*Bless the Blood* by Walela Nahanda is a poignant exploration of identity and heritage, woven with lyrical prose and emotional depth. It's a debut that leaves a lasting impact, showcasing Nahanda's promise as a powerful new voice in literature.

This book left me breathless!

Nehanda uses vivid, raw poetry to explore not just cancer, but all the other aspects that come with it: the threat of mortality, the impact of chronic illness on relationships, and how their identity as Black, fat, disabled, and queer makes them more vulnerable in the American healthcare system. The "further reading" list at the end is a great resource I'll definitely be exploring.

The book also delves into Nehanda's relationships with their family and ancestors. The complicated dynamic with their parents, the connection with ancestors as part of their healing process—it was all fascinating. For a debut from a young author (Nehanda is in their late twenties), it was surprisingly introspective.

Some might find the switch between free verse and poetic novel writing a bit disjointed, but I loved it. The author's craftsmanship really shines through.

"Bless The Blood" is a heavy read, but it's unforgettable. I can't recommend it enough and I'm eager to see what Walela Nehanda writes next.

An excellent read for everyone, especially those seeking to understand how race, gender, trauma, and the medical industrial complex intersect. On top of being an important read because of the topics it deals with, Bless the Blood is also lyrical, honest, and beautifully written.

One reason I hate reviewing non-fiction is I don’t always know how to review. Like do I just give my opinions on the facts I learned? Or how they’re presented? And it’s even worse when it’s a memoir lol Because how dare I say someone’s life is boring? Luckily for me, I didn’t think of any of that when I was reading this. I just listened to it and ended up listening to it non-stop. I remember reading it in two sittings. And the only reason it took 2 was because I started it at like 11 pm lol

Ok so first things first, I was supposed to read the physical copy the publisher sent me, but I ended up getting the audio copy from the publisher too. And let me just tell you, it was LIFE CHANGING. I am a HUGE advocate for poetry or novels in verse that are audiobooks, but when they’re also narrated by the author?! YASSSSS! It’s my favorite. Because they always have the inflections they where they want them and exactly how they want them. And the breaks or pauses are also there and exactly where they want them. And I have to say, nothing compares. And this audiobook is exactly this. And it has everything I love about them.

The representation in this was also amazing. (Which duh, it’s based off a real person lol) So many times I wanted to fight the world when they mentioned they were dead-named, misgendered, and experienced medical racism. And that made me especially mad because my own mom had stomach cancer, and I saw first hand the medical racism she experienced, and the way she was also ignored when hers was discovered, and man, this sounded just like what she went through. I felt SO BAD for the author. I had a hard time realizing that I couldn’t go find their doctor and make them listen to what they did.

I did wish we were given a bit more info on some of the characters, like the mom, but I also understand that she wasn’t really around and that’s most likely why she wasn’t really in the picture. Which I thought was unfortunate. Because as a mom I couldn’t imagine leaving my child by themselves when they needed me. And I also wanted to explore more with the love interest. Because I really wanted to know the kind of person who was there only when it was convenient for them when the other person HAD CANCER AND WASN’T DOING WELL. She was so annoying lol

I liked this so much. I can’t recommend this enough. I will say I did re-read some parts of the physical book once I got it, but it just didn’t HIT like the audio. Don’t get me wrong, I still would have given it the same rating, but I just don’t think it’s as good as the audio.

Bless The Blood: A Cancer Memoir is a striking book that gets under your skin and stays there for days afterward. Though billed as a YA book, the writing and story hold a depth of feeling and insight that will engage far older readers, too. Hospitals, homes, intimate relationships and even one’s own skin are explored as sites playing host to complex histories. Framed by references to Cynthia Parker Ohene and Audre Lorde, Walela Nehanda threads a poetics of class, race and gender that shows how those constructs tangibly mediate who has access to certain spaces and their attendant expectations of care.

There is wisdom in Nehanda’s depiction of the ways relationships function as spaces for the people in them. And inversely, how spaces are shaped by the connections people make there. Some books really get to the heart of that old saying “a house is not a home”—this is one of the few that goes further by suggesting that a body isn’t always a home, either.

Teeming with generational trauma and an aching love-hunger that breaks through in paragraphs and poems about sickness, recovery, affection, intimacy, and history, this is a book that refuses to be reducible to inspiration porn. There is a lot of unvarnished pain here: it beats and seeps and leaps out of the page, sinking into the sorest parts of anyone who has ever found themselves at odds with their body, anyone who has ever felt the acute violence of having their bodies treated as alienable.

But these recollections are accompanied by memories of healing and true connection that remind me of one of my favorite aspects of queer media: the defiance of portraying communal moments of revelry and unapologetic joy. These moments offer a small antidote to the seemingly incessant indignities Nehanda encounters in trying to access care through institutions that diminish compassion into a sort of charity contingent on the seeker’s performance of acceptable respectable acquiescence to unjust norms. It is a keenly relevant story, and only becoming more so as the conversation and activism around medical bias gains momentum.

