Questions for Ada

This poetry collection is breathtakingly beautiful. Ijeoma Umebinyuo is writing for women, about the experience of being a woman. The poems are about self-worth and self loathing, about love, about trauma, about family. Some are about Nigeria; some are about being a student abroad. There are poems so short that you can hold a whole one under your tongue and smuggle it across international lines, and others that are longer and unfold a whole story. Here's a very short one that I love: Stay let me tell you how salt fell in love one day, salt found water and just would not let go. --Ocean Here's a slightly longer one: Your lover sped away leaving tire marks on your skin. You have resolved to eating yesterday for breakfast. I watch you gather your memories like firewood, warming yourself for yet another lonely night. There are also about mothers and daughters: You are your mother's amen to all her prayers the calm to her trembling soul she gathers our happiness rubbing it on her skin till she begins to glow Another, "Glory" Before the year ends teach yourself five things your mother never taught you then, teach yourself five things you want to teach your daughter Let me leave you with one about homesickness, called "aching hearts//missing home" At the embassy, they never warned us about days america will feel so lonely, we will gather our mother tongue hastily swallowing words that remind us of home to keep warm I'm going to treasure this book, and I look forward to many more poems and poetry collections by Ijeoma Umebinyuo.

I almost forgot to leave a review but this book really does live up to the hype. It's so well written and so relatable. It made me cry, it gave me confidence, it spoke to me. This book has literally changed my life, I'm not exaggerating. It's helped me realize so much, helped me start my self-love journey. I'm so glad I spent my money on it, it's easily the one thing I own that I am most proud of. I recommended it to everyone I know and I hope they get it. I got done with this book in 2 days. I started it the night it arrived and I couldn't put it down. I've read it once a week since then. If you're contemplating getting this book, get it. You will NOT regret it.

I follow her on instagram and finally I decided I wanted to hold her words in my hands, and it's already one of my favorite books. These are the kinds of poems that immediately as I am reading them I feel my heart tighten and sometimes tears start to gather in my eyes. They make me feel heavy with pain I am still trying actively to forget, but also light from finally letting them spill out from me onto the page. There are so many beautiful poems here. Even if you follow her on social media like I do and have read many of her shorter poems, buy this anyway.

That's how I'd describe this work of art. A masterpiece of pure, honest and yet carefully crafted poems that speak to the vulnerable, painful yet blissfull experience of being a woman and Other in a foreign land. I've never been able to relate to a piece of literary so much as this. Thank you for the affirmations!

Questions for Ada has become an instant favorite amongst my small library. I read the whole book within two days and am going to continue reading it, over and over. I bought this after following Ijeoma on Instagram and Facebook and falling in love with her words. Her vulnerability and intensity demand to be heard. The way she empowers females is essential to our survival as black women. This is now a keepsake for my daughter which I will give to her for her golden birthday when she turns 13. I hope that I am able to get it signed by Ijeoma some day. That would make it even more perfect. Peace

I follow the author on instagram so I decided to support the book. I read Questions for Ada with a friend ( she's east african ) and she hinted that a theme common to many West African writers appears to be one of sexual abuse and secrets, which I had not notice. Overall, I enjoyed the poems. It really made me reflect.

Ijeoma Umebinyuo is one of my favourite poets. Her work is a process of love, self-discovery, womanhood, and identity. We need more writers like her. Writers who understand and so eloquently convey the joys and tribulations of being as a woman, a woman of colour, an African woman, a woman so far and yet so close to home. This is the type of book I would give my children to read as it might speak to them in ways I cannot.

One of the BEST books of poetry I've read in years. She has captured perfectly the voice of the immigrant women, the abused, the oppressed, the hurting, the women of color, yet also the voice of all women and girls. I plan to but this book in print for me & all my ladies. I just want to pick it up, regularly, yet at random, to hear her voice resonate in my very soul.