After my previous book-haul (involving no less three books) two weeks ago, I thought I wouldn’t be doing any of those posts for a while… At least, until I had finished reading one of those books I had so eagerly acquired.  But I was mistaken.

Sometimes, Amazon will only send you an item when you spend a certain amount of money, otherwise, it’s not worth their while delivering it. Of course, in my particular case, I decided that the best way for me to make up the missing amount is by buying books… So I did just that. In my defense, those titles do not necessarily appear in all bookshops.

Reni Eddo-Lodge Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race

I’ve mentioned this book briefly in an earlier blog post. A lot of reviews have recommended it, and ever since I have read Marlon James’s A Brief History of Seven Killings I care deeply about his opinion about things and his endorsement is on the front cover. Also, I was reading Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad when I did my impulsive shopping, so it’s hardly surprising that I’ve reached for books that are at least loosely connected to its subject matter.

Warsan Shire Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth

I will admit this is a very strange title for any volume of poetry… But it is partially explained to me by the illustration on the cover, which features a pregnant woman bearing various figures (including a man with a machine gun and a man with a grenade) inside her. “Giving birth” for Shire seems to be writing, expressing the traumatic experiences that have been hidden within.

I usually do not read contemporary poetry, but I have been curious about Warsan Shire. First of all, her poem ‘Conversations About Home ( At the Deportation Centre)’ has been quoted many a time during the current refugee crisis, particularly its famous line “No one leaves home unless home is a mouth of a shark”. Second of all, you can hear Shire’s poetry during the music video to Beyoncé Lemonade. Clearly, I had to check her out.

I have already finished reading Shire’s Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth, so a review will be coming soon.

Have you read either of those books? What did you pick up in your book-haul this week?