This poetry collection emanates a sort of raw power that I could feel within the first few pages. It’s rage, it’s violence, it’s grief and above all it’s truth. There were so many times that I had to read a poem multiple times to feel like I fully understood the depth that it was portraying.

I enjoyed the cadence of the writing very much and there were so many words (especially slang) that I had to google. It was really cool to learn some of the Māori language and culture through this work.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC!

With hip-hop bravado and an attention for the tail end of youth, Tayi Tibble’s "Rangikura" comes out the gate swinging and never relents. This book is awesome.

Tibble is both a child of the internet and Māori culture, and her parentage pulses through every single poem. There’s so much fun language play here, whether that’s the near-constant slang, multilingualism, or phonological flips. The book feels like it’s meant to be performed.

I understand that this was originally published in 2021, and I don’t know whether it was being written during COVID, but it feels like a book made for lockdown's brand of reflection. All the references to pop culture and bar hopping and texting are framed through the nostalgic lens of realization—so many of the things that seem unimportant are what shape us into who we are.

These are rambling poems in which the narrator “yes, ands” herself at every turn, and the result is a kind of fist-pumping energy that invites readers to participate. That momentum might seem like it would inhibit interiority, but instead it enables it, highlighting a precision in even the most “disposable” word. For example, consider the following lines from “Homewrecker”:

"Even my mother said I had a talent
for extracting things from people
and so I had to be careful.
No one was going to light up violently and tell me
that I was taking something from them.
Life’s not a game of Operation.
Stop playing with people."

This section reflects how so much of the book wrestles with the millennial impulse to be both ironic and earnest. The poet speaks with her tongue in her cheek, but she means it. This approach also allows for use of an occasionally elevated register as Tibble is able to reappropriate language and ideas that might feel tired in lesser poems. The mastery of all this poetry feels gymnastic, as readers are able to find lines like "I desire mystery” within a page of “Fed my ass fat / with slutty foods: pineapple and cranberry juice.”

I’ve long felt like poetry and comedy originate from the same impulse, and Tibble’s penchant for gut punches and punchlines in equal measure suggests there is some merit to the idea. This is a book that is heartbreaking and hilarious, and one that will definitely reward multiple readings due to the poet's singular voice. I mean, where else will you find the line “I’m current like I’m water” and have it land as a total mic drop? Seriously, read this book.

Gorgeous poetry that feels like a coming-of-age and the end. The poetry explores the colonization of New Zealand, the violence of the indigenous women, and the discrimination of the Maori but you feel like it is happening to you or your best friend.

The language flows beautiful causing a feeling of quiet desperation at times and unequalled freedom at other times.

My favorite poem was A Karakia 4 a Humble Skux but they were all amazing.

Completely genius and all-consuming. While Tayi Tibble is speaking about another culture, lifestyle, tradition I don't know anything about - I can still relate to the words on the page. A massive accomplishment, especially for poetry which has the ability to alienate the reader so easily.

You can feel Tibble’s rage and grief and cynicism and humor and hurt and betrayal. You can sense the tribute she is paying to Māori culture.

Again, since there were a lot of words/references to the Māori culture, there was a lot I had to Google/look up. It would be nice to have an appendix or glossary in the final version of this book. I think keeping the reader inside the pages of a singular entity (whether on kindle or in print) will really add to the power of the collection. It will also do the added bonus of teaching culture to the readers (some of which may just gloss over it and continue on).

This collection is raw and vibrant, and at turns joyful and heartbreaking. Tibble writes in style reminiscent of spoken-word poetry, heavy on internal rhythms and rhyme. “Hōmiromiro, “Takakino,” and “My Mother Meets My Father in an Alternate Koru,” resonated the most with me, and the prose poems in Section 2 the least, but that’s on me for not caring for that style. Overall, I appreciated Rangikura, and would like to read more of Tibble’s work in the future. I am looking forward to adding some of her poems into the choice units I share with students.

Rangikura by Tayi Tibble is a masterful collection full of poems that dutifully explore Maori culture, womanhood, intimacy, and toxic masculinity. My favorite lines were “All men think they’re Gods gift” and “I come from a line of wyling women.” The only thing about this book I didn’t like was that sometimes words were spelled wrong on purpose, like when someone is texting. I have seen it before in poetry and I understand the reasoning behind it. I still heavily recommend this book to people. It is full of loss and anger and wisdom. My review will be on Amazon, Instagram, and goodreads.

This really smartly brings together her Maori identity and 21st century life in a really fascinating way. She blends in Maori language and slang with English which will challenge the reader to connect and play with ideas she's discussing. Favorites included My Ancestors Ride wit Me, Tohunga, My Ancestors Send Me Screenshots, and Mahuika. A total delight of a collection!

5 stars

I really love Tayi Tibble and felt that way before even cracking this collection. Since this is filled with one banger after another, I think she's even more fantastic now.

Tibble is particularly skilled at revealing culture, the joys and horrors of being a young woman, and specific (often cringe) moments. Anyone who's dated *that guy* in their early 20s will find aspects of this collection particularly resonant.

More to love about Tibble? The way her work is utterly compelling for my college literature students. I can't wait to infuse some of these works - along with others of hers already on my syllabus - in upcoming courses.

I really enjoyed Tibble's first poetry collection and was so excited to get an eARC of this new release, which I loved! Tibble's poetry is always so easy to get through (as someone who's not a big poetry reader), I learned so much about Maori culture while reading through this as well which I loved. Getting to see writers of different backgrounds tell their stories will always be a joy to see, especially when I don't know too much about other cultures.

I love Tayi Tibble’s work. These collection of poems tells about the Maoris’ ancestral roots. Reading these poems is amazing and represents so many things in her life. I want to say thank you to the publishers at
Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and also NetGalley for giving me a opportunity to read this book and do a review.

This is the first time I’ve read Tayi Tibble’s work, and it really captures me. Partially because I had to work so much harder to fully understand the metaphors and figurative language that was specific to New Zealand, and partly because so much of her trauma and spirituality and connections with her ancestry resonated with me. Section 3 was my favorite of this collection but each of the sections were impactful in their own way. Section 2 reads more like prose. I enjoyed the variety.

This collection is POWERFUL. You can feel Tibble’s rage and grief and cynicism and humor and hurt and betrayal. Tibble described the book as her “pay[ing tribute to modern Māori culture by using the humor, sexuality and friendship that encapsulates my generation" and I think that’s a perfect description.

A note: since this book is so connected to Māori culture, a lot of the words and references were unfamiliar to me, which I assume is going to be true for other readers. I appreciated that I read it on kindle so I could easily look them up as I read, but it would be really cool to have a version of this book with an appendix/explanatory notes where Tibble gets to teach us parts of Māori culture.

The style generally reads like slam poetry that’s written down. However, in two her sections, she experiments with some long form poetry that almost feels like a book chapter, but not quite. It’s not my preferred style, but it works with the emotions she’s trying to convey.

Thank you to Nethgalley and the publisher for sending this review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Coming out in the US!

Loved this collection of poems from the author’s perspective as a young woman, Māori & a lot to say about growing up in the environment she did, colonization, oppression, life & made it funny and relevant too.

“I didn’t grow up wrecking things but very often the world wrecked itself around me”
“life’s not a game of Operation. Stop playing with people.”