This was an interesting collection, and I enjoyed a few of the poems a lot. I feel like some of it was for shock value, but I'm not sure, I feel like after a reread it might feel less like that.

I thoheroughly enjoyed this sophomore collection of poems by Māori poet Tayi Tibble, and I would very much like to read her debut now! Reviewing poetry always feels difficult because it’s often so subjective, but I loved the careful craft of these poems, the modern and down-to-earth voice of them, and how integral the author’s Māori identity is to them. The sense of place and atmosphere evoked was just wonderful.

My one reservation is that it felt like there were some poems, and some places in the longer poems, where the language and flow didn’t quite live up to what the author had demonstrated she can do elsewhere in the collection, so it didn’t quite hit five stars ... but it was a wonderful, deeply enjoyable read, and I would most certainly recommend it.

Thank you so much to Knopf and Netgalley for the advance copy!

Rangikura is a complex and unflinching memoir and poetry/prose hybrid by promising Māori author Tayi Tibble. Descriptions of childhood, puberty, and mature themes intertwine with dizzying speed and almost choppy juxtaposition, as do beautiful indigenous terms and English-language obscenities. While it is incredibly jarring — if not quite off-putting — to read of childhood trauma in New Zealand and adult sexual liberation in America in nearly the same breath, the work overall is strangely beautiful and, if nothing else, unquestionably unforgettable.

Thank you to the publisher! Unfortunately, some poems resonated and others did not. I would recommend this book to some friends and colleagues, but not all.

Badass, Cultural, Emotional, and Raw

I love the formatting and the change from poetry to story to poetry. I felt like we saw many milestones and defining moments in the author's life. Her words flow like a rap song. The descriptive backgrounds really allowed me to envision her on the island, at dinner, in a hotel. At times flexing and others feeling shattered. Highly Recommend.

Through her poetry, Tayi Tibble, brings the reader into her world and the world of her ancestors. It is a beautifully written book that I hope to share with my students and fellow teachers. Thank you for allowing me to read it.

Rage. Vulnerable. Feminist.

Rangikura is a coming of age collection of poetry that is unabashedly vulnerable with feminine rage threaded throughout. Tibble weaves poems that are autobiographical in short and long form. Verses deeply resonate and strongly depict the complicated and messy relationship surrounding family, romantic and sexual partners, and of oneself. Its cathartic and filled with ancestral acknowledgement and love.

Unfortunately I didn't connect with this latest collection of poetry as much as I did the Indigenous New Zealand author's debut book. That said, the poem structures were very creative, had a strong voice and were sprinkled with colloquialisms that left me a bit puzzled. Personally this one wasn't for me but it was still a beautiful collection with a stunning cover to match! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Books for this advanced copy.

This collection rocks. The poems are insightful, funny, and heartbreaking all at once, encompassing the complicated feelings of growing up, womanhood, and maturity in the face of despair and hardship. This collection will strike a chord with almost everyone.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this title.

This book of poems has many beautiful moments and imagery. I did not love all of the poems (which I think is nearly impossible for any poetry book) but the ones that I love sung to me. Her reflection of her childhood and the identity with her Māori heritage made this collection so special. I felt connected with her coming of age and being a woman while enjoying the love of her heritage. She brings you into her world the way she sees it and leaves places where you can see yourself.

This collection by New Zealander, Tayi Tibble, consists of free verse and prose poetry of an autobiographical nature (or presented as such.) It is playful in its use of language, especially in its use of slang and Maori language words, as it deals with a broad emotional landscape.

It has bursts of creative brilliance and evocativeness, but also periods where it's like reading a teenager's diary.

All in all, I enjoyed the collection and would recommend it for poetry readers.

Rangikura by TAYI TIBBLE (Te Whānau ā Apanui/ Ngāti Porou)

The poets know. I treasured this book of poems. I have so many highlights from the book. My favorites are
Tohunga
Hot Hine Summer
Hine-nui-te-pō
Te Araroa
My Ancestors Send Me Screenshots
A Karakia 4 a Humble Skux
My Ancestors Ride wit Me

This is my fourth book for The Diverse Baseline Challenge, the first for the January prompt of a Collection of Poetry.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book of poetry was so fun and transported me back to my early twenties when I was young enough to remember my high school days but old enough to make my own way as an adult. There was so much fun in these poems but a lot of hurt as well. I would recommend this to anyone interested in a fresh voice talking about making mistakes, exploring your identity/identities, being a woman and living in a world made by others (while carving out your own path). I really loved it! Going to go back and read Poūkahangatus immediately.
Thanks you NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC.

Although it may take some a moment to engage with the outline of poetry, it is worth sticking around from start to finish.

Tibble is inspiring, authentic, and soft in her own grace as she expresses ancestral love to herself and the reader. Rangikura was a highlighted read through. If you are unfamiliar with Māori culture, then taking the time to search words unknown helps to capture Tibble’s full breakthrough of Rangikra. Her words are engaging, relatable with one’s own life, and provide comfort in distant moments. You understand not only Māori culture, feminine and masculine emotions, but also the history of people and who they are as individuals how each person helps create a new world as a whole.

Page 22, 27, 40, 41, and 44 really hit the feels.

Thank you for the arc copy of Rangikura. This review is not sponsored and contains my own words.

This collection of poetry is BEAUTIFUL, and I was captivated from the opening lines. There's a lyricism to Tibble's work that invokes the reader's raw emotions and it seems as if you were the one experiencing the situations Tibble writes about. The language was lyrical and propelled you forward into the next poem while still paving a way to tell the entire story.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, and Vintage via NetGalley for providing me with this ARC! Unsurprisingly I truly enjoyed Tayi Tibble’s second collection of poetry. She has a way with words that makes you feel teleported into her world. The writing style is very unique to her, melding not only homages to her culture but also grounding the reader in contemporary issues.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this collection. While there were a lot of unique experiences tied to Maori culture referenced in the poems, there are also a lot of themes that I think anyone could relate to. The prose was magnificent. I felt that even as I was reading it the words just flowed off the page. I look forward to reading more from this author!

THIS WAS EVERYTHING and I'm so gracious to Knopf Books for granting me advanced digital access to this bright and shiny gem, before publication day (April 9, 2024).

Tayi Tibble has a way with words and in Rangikura, we read about the destination one MC goes on to explore and love oneself better and harder. We're there for scraped knees and drug-infused trips gone wrong, and the generational ancestral traumas that follow closely behind the racist Karens of their cut-out world.

This entire book was badass and heartfelt, and had me chuckling at the creativity of it all. I yearn to fill my head with more prose such as this.

Thank you to Net Galley and Knopf for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I very much enjoyed the author's collection of poems and this one didn't disappoint. The poems are powerful and filled with so much emotion. The poems are vivid and conjure the feeling of place, being in that moment. The poem ranges from the land/New Zealand, being Maori, politics, pop culture, life of the younger self, exploitation, beauty and loss. There is something magical about these poems of the everyday ordinary which couldn't further from the truth.

Very unique and packs quite the punch. This poetry collection reads like rap songs, which a lot of people will adore, but it wasn't for me. I still highly recommend—I know this will be a favorite among many poetry lovers.