I loved this collection. It was beautiful and raw and captivating. I loved the way the author explored complicated experiences, relationships, and emotions—some I could relate to, and some I could not—in a way that made me FEEL in the moment. Poetry is different for everyone, but that’s my primary goal.

The audiobook was gorgeously narrated. I think there were a few pieces with visual elements that were meant to be read on the page, but overall I didn’t find that took too much away. Worth it to hear poetry from the author, to feel like we’re in her group chat or standing next to her.

4.5/5

A book full of so many moving, beautiful, painful poems/words. Some I can understand and relate to and that broke my heart for us both. Others I will never be able to and that too breaks my heart.

The injustices of this world are far too many and I’m one of the lucky ones to miss most of them. I’m sorry to Jae and all the others who face it far too frequently and have for far too long. My “I’m sorry” will never be enough but thank you for using your incredible talent to bring them to the forefront and ask people to listen.

When it comes to poetry, I'm not skilled at saying what I do and do not like about it. I can simply say if I did or did not like it at all. And I did like God Themselves, especially appreciating the sound production on the audiobook, which added different effects as transitions. The narrator has a great voice for poetry, and I was glad to have the chance to listen to it as it was supposed to be read.

*Thank you to Netgalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Jae Nichelle for the advanced listeners' copy of God Themselves*
Review!

I was initially unsure if this book would be for me, as I am not a Christian myself and don’t believe in a Christian God, but I was curious because of the title, and upon checking the summary I found out that it was written by a queer person so I wanted to give it a try. A poetry collection exploring religion, this did a fantastic job of unpacking and feeling through different aspects of being a queer person in any religious system. While I would not say this book is by any means secular, I also think a lot of the discussions are interesting and can apply to different belief systems. It feels like an examination of what religion can mean, and a different way to view and conceptualize religion in your life. By no means is it prescriptive or advice-giving though, it is about the very specific experience of a Black queer woman living in the South and the more personal it gets the more applicable it reads. This is beautiful religious poetry in the tradition of Rumi, rather than the kind of Christian nonfiction that I grew up with. All of this to say, I loved this book and would encourage checking it out if the description at all interested you. I know I will be keeping my eye out for a physical copy to add to my shelves.

This is a beautiful collection of poems that are, at times, humorous and relatable, while also being poignant, provoking and smart. I truly enjoyed the audiobook and recommend it in that format, if accessible.

The book of poems feels like home. By that I mean it feels comfortable, safe, relatable. These poems remind me of the thoughts that fill my mind. The feeling in my soul. These are the conversations I have with my friends. There are so many pieces to this that would resonate to my students.

4.75/5

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

God Themselves is a fantastic work of poetry. The author did a great job of creating poems that are both humorous and powerful. Nichelle's work is original and gives a unique perspective on life as a queer black woman.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed every second. It’s the definition of “I laughed, I cried, it became a part of me.”

Nichelle covers every facet of life: childhood, family, friendships, church, spirituality, sexual awakening, love, failed relationships, feminism, queerness, Black joy, Black trauma, technology, nature, healing, self-actualization, everything.

She pairs God with mundanity, like group texts. She pairs humans with the divine. There’s something so relatable and raw and real and rhythmic and riveting about the way Nichelle carefully words her poetry.

One of my favorite poems is “Barefoot Duplex” and below is an excerpt:

“I dream up a life we could have. /
oh, how much living we could do /
if not for those who would kill us /
it kills me those who are not for us /
heaven is so far, they say.
I say, so far, heaven is /
us going nowhere else when we get home.”

I cannot recommend this book enough. I will be bugging my library to get a physical book or an audiobook because I need people to read this. 10/10 instant classic.

Format: Audiobook courtesy of netgalley, but views are my own.

Plot:

Content warnings are included in the audiobook narration.

Nichelle taps into her experiences of growing up in the South as a queer Black woman to courageously confront the affects of a forced religion and the inherent dangers of living life in a female body.


Pros:

The narration is beautiful, I think this kind of writing needs the voice of the author. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to a poetry collection before either, so it was an interesting experience. I could see myself listening to something like this while doing self care (I didn’t, I listened to it at work which probably wasn’t ideal.)

The writing is beautiful and accessible, it isn’t overwritten/overproduced. It’s the kind of poetry non-poetry readers could find themselves in.

It is also dealing with real, lived experience, and I find this very compelling.


Not-so-pros:

I think the poet could push herself more, really go there with the points she is making. Be daring, be accusatory. But that is really a personal choice.


Final:

Really easy to recommend this, especially if you tend to avoid poetry!

God themselves is a poetry collection about religion, Life, being queer, being black. I loved listening to the audiobook. It was narrated perfectly by the author. It didn’t bore me at all.

I highly recommend.

honestly this wasn't it. I only liked the part about soup and that's saying a lot since I love poetry. this didn't even feel like poetry through. seriously let down.

I was provided an audio arc of this book via Netgalley, all options are my own. I kept seeing the cover of this and was immediately drawn to the book. I kept coming back to it and knew I needed to read it. I’m so glad that I did.

I really enjoyed this poetry collection. I really enjoyed that it was narrated by the author. I feel poetry is often more impactful when spoken and who better to speak it than the author. Her voice was a pleasure to listen to. As the author mentions in intro some of the poems are meant to be viewed as they have a visual impact. The audio is supposed to have a pdf for these poems, but I was able to grab a print copy from my library and follow along with the audiobook. There are some really cool visual poems in the print version but I really enjoyed listening to Nichelle speak her words.

