A very hard hitting, complex book. Absolutely gorgeous prose, want to reread instantly. Would definitely recommend to someone looking to both enjoy and learn from a book.

Born in a Second Language by Akosua Zimba Afiriyie-Hwedie is a powerful debut from a talented voice in poetry. Akosua Zimba Afiriyie-Hwedie's verses flow effortlessly, carrying readers on a thought-provoking and powerful journey of identity, immigration, culture, womanhood and more as she navigates between two cultures.

Thank you so much to net galley for sending me a copy of this book. It wasn’t the best book I ever read but if you are super intrigued by the description then give it a read

A compact selection of 36 poems exploring that of being born with a second language and a dive into ones identity in relation to language, culture, immigration and also being woman

Akosua Zimba Afiriyie-Hwedie’s poetry has also introduced me to Branda Fassies music whom is mentioned in a
few poems.

Two poems that made me stop and pause for thought were Port of Entry and It goes without saying.

An eye-opening and enjoyable short collection of poetry.

3.5/5✨: This poetry collection was definitely one of the good ones. This book delves into the topics of immigrants, family, sense of belonging, as well as the way history and language effect your understanding of your place and how it alters your worldview. I think this collection was done beautifully and effectively as to the themes it portrays, I think from a technical standpoint, the poetry is really well done and the way forms are used to tell the story beyond just the soundwork and meaning of the words in the poem is done well. I would recommend this collection to people who enjoy these topics.

The only reason I did not rate this collection of poems as high as I would another lovely poetry book, is that it wasn't my cup of tea. Poetry I've found is much more subjective enjoyment/understanding than a regular fiction tale, so while I think it's well done, the style wasn't my vibe on a personal level so I could not rate it as high especially since a lot of the poetry was very big brain energy and I had a harder time understanding it so I had to re-read a bit (but that's on me for needing simplicity). However, I would recommend reading these to see if it suits you, especially my favorite poems "Provenance" and "It goes without saying".

3.5 ✨

In Born in a Second Language, I couldn't deeply connect with each poem, but I overall enjoyed this debut poetry collection by Akosua Zimba Afiriyie-Hwedie. Maybe it's my fault because I went into this with high expectation as the premise mentioned that these poems will explore language and translation through the immigrant experience which is something that intrigues and concerns me.

The poem "It goes without saying" is a true masterpiece and gives me chills every time I read it.

"In America, there is less consideration of u in a sentence
How c o l o u r becomes c o l o r
Word flattened like somebody's version of this poor earth
And We the people
Is often them not u, the people"

Thank you to NetGalley and Button Poetry for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Language is a tricky thing, a muscle my teachers said, without work it can disappear. This is a collection of poems and essays evoking the feelings and alienation born put of having english as a second language, what it means to the culture within each self and how defined by english can be, how difficult it is to ease the constant doubt of how much of you can you really give to this language of the oppressor. This is a complex and layer theme that resonates deeply personally with me, and i think the author did an amazing job at delivering this constant turmoil, and more, with great eloquence.

One of the most necessary books of the year! Akosua Zimba Afiriye-Hwedie perfectly captures the experience of growing up in, and expressing oneself in, what M. Nourbese Philip calls the "father tongue." And the fact that she manages to give it almost entirely in English is fundamentally impressive. I am very grateful to have read Born in a Second Language.

I find it a bit difficult to review poetry, because more than with other genres, I go off feeling more than anything else. Usually some poems really stand out, and others don't move me as much (or at all). It was the same for this collection. Themes of racism, colonialism, language (of the oppressor), belonging are all part of this collection. I thought some poems were really good - favourites were 'i am deciding which language to spend the night in', 'port of entry', 'please select the best answer', 'provenance.' With others they just didn't move me as much, but I am curious to see what Akosua Zimba Afiriyie-Hwedie writes next!

A compact selection of 36 poems exploring that of being born with a second language and a dive into ones identity in relation to language, culture, immigration and also being woman

Akosua Zimba Afiriyie-Hwedie’s poetry has also introduced me to Branda Fassies music whom is mentioned in a
few poems.

Two poems that made me stop and pause for thought were Port of Entry and It goes without saying.

An eye-opening and enjoyable short collection of poetry.

