An amazing collection of poetry that is wonderful to absorb on audio. It is a much better experience when the author is the voice. Highly recommend.

Unraveling
Poems
by Brandon Leake
Narrated by Brandon Leake

Pub Date 08 Mar 2022
Andrews McMeel Audio, Andrews McMeel Publishing

I don't watch AGT, it's not my thing, but once I read that he won through the spoken word you bet I went on YouYube and watched EVERY single one of his performances.

I started reading the ebook first but I wasn't connecting with the words and I needed to know how Brandon would say them. Then BOOM netgalley added the audiobook and I devoured it.

The poems were much more enjoyable listening to rather than reading. Hearing Brandon's pain, passion, humour and commitment to his craft just wins you over. He's so dedicated to his "performance".

I couldn't/can't connect with every one of his poems (mostly his spiritual ones) as I don't share in his same beliefs but I respect them.

He's definitely someone I will be looking out for. He's going to do so many great things. I am not a follower of his YouTube channel as well as his Instagram account just from finding this book on Netaglley.

Lovely prose and truth. Honest. Harsh. Transparent.

I loved the voice of each section, in today's opinions and truths this book is full of openness and the raw emotion that many are experiencing. I enjoyed the author's side of these topics. I am constantly learning and to listen to these words I felt just that.... Learn. Listen. Lament. We all need more of this education and to keep open hearts and minds and to take in information for that what it is.

This was an excellent collection of poetry, read by the author. I listened to the audiobook and loved his voice and the way he presented his work. He was strong with brilliant emotions and emphasised his words brilliantly. His work contains amazing power and very emotive words spoken with passion. Getting his points across magnificently.  It was thoroughly enjoyable to listen to and it is so much better as an audiobook to the book. I was so engrossed in this audiobook.  He included subjects such as race, politics and family so others can feel his personal experiences and thoughts. In a very modern poetic style.
I would like to thank the author and publishers for putting together a brilliant collection of modern day poetry that emphasises current day issues. These open the readers eyes to current day issues. I look forward to reading more from this author
The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK, where found and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/unraveling-by-brandon-leake-andrew-mcmeel-pub-4-star
Under my name or ladyreading365 or lady Reading365

This book was lovely, like a warm hug! It spoke of troubles in the black community, but also have hope and joy. It was a tad religious for me, but I enjoyed it nonetheless!

This was a really great audiobook!

The poems have so much more meaning when you can hear them and the fact that they are read by the author really makes the origional intent come through. These poems are about Brandon Leake's life and experiences and although they are personal they are also universal. He and I actually have very little in common, he is Black, a man, mared, a parent, and religious and I am none of those things yet could enjoy and relate to his poetry.

i really enjoyed this book!

it dealt with very serious themes, and got dark at times, but the way that Brandon Leake used words to convey the strongest of his emotions was so powerful. i am not usually someone who likes to listen to poetry books, but i would definitely recommend this book to the general public

i think my favorite poem out of every one that i listened to was Kobe. it was a reflection on a hero of the media, as well as fatherhood, while still maintaining respect for the victim and his family.

because of the nature of it being an audiobook, it felt more like you were sitting and having a conversation with the author. the flow of Brandon Leake's voice made his words all the more poignant and powerful.. there was a sense of musicality to his poems that is sometimes hard to find in an audiobook. this is what really drew me in and kept me listening. i could imagine the author taking any of these and performing them as slam poetry on a stage one day.

anyways,' enjoy! - lindsey

This was my first time reading a poetry collection written by a man. I thought the subject matter was varied, ranging from relationships to race to religion. It was very interesting to get an inside look of such a multifaceted individual, such as the author Brandon Leake.

I could sense a vulnerability shared in these poems. I think it is really important for Black men to share vulnerability like this; it normalizes talking about mental health and seeking support, even though in many of the poems Leake talks about suffering in silence and finding more “acceptable” ways to cope.

I will say, I am not a religious person, but the way Leake talks about God didn’t seem off putting or as if he was proselytizing. It felt like an expression of gratitude for his faith and the very real struggle between feeling suffering and having faith.

I really resonated with the poems about writing poetry. I fall for the trap Leake talks about of readers needing to see the blood on the page for them to see it as art. I do like beautiful sad things because suffering connects us all. However, that’s not the only thing, and art should be celebrated for the sake of art. It’s difficult feeling good enough for something that’s so subjective.

Overall, I would recommend this collection. It might not be the type of poetry I personally like, but it is important to add nuance to the Black male experience.

Excellent! Felt like I was sitting with Brandon and he was reading from his journal. The poignant and expressive words made you feel seen and heard. I could impose myself into his shoes and imagine how he experienced these word and transcended them into beautiful poems. The story telling was eloquent and while the rhythm of the poems afflicted realness and depth to each line.

The themes of the poems include love, religion, relationships, race, real life, freedom, moments, and experiences. All of the themes were cohesively entwined and expressed brilliantly. Would highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Audio for a copy of Unraveling by Brandon Leake to review.

I was very much intrigued when I read that Brandon Leake had won America's Got Talent as a spoken word poet who was now releasing his first book. After listening to the audiobook, I understand why he won. His words are powerful, emotional and riveting as he talks about love, loss and life as a black man in America. It would be easy to listen to the book in one sitting as it is less than 2 hours but that would be a disservice as there are so many poems that deserve reflection and more than one listen. This collection is also a great example of having the audiobook and physical book. Sometimes you want the physical copy to highlight or write notes. Other times, you want to listen and feel the energy of words. Either way, you will be moved by his poetry.

I have listened to Unraveling several times now and each time I hear something new...something moving, something sacred, something that causes me to stop and think.

I had no clue who Brandon Leake is (He won America's Got Talent) but his poetry is moving. Perhaps even more so because Brandon reads his poetry.

My favorite of Unraveling... Breonna. It is such a beautiful tribute.

If you are looking for a fresh new voice in poetry, I think you will enjoy this collection of poems... very much.

I want to thank NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Audio for this ARC of Unraveling.

This was great!! I read this via the audiobook version and as soon as it is released I will be purchasing the paperback to annotate as well!

The poems throughout this book talk about so many different things, but all of them are powerful and important.

There were quite a few that really touched me, however I feel like the ones that are most noteworthy will be different for everyone as it will be the ones that speak to you personally along with the ones talking about such important issues in today's society.

Overall this was a great collection and I would 100% recommend it to everyone and anyone, the audiobook was also great and I would recommend this as well, I really appreciated that it was narrated by the author so it truly felt like you were consuming the poems how they were always intended to be.

Thanks to @netgalley , the publishers @ andrewsmcmeel and the author @brandon_leake_ctm for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unraveling is a collection of poems about depression, religion, fake friendship, family and being black in America. The words were very powerful and moving.
Although I did not love every poem in this collection but I really enjoyed the majority of them.

This was such a deeply personal collection, and listening to it was a unique experience. This almost felt like a memoir in verse. Each word was intentional, and helped to capture the emotion that Leake was creating, or even recalling. So many topics were covered, but I appreciated that the poems felt to come from experience rather than just writing about a topic for the sake of doing so. The experience that it created felt genuine. And Leake is so talented with spoken word!

I really enjoyed this one!

There’s always something so beautiful about poetry. For me, it always means more hearing the story straight out of the author’s mouth. For UNRAVELING and the poems within, it’s no different.

Poetry is mostly short, to the point, and filled with underlying messages between the lines. I couldn’t tell you how many poems are within since I wasn’t holding the physical book, but I got lost (in a good way) listing to Leake. His poems range from triumph to heartbreak and to being Black in America and recounting the loss of Kobe Bryant and GiGi.

They were powerful. They were raw. They are incredible.

Big thank you to Andrews McNeel Publishing, Libro FM and Netgalley for the ALC. You can get your copy March 8.

Content warnings: Racism, death

Brandon Leake got the kind of boost any poet would dream of, a golden ticket on America's Got Talent, which led him all the way to winning season 15 of the show, the first time a spoken-word artist has ever taken home that prize. He is a magnetic, compelling performer, and he performs the poems on his audiobook, as well, which makes for a captivating experience.

His words are direct and impassioned as he speaks of "tattooing words across his wounds." Many of his lines strike such a rich poetic chord that I felt compelled to rewind and listen to them again. And some of his poems, about grief, loss, racism, his love of God, his longing to stay in the present, and what it feels like to be Black in America, pack a punch that stays with the reader long after listening. I especially liked the comparisons (e.g. between Jesus and Philando Castille) in "Black Jesus," and the repetition and rhyme in "I Remember."

Individual poems were deeply touching. I enjoyed the humor of "A Letter to My Younger Self" and how it softens us for the turn when the poem becomes more serious. The fast rhymes and rapping of "Loaded Bases," an homage to Nipsy Russell, and of "Lusting Over Loss" are also excellent. In his poem about Flint, Michigan, he demands we pay attention to how we are poisoning children: "These aren't corroding pipelines, these are eroding lifelines."

Overall, though, this book felt more like a direct address to the reader than a poetry collection, and I longed for more lyrical language, metaphor, and surprise than Leake's dramatic performances of his poems could deliver. In his poem about alcohol, for example, "Bottomless"
he says, "So let us drink, let us drink our sorrows down with the numbing chill of icy disregard for the burning aftertaste of regret, knowing tomorrow we must return to reality, return to the unemployment line..." in another, "Strange Familiarity," he addresses a love interest by saying, "I don't know what draws me to you. Maybe it's your infectious smile or the way your hair sways in the wind. Or maybe it's the way you laugh at my corny jokes." Lines like these are just too narrative and on the nose to move me like more poetic language can.

Still, as Brandon told Simon Cowell during his first performance on AGT when Simon admitted he didn't like poetry, "I'm a great introduction for you then!" And so he was-- and is. I especially recommend this as an audio book as Brandon is a performer, and listening to him perform his poems is one of the greater gifts. of this book.

Thanks to Andrew McMeels Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with the audiobook of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I've been getting into poetry lately, but I don' think audiobooks are my preferred method of "reading" poetry after listening to this one. It has nothing to do with the poetry itself or the narrator, but I think I like to read and digest poetry slower than it can be spoken. Or I like to read it and then skim over some of my favorite lines after to feel it more. Either way, I'll be checking out this book once it comes out, in physical form.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the Audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unraveling is a powerful and moving collection of works by Brandon Leake. Each piece is focused on a central theme, Leake's imagery is outstanding through out this piece. I wold recommend hearing Mr. Leake read the audiobook version of this collection of works to feel the powerful and diverse collection of poems centered around a variety of themes.

Wow. That's what I have to say about this collection of poetry ranging from serious (Breonna Taylor) to funny and tongue in cheek (Fake friends). Two of my new routines for the year are to read more poetry, so I begin each week with a selection and to read more male authors. Hit two in one with this impressive collection and I LOVE it was in audio. The author isn't a pro narrator, but I think I like to hear poetry in the voice that wrote it.

How does one even rate poetry?
Brandon Leake put his heart and soul in this compilation of poems. From places and people close to his heart, to societal issues, to racial injustices, to everyday life, these poems are an emotional punch to the gut. Even the shortest and simplest poem will make you feel. And that audio? Mr Leake read his own poems and did it with perfection. His inflection and feelings were very evident. You could feel his emotions come out in his words. It is no wonder that his spoken word won on a talent show.