The book’s archetypal figures and icons are also from a media moment that younger readers (I’m including twenty-somethings in this), will find timely. Close readers might be left wondering why there is more “prestige” in the exploits of long-dead hellenics than Captain American or Black Panther—and how our insistence on pretending that the former are more universal than the latter only goes to show how deeply those stories have been decontextualized in service of modern myths about what is “natural” or just.

I will admit fully that I am very partial to this sort of mythic deconstruction. I appreciate authors who staunchly refuse the opiate of presumed objectivity and instead fiercely reckon with the implicit messages and specificity of our shared stories. There is a passion in these pages that I found refreshing, and which I hope this review does justice to.

Who Will Enjoy This: People who thought The Remedy was poignant, timely and want to read more deeply personal stories about the struggles of accessing care (both medical and otherwise) as a gender-expansive person of color (here, a Black person in America). People who enjoy memoirs in verse, or poetry about the poet’s relationship with their body and others. People who think “formalism” is another word for “limitation”. People who enjoy science fiction metaphors for biomedical ideas.

(Seriously, Nehanda’s description of leukemia and their body as a besieged planet is all I’ve been talking about to anyone who will listen for the past week)

Who Might Think Twice: If you’re currently dealing with healthcare bias and difficulties of your own, this book will either reassure you that you are not alone or leave you emotionally exhausted. Your miles may vary. Nehanda pulls no punches in either their remembrances of or their viscerally unflinching depiction of their pain.

A personal and unique book of prose that explores the painful side of a cancer diagnosis, while exploring one’s identity. Bless the Blood explores themes of loss and pain, through a combination of poetry and essays. This is a really unique memoir and an incredible debut.

So, "Bless the Blood" isn't your typical cancer story. Walela Nehanda takes you on a wild ride through their own battle with cancer, but it's about way more than just chemo and doctor's appointments. At twenty-three, Walela finds themselves smack dab in the middle of a healthcare system that doesn't quite get them – from doctors who can't even use the right pronouns to society's constant judgment. But amidst all the chaos, Walela finds strength in their ancestors and a whole lot of self-discovery along the way.

In this book, you'll find poetry, essays, and a whole lot of real talk about what it's like to face cancer when you're not just fighting the disease, but also fighting against a system that's stacked against you. "Bless the Blood" isn't just about one person's journey – it's a rallying cry for change in how we approach healthcare and how we treat each other. So grab a copy, settle in, and get ready to be inspired.

Bless the Blood is a cancer memoir written by a non binary person about their struggles after being diagnosed with leukemia. It covers heavy topics as cancer treatments, neglect, abuse, they get called by their dead name frequently, systemic medical racism. It is told via poems. This one took a bit longer to read than normal but it really helped me to grasp some of the things they went through. I definitely recommend reading this if not triggered by the things I mentioned.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. This was my first time reading a memoir-poetry hybrid as it's not my usual genre, but this was AMAZING. Heartbreaking and sad, but so so powerful. The author went through so much, and all at the same time. Her recount for the audience helps shed light on the issues that so many others are experiencing. I really loved this, and hope that they continue to write more novels, we need more stories their perspective. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

This YA debut featuring essays and poems from a Black cancer patient grasped me unlike anything I’ve ever read.

A truly heart-wrenching tale of pain, belonging, and life as a queer, black, disabled person. I appreciated the past/ present element and found myself highlighting so many great quotes!

Rating: 4⭐️
Rep: nonbinary black MC, anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, cancer
Check TWs for this one!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for this ARC! Overall, this was a beautiful debut poetry book highlighting important topics, from disability, race, mental health, sexuality, gender identity, suicide, and abuse. This book follows our narrator and MCs journey as a black non-binary young adult dealing with a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Bless the Blood was a unique read that provided essential and valuable viewpoints on various issues, and overall I think it was done well. I’m glad to have read this!

I received an early copy of this book thanks to Penguin Teen. There are always formatting issues with ebooks that will never come off well for poetry. Definitely try to pick up or preorder a physical copy of this book to get the full experience!

This poignant autobiography is one told from the deepest of hearts. A story about Walela who is black, queer, and disabled. This is their journey finding out their cancer diagnosis and all of the hardships life has handed to them. This is told in long form poetry, which is my favorite.

Sometimes the flow of the book felt quite stunted. The back and forth between past and present felt confusing at times but once oriented you catch on quick. I just wish we had gotten more of an intro to Ivie. All we were given was the word “fiancée” and nothing else. Just some background on her character or description would’ve been nice instead of me imaging them as some spector following Walela around.

Also just a trigger warning there are some graphic cutting scenes to be aware of! I know that gets to a lot of people especially if caught off guard. Same with ED and transphobia as our main character is non-binary!

This story is one told from pain and heartache. It’s for those who see what is wrong with the world but can do nothing about it. It’s the cards that they’ve been dealt and Walela shows how they made it through.

There’s so many amazing quotes from this book I wish I could share a with you but please know they may not appear in the final edition nor in the same capacity as they are now. I still wish to appreciate at least one.

“We both practice a religion that knows no bounds to this life, meaning our love knows no limits here.” -Not an “official” quote but a dang good one that will stay with me (if someone confirms it in the published, I will edit!)

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.