Helium is another title to add to the modern school of poetry. It's an analysis of what makes up a young person, from personal relationships to the poet's larger role in society. It tells stories through simple language and doesn't muddy the waters with hidden meanings or complicated metaphors. It tells it like it is, and gets to the point where it needs to.

There's a vast difference when reading the first half of the collection and the second. The more personal poems that deal with love and personal relationships really didn't resonate with me. It was sort of the same old lamenting that poets often grow out of. However, the second half of the poems that speak more to race, class, and what it's like to live today with a dozen labels on you before you utter a word does make more of an impact when reading it--enough to want to see more from this poet in the future.

Rudy Francisco really has mastery of the magic of poetry. His imagery is interesting, fresh, beautiful, and startling when it needs to be. I enjoyed nearly every poem in this collection and found the presentation compelling even when some poems dealt with subject matter that I didn't relate to.

Helium is the first poetry collection I read from Rudy Francisco. His poetry reminds me of Rupi Kaur’s, but from a male perspective. Rudy sheds light on sensitive and important topics such as gender, politics, race, and social issues in his powerful and emotional raw poetry. I wasn’t too fond of the beginning of his poetry collection which discusses about past love and depression. Those poems felt weak and trite. However, as the book progresses, his poems become deeper and more progressive. A few of my favorite poems from this collection are Sinking, Adrenaline Rush, Accent, and Mercy. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Rupi Kaur or is interested in reading poetry about social issues and race.

This book is a poetry book so it doesn't really have a story to it just a compilation of poems by
the author Rudy Francisco. I was thrilled because I've read some of his work before and forgot
about him. He is fantastic and this book did not disappoint. His metaphors are just beautiful and make you feel something inside that not a lot of poetry can do I find. Most of his poems are short and to the point so they don't lose you along the way. If your a poetry fan this book is one that you must read. I've read a few and none of them are better than this one. This is one of those books that you will read once and put down, then the next few days will read again because it just calls to you. The best part was I really felt like I was part of his world reading all of the emotions that he's put into his work. I feel that no matter how many time I read this book it will always beg to be read again.

I needed to read some poetry for a reading challenge I'm taking part in this year, and was drawn to this collection because of the cover! And that way of choosing books has served me well yet again, as I found this to be a stunning, honest and powerful collection of poems by a man I'd only seen clips off via Button Poetry online.

He has an amazing way with words and covers a wide range of subjects from depression to racism, to love to hate, and hope and despair. And with some poems he only needs 13 words to convey such insight and impact and I found myself re-reading some as they just struck me as so engaging.

There were poems that were short and snappy, alongside those that went more in depth into a wide range of emotions and it has definitely made me more interested in the new world of poetry and will be searching out more to read in the future - I just hope they're all as good as this!!

Helium
by Rudy Francisco
Button Poetry

Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles
Multicultural Interest , Poetry
Pub Date 28 Nov 2017


I am reviewing a copy of Helium through Button Poetry (Independent Book Publishers Association) and Netgalley:


Ruby Francisco is an internet sensation and Helium is her first collection of published poetry, the poems in this book speak of culture.


Ruby Francisco has traveled both the country and the world, wowing crowds, and his poetry and quotes have been shared countless times.



I give Helium five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Helium is such a raw, honest, and emotional ride for the reader, but definitely worth it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this collection. It was my introduction to Rudy Francisco, and I was pleasantly surprised. I did not imagine it would be so thought-provoking, giving me so many different "feels." I connected with his thoughts of love lost and longing in ways I wasn't expecting. I admire the way he was able to weave these difficult feelings into such profound poetry. I highly recommend this read to all lovers of modern poetry and can't wait to read more from him.

Thank you to Button Poetry and Netgalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy of "Helium" in exchange for an honest review.

I went on a little binge read on NetGalley ( a fantastic place to read ARCS to give reviews on ) and found this stunning gem. I went into this piece of literature thinking it would be a light read with educating patches here and there to win me over. What I did not expect was to be up at one in the morning, bawling my eyes out and frantically highlighting every poem I read with a bright "THATS ME" sign.

Rudy is a fantastic author who has a skill for using language that I haven't seen or been spellbound by in three years. His way of voicing his feelings ( specifically his grief, pain, and loss ) is both tragic and baffling it has left me breathless several times.

I must say that the only point in which I felt let down was toward the second part of the collection. In my bastardy opinion I felt a little disappointed by some of the "love" poems that he had written. They were brilliant but maybe not to my particular taste. Otherwise, despite feeling like a short story, this collection was spectacularly written.

I would like to go over some of my favorite, and personally private and similar to my own voice, poems as well as the few that I absolutely must mention. The mentioned poems are usually the ones where every word was a gift and it was more than I could handle and therefor I must recommend the whole poem rather than just a stanza.

DULY NOTED AND FANTASTIC:
1. Page 262, Mess
2. Page 339, Museum
3. Page 403, Chameleon
4. Page 510, Adrenaline Rush
5. Page 563, To The Man Standing on the Corner Holding the Sign That Said "God Hates Gays"
6. Page 605, Rifle II
7. Page 722, Mercy
8. Page 746, Cookout
0. Page 786, Complainers
and
10. The last page, Yes


Now I would like "lightly" go over specific poems that spoke to me.

1. Page 120, My Honest Poem

"I've been told that I give really bad hugs.
People say it feels like I'm trying to escape.
Sometimes it's because I am."

"I get really nervous every time someone
gets close enough to hear me breathe."

I can not even begin to explain why this was the first that I highlighted upon first read
( I will be reading these again ).
His words at first are very straightforward and they are so terribly honest and real that I can't
begin to wonder why I feel like there is so much more he wants to say, that he's holding back. I feel
that every time I read a poem, after turning a page, there is a feeling of loss. I know there is more.
More brutal honesty. I want to hear all of his thoughts come to life no matter how painful.

2. Page 135

"Sometimes, I wonder what my bedsheets
say about me when I'm not around."

To feel so self conscious of an inanimate object, something that could not mock you or torment you
but at the same time be a constant reminder of your insecurity.. it briefly made me think for a moment, to gather myself in thought, "What are my bedsheets saying about me?"


3. Page 142

"I've never been in the military,
but I have a purple heart:
I got it from beating myself up
over things that I can't fix."

And,

"Somedays I forget that my skin
is not a panic room."

An excellent, thoughtful choice of words.

4. Page 175, Sip

The entire poem sniped me from my back and straight through my chest and left me bleeding for dead. A masterpiece if I've ever seen one. Mostly because I can read this and say "Me too."
( I really hate coffee. )

and lastly, page 250. "When People Ask How I'm Doing."
Ya'll just need to read this.

Also I couldn't help but think that if they did slam poetry or Poetry Out Loud for senior year, that I would totally memorize every single page of this book.

I'd probably win.

9/10, could have been a 5 star but towards the middle I fell out of it a little. A definite must read and automatic favorite.

Give it a read!

Rudy has an exceptional way of tying together poems about life, love, and race. I’d watched performances of several of his poems before I read the book and it was just as magical to read them as it was to hear them performed. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, despite already being excited to read it before I received a free digital galley from the publisher.

The best collection of poetry, unexpected, moving, and unique, that I’ve read in a long time. I want a copy for myself, and several for my friends. I want to return to these frequently, These poems are fantastic and fresh and clear and I highly recommend this collection.

I've been a fan of Rudy Francisco since the first time I heard his spoken word about ~10 years ago. From the moment he spoke his first sentence, my ears were enamored. Something about the rhythm and cadence just makes his poems come to life before your eyes. His words fill the room, tiptoeing around and then melodically dancing until the words grow so big they fill the room and you're left gasping for air.

Being extremely familiar with his work I wondered if that same emotion would translate into print.

I will admit, some of the power behind his words is lost when just sprawled across a page, or in my case, a kindle. I feel that with an actual book there is a bit more editing involved. The same poem, both written and spoken are two completely different beasts.

The book is a light read and perfect for a gift. Ten years ago when I first discovered Rudy's work, this book would have been great. Social media wasn't as prevalent in everyone's lives then and every single moment wasn't documented. This collection of poems would have been perfect to go back, re-read and dissect each word. Now, all it takes is a quick google search to relive the raw emotions behind each poem.

My advice for anyone unfamiliar with Rudy, read Helium first, and then google him. You won't be disappointed.

This is an incredibly beautiful, thoughtful and emotional collection of poetry. I found so much of what was on the page speaking to me. Absolutely wonderful and I'd highly recommend it.

This is a beautiful and unexpected collection of verse. Every page was a pleasant surprise. I started highlighting passages that really struck me and soon discovered that I had highlighted nearly the entire book. Well worth a read, especially for folks who claim they don't "get" poetry.

I recieved a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

This collection is honest, raw and beautiful. This book is an experience.
My favorite piece is "My Honest Poem".

I have been a little familiar with Rudy Francisco's work through Button Poetry and I was always wowed by his Spoken Word performance.
Having the opportunity to review this book is a gift. The poems are deeply personal and engaging and made me reflect about points like love, racism, mental health and how it must feel like to be socialized as a man.
Rudy's point of view is very engaging and the construction of the poems are superb. I specially liked his view on God.
I fully recommend this book for when you are feeling reflexive and just want to readdress some issues from a different, creative and witty point of view.

The emotions I felt while reading this collection surprised me. For a book off of Net Galley, I was blown away.
This poetry collection covers race, gender, mental illness, religion, and love in an open and raw collection of poems that speak to you and force you to confront your demons in such a passionate way.

Every poem struck home and made me sit back and ask myself "Who am I now that I've read this?"

From “And Then After”:
I heard there’s a
woman in Palestine
who makes flower pots
out of used teargas grenades
From this I learned
the explosion
is not how the story
has to end.

From "Sinking":
I held you
the way a boat holds water.

I should have left when I
felt us sinking.

From "Strength":
I convinced my fist
that it was a flower.
I relaxed, it bloomed
and I forgave you

before you even apologized.

These are just a few poems that each explore a different theme in Helium. Each one taught me something whether it was about the world or about myself, I felt like a better person from reading these poems. I highly recommend this collection; it's unfiltered emotions and wide range of subjects offers something for every one.

Rudy Francisco is a poet to keep your eye one. You should look him up on YouTube and listen to his spoken poetry and slam poetry, it will give you the chills.

Ok so I'm a newbie when it comes to poetry having only read Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur before this collection so can honestly say I don't have much to compare to but I really liked this collection of poems by Rudy Francisco having never heard of him before.

I thought the poems were raw, relatable and really packed a punch. I will most definitely re-read them and feel that by doing so I will get something different from them again.

I will admit that some of the poems did go over my head a bit but I think poetry will always be like that for me and hopefully the more I read them the more I will understand!

I would definitely recommend this collection and will certainly be looking for this author's future work.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Rudy is by far one of my favorite poetry writers aka sharers of life via artistic beauty. My oh my, I love how he weaves me in and out of his world, his emotions, his pen drops, and moments of saying Listen Up, Message. This read is a delight and I’ll be rereading it again and again, as it also inspires me to write more as well. Double snaps and kudos.

This collection of poems by Rudy Francisco is both beautiful and thought provoking. His insightful creations are heart breaking, yet honest. His descriptions of anxiety and self-esteem will be appreciated by many. 'Helium' would be a great text for high school students.

What a great read, it was one of those things I had to read out loud to myself to give it the depth it deserved and to feel the proper weight of it. Can’t recommend it enough and looking forward to more work by the artist.