I started and finished this book today, but I definitely need more time to reflect upon everything I’ve read on these pages. This is a collection of personal poems written by a black woman, immigrant in the USA. She explores the challenges and injustices she faces in her life, often being reminded that she’s not home, that her English isn’t the “good” one, that because of her color she’s excluded from groups, and many other issues that unfortunately are still present in our society nowadays. I’m white, but I’m also a woman and I have family living abroad, so I could relate to some of her poems too. "It goes without saying" really touched me. Great read!

* I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is a powerful collection of poetry centering on being born in a second language, understanding identity, and troubling American conventions. I found myself lost in thought with the rhythm of the stanzas and appreciating structural choice across the variety of poems. This collection can be revisited multiple times to explore different thematic lenses, which is absolutely to be appreciated of button poetry. Thank you to Netgalley and this beautiful writer for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review - Born in a Second Language by Akosua Zimba Afiriyie-Hwedie⁠
⁠
This review has been made possible thanks to @NetGalley and Button Poetry for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.⁠
⁠
I love the subject matter, as someone who also feels trapped between several languages and cultures, I related to it very much. I liked how the author played with shape poems throughout the collection. There was a good mix of prose poetry and I really enjoyed seeing the same phrases or images repeating themselves through the collection. ⁠
⁠
Some of my favourite poems include for those for whom this need not be translated, which is one of the strongest starts to a poetry collection I've ever read and it's full of emotion and conviction. I also enjoyed I know a place where I can spread myself out and be enough to fill a room, What my hands have learned, I am deciding which language to spend the night in, and it goes without saying. I feel like this collection was a fantastic all-around look at the experience of not belonging to one country, culture or language and the limbo state the author found herself in while living in these various places. ⁠
⁠
Born in a Second Language is out today!

If I kick off the label of genre and my expectations, this book could be a pretty good read for all multilingual people, people of colour and immigrants out there. Even when you ain't them, you still can enjoy this because this is very honest in expressing feelings and dilemmas. Specially the couple of poems on mother, I loved them. But I was looking for something wholesome and this isn't that. This more of felt like a very personal collection of essays and poems. This just wasn't my cup of poetry.
Lastly, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for providing this ARC.

This poetry collection was very interesting to see the way that the poet felt about their culture. I really enjoyed the language that was used in the collection. It definitely was a collection that I would recommend to anyone and anybody just getting into poetry or interested in learning about another culture! It was very entertaining and you will not be disappointed if you read it!

This collection presents a deep and heartfelt connection to the author's experience as an immigrant in America. Her culture is woven throughout each piece, and it made me ache with her. American born, I can't truly understand this poet's experience. However, when I lived overseas as a military dependent for years and returned to the States, I had a similar feeling of disconnect mixed with a desire to feel at home - America is uniquely disconcerting, even on a good day. Beautifully done!

The majority of the poems in this collection focus on Afiriyie-Hwedie’s complicated relationship with language, musing on how much our cultural identity is tied up in our mother tongue; how a disconnect from one can make us feel estranged from the other.

It’s a fascinating topic, and Afiriyie-Hwedie tackles it with nuance, employing a suitably beautiful and engaging writing style. Structurally, a few of the more playful pieces felt a tad too gimmicky for my taste, and as a whole, the collection does feel a little short – though with such a tight thematic focus, I can appreciate the desire to avoid too much repetition.

All-in -all, this is a compact, perceptive collection that is worth checking out.

Thank you to the publisher for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Afiriyie-Hwedie has such a graceful command over her language - the focus on translation, identity, and belonging, as well as highlighting hypocrisies in the UK and US regarding immigration and suppression of culture, was amazing and incredibly measured.

Thank you, NetGalley for a chance to read and review this!

I liked this collection and can sort of empathize with the author on how it feels to try and communicate when you're stuck between two languages; all of us who are bilingual can. Of course I haven;t moved anywhere and been stuck in just one, so can't fully.

However, poetry is deeply personal and I didn't vibe with this collection although I objectively tell you that its better than a lot of other modern poetry I've read this year. I didn't understand the references at all, which was probably the biggest barrier for me; or perhaps I am not part of the intended audience.

This poetry was all over the place. I couldn’t find a consistent through line to follow. It was like being lost at sea with no land in sight.