Lighter by Ameena Karaja – ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Recommended: sure
For relatable poetry that mirrors universal feeling, for uplifting encouragement when it’s needed most, for a comforting reminder that you are not alone
Summary:
Light.er is a collection of poetry and prose that is divvied up into three parts: You, I, and We. ‘You’ contains words of empowerment and courage. ‘I’ explores the affects of living through struggles and nostalgia. ‘We’ is a combination of the two that emphasizes how similar we all are, in both happiness and grief. (*50% of all proceeds go to the MATW project; a non-profit organisation working to better the lives of the widows and orphans of Togo, Africa. You can check out their incredible work on their website: www.matwproject.org)
Thoughts:
I’ve had this collection waiting for me on my Kindle for a while, and was saving it for a day when I knew I needed it. That day recently came, and I was happy to find this set here waiting for me. The cover in this case perfectly sets the expectation of what is inside. The poetry within is very light and warm, and cleverly divided into sections of “you,” “I,” and “we” with themes to match. It’s a very clever setup, and executed well.
My favorite touch was the dashes at the end of some poems that seemed to serve almost as a postscript, or an author’s signature. They often added some humour or sweetness to the poems themselves. Sometimes they even shifted the mood of it overall and you would have a very different message without them.
Some of these didn’t make much sense to me or seemed a bit contradictory to themselves, but it’s easy enough to let go and enjoy despite that when you embrace the sweetness of this set. It’s truly created as a gift to others, as evident in the author’s note. I sincerely appreciate the work that went into this and the kindness in sending it out into the world. A perfect collection to turn to on any day, but especially one where you need a friend and some kind words.
My Book Joy 