This covers a lot of different topics and the length of the poems varies from a few words to a few pages. I found myself reflecting on many of the poems and you can really feel the author’s emotions and experiences in each of the poems. As you can tell my the title that there is a focus on God and religion throughout, so I would stay away from this collection if that is not your cup of tea. I didn’t feel it was preaching anything or disrespectful, only a reflection on the author’s own experience and feelings. This is geared toward a more audience based on some of the content and language.

Overall this was a solid collection and I’m so glad I followed my instincts to grab a copy of the audiobook. I was not disappointed with this beautiful collection of poems.

God themselves
By Jae Nichelle
Collection of poems showing diverse problems and strengths in the black community. A single voice showing the constraints of being black, gender fluid, ND young in a community that celebrates and restrains itself inconsistently. Dynamic, truthful, inspirational for young readers to not only find they have a voice but that expression lessons the problems.
Great book for looking at poetry and pov and showing inner struggle and resolve.

March 16, 2023

* Book review *
Genre: poetry
published March 2023
pages:128
Rating: ***** 5 stars!
Synopsis: This is a poetry anthology. The author discusses difficult life situations like sexual assault, racism religion, heartbreak sexuality, misogyny and more.
Thoughts: I really enjoyed this poetry anthology. I listened to the audiobook and is was so atmospheric it felt like I was legitimately at a poetry slam! The writing as lyrical and really drew me in and I couldn't put this one down I read it in 1 sitting. Jae Nichelle is truly talented and I will be reading her other collections.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

**I received an advanced reader copy via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I do want to state before I go into this review that I cannot fully speak on the experiences of this author, nor can I say that this is the most authentic representation of the experiences of someone who exists in the same communities as this author. while I am queer, I am neither black, nor am I religious. Also, the experiences the author has had as a queer person is likely very different than what I have experienced.

Now onto my review:

A good collection of short stories but unfortunately I was only able to access the audiobook and not the ebook. I tend to get very distracted while I listen to audiobooks, even if i'm not doing anything, so I think I could have genuinely liked this more if I had read the ebook with the audio or on its own. I definetely did enjoy some poems but a lot of them lost me? idk. I thought some of the ideas were cool, like letting the phone text prediction write some of the poems, but I just didn't think it worked unfortunately.

This book describes itself as the author "tapping into her experiences of growing up in the South as a queer Black woman to courageously confront the affects of a forced religion and the inherent dangers of living life in a female body." and honestly, I didn't entirely get that from the poems. maybe it's just me, and maybe its just the fact that I listened on audio so I missed certain things I would normally notice, but I genuinely do not feel that this synopsis is the best representation of this book. Though as mentioned earlier, please do seek the reviews of readers who share the experience of this author.

I loved how this audiobook was narrated by the author. It made for a better experience and i felt more like I was in conversation with someone and they were telling me stories, rather than just listening to an audiobook. Some of the poems i enjoyed more from this collection include: This is about nakedness; How I know things are bad again; Worthy of praise; and Love MAYBE God.

God Themselves is a collection of poems that includes Jae Nichelle's experiences growing up in the south, and religion. Nichelle weaves religious symbolism, imagery, and traditions/rites into her poems - in a way that transcends the traditional views of religion - with everyday imagery (like in "Elevator" or "Jesus Saves"), her Black community, traumas, mental health, and sexuality.
I listened to the audiobook because the e-arc wasn't working on my device (only a few poems actually loaded properly). Listening to this in Nichelle's voice felt like a more intentional way of absorbing the poetry because of the tone, rhythm, and cadence of the author. Some of my favorites: "Black Girl Catholic," "Three Churches Burn in Louisiana," "We Create Our Own Coming of Age" (visually, I loved this), "Tangible Heaven," and "This Was Written." It was hard to choose as there were days when I read/listened where the poem just really hit at that moment and some I had to re-listen to. I feel like it's always a bit challenging in rating collections of poetry because there are so many different styles, many have to be read aloud, and the rhythm is so important in how you receive the works.

These poems are touching and moving. They’re easy to feel and digest and I thoroughly enjoyed them.
I think the ones I love the most were…👇
What you can choose about your body.
Prayer as edited by Uncle Ruckus.
And this contains nakedness. ♥️♥️

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this beautiful poetry.

This audiobook was lovely, the narrator was fantastic and conveyed the moods and tones of the writings fantastically. I knocked off 1 star because the content wasn’t something I’m particularly interested in but that is no fault of the writer but rather a matter of personal preference.

I loved this book.. It was a netgalley audio book and I found myself wishing I was reading it so I could underline and take pictures to post of lines she read. It was gorgeous writing and I'm tempted to go out and buy the book I loved it so much! Definitely 5 stars!

There is a strength in woman's point of view. There is a power in her words. There is a sensitivity in a way how she portrays everything, yet there is also raw truth to facts that should not be sugarcoated. That's how I felt about this collection of poems about Black experience, that opens eyes even wider to life so different from mine. I loved how the author connected her own intrinsic world with the outside one, there were connections made that showed how one influence the other and how our mind can perceive some simple things on another level and that gave even more meaning to the experience of being a human. I recommend it to anybody who loves poetry!