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radical.
heather liz wrote her debut collection of poetry, radical. , on accident. A culmination of leaving a high-demand religion, being in law school and realizing it really wasn't too different from the religion she just left, and having orgasms for the first time as an adult caused her to realize what we have done to women. This collection captures her first observations of the world, as it currently stands, and her critiques and suggestions for how to change it.
- GenresPoetry
173 pages, Paperback
Published May 19, 2020
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 18, 2020
"Some life
Happened.
More than I expected.
I can't quite identify
The rest of me."
When my friend asked me to read and review her debut collection of poetry, I didn't think twice. I knew her to be brilliant and thoughtful, both creative and analytical. And I knew that that would all come through in her pieces.
What I didn't fully expect was my personal connection to her words. I didn't expect to have to take the book in chunks. I didn't expect to need time to process the way she was expressing so many of my own innermost thoughts and feelings. Knowing the author's general life story and being keenly aware of our similarities made reading this book an unusual experience. It's difficult for me to imagine how other readers will interpret Heather Liz's ideas; will they *get* where she's coming from the way I do? On the other hand, am I projecting my own experiences onto her words and assuming her intentions align with my interpretations? Perhaps other readers will do that too, and these poems will mean different things to different people.
If you're a woman who has had a feminist awakening, if you discovered your sexuality later in life, or if you've had a faith crisis, this collection will probably hit especially close to home. But it also speaks to universal themes like the process of identifying oneself, the tension between people-pleasing and self-assertion, the feeling of perpetually being an outsider. Each piece is raw and personal; there is a lot of indignation and some very real anger here. But there are also spaces for the reader's own world to fit into. I loved that, and I'll be thinking about and rereading these words for a long time to come.
Read more about radical. and Heather Liz here: http://www.heather-liz.com/
Happened.
More than I expected.
I can't quite identify
The rest of me."
When my friend asked me to read and review her debut collection of poetry, I didn't think twice. I knew her to be brilliant and thoughtful, both creative and analytical. And I knew that that would all come through in her pieces.
What I didn't fully expect was my personal connection to her words. I didn't expect to have to take the book in chunks. I didn't expect to need time to process the way she was expressing so many of my own innermost thoughts and feelings. Knowing the author's general life story and being keenly aware of our similarities made reading this book an unusual experience. It's difficult for me to imagine how other readers will interpret Heather Liz's ideas; will they *get* where she's coming from the way I do? On the other hand, am I projecting my own experiences onto her words and assuming her intentions align with my interpretations? Perhaps other readers will do that too, and these poems will mean different things to different people.
If you're a woman who has had a feminist awakening, if you discovered your sexuality later in life, or if you've had a faith crisis, this collection will probably hit especially close to home. But it also speaks to universal themes like the process of identifying oneself, the tension between people-pleasing and self-assertion, the feeling of perpetually being an outsider. Each piece is raw and personal; there is a lot of indignation and some very real anger here. But there are also spaces for the reader's own world to fit into. I loved that, and I'll be thinking about and rereading these words for a long time to come.
Read more about radical. and Heather Liz here: http://www.heather-liz.com/
May 28, 2020
It has been awhile since I have been smitten by a book of poetry but Radical really captured my interest. While all the pieces were fabulous, there were several that I felt spoke directly to my soul. The way Heather Liz weaves her words is breathtaking and leaves you wanting to read more.
July 14, 2020
It has taken me days to come up with the right words to express how much I value this book; how it took me to the darkest corners of my experience as a woman and the internal screams that shook me to my core. Heather Liz has a voice that more than deserves to be heard. She is the voice of so many women that have been scared to speak up, scared of their own rage at having to fight and claw their way to equality and claim their rightful place in a world that has catered to men for centuries. As a woman who was also raised in a high demand religion, a survivor of trauma who grew up with a large dose of inappropriate guilt, I related to so much of her work. She takes you on her personal journey of awakening, of having the blinders ripped off of her eyes, and the result is glorious. It is a discovery of true self and a worldview rebuilding for all of the girls that grow up to be powerful women. I finished her book feeling hopeful that my own daughter will know her worth and not have to unlearn all of the patriarchal ideas and the cultural constructs of the society we live in.... a future where hearing the female voice isn’t radical.
June 21, 2020
While I am a lover of poetry and write poems of my own, I rarely pick up a book of written poetry. I was given the chance to read “radical.” and I have to say that I am very glad I did. I personally know Heather Liz and I was present in the beginning of her journey. Picturing the moments that I spent with my mother, piano teacher and Heather in a coffee shop discussing our own womanly struggles in regards to the oppressive behavior of our church and comparing them to the poems I just finished reading, I am truly awestruck. The power, determination and complete understanding in these poems is inspiring. Heather Liz writes for all women, women who once were and those who will be. She writes for anyone who has ever had their voice silenced by a higher power. At a time where our world is divided this poetry is exactly what we all need to hear. Please give this book a read if you get the chance!
August 22, 2020
Damn.
While written individually, this collection of poems reads like eating a snack-size bag of potato chips: one chip at a time, slightly different shapes, equally salty and finger-licking good.
These are poems on a theme of Woman’s Self Reclamation: one gut-wrenching truth at a time, slightly different scenarios, equally illuminating and read-out-loud-to-let-it-all-sink-in good.
Heather gifted me a copy of this book and it is my absolute pleasure to read, review, re-read and gift this book.
While written individually, this collection of poems reads like eating a snack-size bag of potato chips: one chip at a time, slightly different shapes, equally salty and finger-licking good.
These are poems on a theme of Woman’s Self Reclamation: one gut-wrenching truth at a time, slightly different scenarios, equally illuminating and read-out-loud-to-let-it-all-sink-in good.
Heather gifted me a copy of this book and it is my absolute pleasure to read, review, re-read and gift this book.
June 11, 2020
A deeply uncomfortable read, "Radical" explores one woman's experience stepping outside of her patriarchal religion--only to discover the patriarchy of the broader world. The rage of entrapment ties the book together thematically and iterates throughout the progression of the three sections of the book: Waking Up, Telling Truth, and Breaking Free.
These poems probe the myriad ways patriarchy inserts itself into every layer of womanhood. Word after word, Heather Liz lays bare the devastating impact of patriarchy on her personal life and women everywhere.
Though the poems unflinchingly confront the devastating effects of patriarchy, some of my favorite verses illuminate rays of hope. "All this time/All these women/Billions/Packed into the pigment of my eyes./They all make my vision sharper/...Every day I am reborn/And He does not even know/A strong Creature has been created."
At times filled with primal rage and at other times cerebral critiques, "Radical" is nothing if not raw and intensely personal. As a woman who deeply relates to the experiences described by Heather Liz, I felt privileged to be gifted this eye-opening book for review. These poems enlivened me to aspects of reality I had not considered before. To anyone who has gone through any kind of waking-up experience in life, faith transition or otherwise, this book will feel relatable. For those for whom patriarchy appears as an abstraction, this book offers candid insights into one highly sensitive, intelligent woman's experience of that abstraction.
These poems probe the myriad ways patriarchy inserts itself into every layer of womanhood. Word after word, Heather Liz lays bare the devastating impact of patriarchy on her personal life and women everywhere.
Though the poems unflinchingly confront the devastating effects of patriarchy, some of my favorite verses illuminate rays of hope. "All this time/All these women/Billions/Packed into the pigment of my eyes./They all make my vision sharper/...Every day I am reborn/And He does not even know/A strong Creature has been created."
At times filled with primal rage and at other times cerebral critiques, "Radical" is nothing if not raw and intensely personal. As a woman who deeply relates to the experiences described by Heather Liz, I felt privileged to be gifted this eye-opening book for review. These poems enlivened me to aspects of reality I had not considered before. To anyone who has gone through any kind of waking-up experience in life, faith transition or otherwise, this book will feel relatable. For those for whom patriarchy appears as an abstraction, this book offers candid insights into one highly sensitive, intelligent woman's experience of that abstraction.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews