broken wings

by Adisa Achebe

The phenomenal debut of the Nigerian-American teenage sensation, Adisa Achebe.

Genres: Poetry

87 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 23, 2018

Reviews

[Janet S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Achebe’s poems are being published just as women take new looks at empowerment, sisterhood, sexuality and hopes for the future. Her work has an openness and sharp focus on issues that will appeal to both young and older women. Readers will find in her brief poems a clarity and immediacy of emotional reaction that seems to be a shared concern among other recent and current Nigerian writers. Joining a cultural tradition that has fostered serious, thoughtful emotional expression since post-colonial times, these writers look hard at defining human reactions to new experiences, whether that means adjusting to incursions of the Western world into a traditional society or establishing a personal identity in times of social change. While a good measure of the work in this collection seems strongly autobiographical, Achebe’s language and point of view make room for women in many situations to gain strength from her insights. It will be interesting to watch this young poet grow.

[Brandi Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goodness. Adisa Achebe just became my favorite modern day poet. Page after page and poem after poem, I felt as though Achebe knew me personally and new the inner most emotions of my heart. The poet writes not only about issues we face as a country today but she also uses her innermost emotions to pen the words. Words to me are the most powerful objects in our existence. The bursts of emotion from one poem to the other was not only refreshing but resulted in me thinking that she couldn’t possibly be holding anything back from the reader. I can’t wait to find more poems to read by Achebe. I loved the rhythm of her words and how they bounced through my brain, staying in certain places longer than they probably should have. Just amazing. One of the best poetry books I’ve ever read.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A noble first effort. I can truly say that I felt the author's pain and passion in each piece. However, many of the poems felt forced or clichéd. The themes simply felt a bit tired and the poems blunt, and this may be due to the age of the author. Often poems by younger authors lean towards the very passionate and very particular. Perhaps more nuance comes with age and experience? Or perhaps not, and the directness is deliberate and it just isn't my taste. I do appreciate the effort and the power that she has channeled into her words. I don't want to come across as saying that her poems lack value, because they do have value. They are important words and they are meaningful, even if I just don't love reading them as they are presented.

[Yvonne Glasgow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of free-form poetry that reads more like prose is very relevant for the times we are living in, and the things that we're seeing on the news and reading about online each day. While I felt both pain and joy as I read these short bursts of thought and feeling, I felt that something was missing. I felt as though the author was holding back and could have put so much more feeling and imagery into the parts of her life she shared with us.

This book of poetry is a speedy read, but worth the small cost of the Kindle version. "not my president" stood out the most to me in this debut collection from Adisa Achebe, a Nigerian-American teenager with a lot of important things to say.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful short collection of poetry, ranging from love to violence. The poems themselves are short but very evocative, and I imagine most readers will be able to relate to them in one way or another. Achebe has offered a critique on contemporary society alongside personal, deeply emotional insights.

The only drawback of this collection, is that I would say for anyone expecting an intellectually stimulating collection of poetry, this may not be for you. Although the poems are emotional and offer some interesting comments on a wide range of events, the poetic style itself isn't particularly subtle.

That said, I highly recommend this collection.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not one for poetry, but I was glad that I picked up Broken Wings by Adisa Achebe. The poems are short yet meaningful. They explore and describe the beauty and the pain of growing up in society today while finding your own path. Strong, bold and working to spread her own significant message of perseverance and strength, Achebe details memories of love, loss, anger and frustration. Adisa Achebe possesses the capability to vividly share her pain and her love with us through her poetry.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful!

This book was very moving!  You could tell that the author wrote with passion, the words were very deep and powerful.  This book opened my eyes and made me think of certain moments and circumstances in my life and how they shaped me.  I look forward to reading more from Adisa Achebe.  I recommend others to read this book.

[T. Vand · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of poetry that the author uses to express her feelings about the current state of the world. She is open and her language is beautifully written regardless of whether one shares her beliefs. The way she weaves emotions with words creates wonderful images and is captivating. This book is a great purchase for those who enjoy poetry.

[Mycaela Everly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love for candor

This book has a vulgar candidness that I truly appreciate. Achebe is creatively blunt and forthright. Her poems are short in length but deep in thought provoking topics. She is empathetic to the worlds issues and she has a simple way of bringing awareness to painful topics. It is genuinely refreshing to read something so just and honest.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broken Wings by Adisa Achebe is a powerful poetry debut from a young poet. It’s a raw, emotional, inspiring, and heartbreaking a collection of poems. As a person who doesn’t read a lot of poetry and finds it hard to digest, I found Achebe’s collection easy to read. While some poems dealt with some difficult topics that are hard to swallow, others were uplifting and I felt it was a solid balance of both emotions.

I enjoyed each poem and the writing was so open I felt as if I was reading someone’s diary. Though the poems were short, each one had a strong message. The topics of the poems were also relatable to wide audience. I feel like Achebe truly has a gift for writing poetry and her writing style is lyrical. I would love to read more poetry from her in the future.

[Sasha Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, Beautiful, and just what I needed

This was short and powerful. Exactly what I needed to hear and to read. I adored every single carefully selected word

[Corrine Cassels · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of raw and honest free-form poetry in a perspective that's relatable to any woman, or human, for that matter. Even though Achebe has experiences that most of us can never imagine, she relays them in a way that touches on pain and love in a universal manner. From the fierce words of "Do you feel like a man now?" to the passion of "Your eyes speak volumes", Achebe makes you feel things. My only complaint is that it was too short and I was left wanting more.