. Though the poet grew up in the United States she had to return to her birthplace of Egypt before she could re-enter the United States and that became a drawn out ordeal. Through poetry she lets out the details of the story, her frustration and anger, and points to the deep truths that are part of the problem of our present moment.
November 9, 2023
A powerful collection of poetry and prose that discusses the author's traumatic experiences with the American immigration system. Part poetry collection and part memoir, this book uses gorgeous language and unique structures to craft a harrowing story of perseverance. I loved each and every piece so much and the common theme of liberation for all oppressed peoples still proves deeply relevant today. Could not recommend this book more - Marwa Helal has quickly become a new favorite poet of mine <3
January 7, 2019
These poems are what you want a poem to be & what you don't know a poem can be—so much invention. Helal's ingenuity is admirable. If you have to read any poetry collection this year, you must read this book & even if you don't want to read poetry this year & every other year—you must read this book.
April 8, 2019
Beautiful through and through. It’s a mixture of poetry and prose and pieces where the lines are blurred.
Both the story of Marwa’s multiple migrations and an appropriately bleak and angry look at the US immigration system and Islamaphobia.
This is crucial reading in 2019. It’s both a quick read and worth spending time with and revisiting.
Both the story of Marwa’s multiple migrations and an appropriately bleak and angry look at the US immigration system and Islamaphobia.
This is crucial reading in 2019. It’s both a quick read and worth spending time with and revisiting.
August 18, 2019
Bravo to Marwa. This is such an important story with the current immigration crisis in the United States. I really was honored and humbled to hear her story and perspectives. This is half a memoir, half a work of protest. I couldn't recommend this enough. Great content for any socially aware teacher or educator.
April 5, 2021
This book was interesting but I feel some of it wasn’t really poetry. The entirety of the second part was written in paragraphs more like a memoir or autobiography. The story itself was interesting, it talked about immigration and other issues in the world. A lot of the first section was confusing to me with how it was written. But overall it was cool.
October 7, 2025
Such a formidable formless creative work exploring identity and the limits of the written word. I had goosebumps from how close to home it hit at parts - she's even from Mansurah like my family. I loved learning about her inspirations for various poems; I came out the other end with enough questions and just enough answers. Such a capable poet.
December 29, 2019
Invasive Species is artful, passionate, and real. With the tension growing in this presidency, the feelings of American citizens, immigration status and law, ICE and other disturbing acts of the U.S. , this book evokes the real feelings associated with the truth of race and government.
August 22, 2020
Stunning. If you want to learn about form, read this book. If you want to be shaken by an immigration story, read this book. If you want to lose yourself in language and come out whole, read this book.
October 11, 2020
I ended up resonating with Helal's work more than I expected myself to. My heart was so heavy, and I felt like crying reading some of the poems. I'm currently beginning my work on Arab writers' literature, and I think this book will definitely be part of the essay.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews