Fatimah Asghar redefines poetry in her full-length debut, If They Come For Us, interweaving traditional free verse and innovative forms as she explores what it means to be orphan, to be immigrant, to be human. I know that that’s a bold statement but, in my estimation, this collection is one of the most important books of 2018, and one that will lay the foundation for experimental poetry in the coming years. Asghar has a strong reputation for challenging norms, and for intelligent, sharp writing, and still the poems shattered me again and again.

Less than a third of the way through the book, I wrote that I had never had to set down a book in stunned silence more than Asghar’s. I read and reread poems. I interrupted class to share them with students. Quite simply, I lost all professionalism and succumbed to experiencing If They Come For Us on a purely human level. Even now, the objectivity of a third-person review evades me. I cannot be objective about this book. Each time I return to it, I am a young reader again, falling in love with the inexplicable power of language.

*Full review pending publication of the book.*

I absolutely devoured this book. I tend to be skeptical about most books of poetry, especially after the disaster that was 'The Princess Saves Herself in This One'. But this book is raw and genuine and above all, serves as a voice for someone who was voiceless, and for those who will never speak again.

These poems were a heartbreaking beacon of light in a sea of modern poetry books with no meaning.

This is a breathtaking collection, overflowing with rage and pain and healing and joy. Asghar tells a powerful story of being a Pakistani Muslim orphan in America, coming of age surrounded by love but feeling untethered. She grapples with violent histories, with a lack of memory of her family and her homeland, and with racial/religious micro- and macroaggressions. Her poetry is wholly original and her unique voice resonates throughout the collection. I love the way she (literally) turns the traditional poetry format upside-down. This is an absolute must-read.

If They Come for Us by Fatima Asghar. A book of poetry which is not my usual type of reading material. I decided to give it a try for National Poetry Reading Month. It was a interesting book with poems that made you think from a place not many know much about.

This is really a powerful collection of poetry. I think my favorite poems from the collection were For Peshawar, Partition, 100 Words on 45's 100 Days, and Land Where My Father Died. There is also a lot of innovative techniques I haven't seen utilized in a lot of poetry, such as bingo boards, floor plans and crosswords. Seek this one out.

This poetry was probably the most insightful and beautiful, and quite honestly the most difficult that I've ever read.
These poems and stories are so heartbreaking, but only so much because you know that these terrible, despicable things do truly happen in this world, as much as we all like to wear our rose colored glasses and tell ourselves that we'll be okay, there are so many people out there that don't have that luxury.
My favorite poem from the tome is this one, titled ‘100 Words On 45's 100 Days’:
“his last name means to win; he drops bombs flattening children to prove he can. my friends write ‘not my president’ online. I am the farthest from home I've been in a long time. I write ‘I pledge no allegiance’ but children stay dead, buried by cement in Syria or a cop's bullet in America
& he goes on golfing, vacationing, his belt swells past buckle while swarms of children never grow up. He's not my president but I live in a country whose sun is war, we keep rotating around it's warmth
our faces, sun-kissed, each & every morning.”
Every time I read it, it has a new meaning. I honestly have to say that this was the most moving stuff I have ever read, and especially as a feminist, this just kills me.
I want to thank Fatimah Asghar for sharing her stories with the world, she is so brave and lovely, and hearing more people speak out like this, really gives me hope that others can understand, and more people will want to fight for change.

In America they slaughtered a temple of Sikhs because they thought
them us. Here we all become towelheads, amorphous fears praying
to a brown god. Others that become others that look like others.
They don’t know our history, it’s locked doors & heavy whispers.”

This was a shocking, poignant poetry collection written by a young woman who is using current events (particularly 45’s ignorance), her childhood and family stories from the Partition in India/Pakistan to detail stark realities of what it’s like to have a country one day and be perceived as dirt or the enemy the next. It’s brevity lends to its strength and I highly recommend picking this up over the summer.

Visceral collection. Thank you netgalley for the ARC.
I will be looking up words and concepts and history and reading again. This will stay with me.

Too adult for my students but I’ll be buying a copy for myself.

If They Come for Us by Fatimah Asghar is a poetry book that caught my eye because of one line in the blurb, "Fatimah Asghar nakedly captures the experiences of being a young Pakistani Muslim woman in America" this line pulled me in. This book does a great job of doing just that. I'm a very open person and can't sand judgment so I enjoy poetry and stories that cover this topic.
Like most poetry books, I didn't love every single poem in this book, but I did enjoy most of them. There are poems in this book that cover real-life events. The poem, "For Peshawar" that reference to a terrorist attack on an Army Public School in Peshawar in 2014 were 141 were killed. This poem brought tears to my eyes. This wasn't the only poem that made me cry. The line "I want a land that doesn't want me." Made my heart shatter. The idea that there are people who so feel this way, makes me want to cry. These poems pull those feelings out and so many more into words and will make you feel something.
I also like how there are a few different formats like with the more 'Map Home' I never read a poem like that.
This beautiful poetry book is a joy, it's filled with truth, and powerful lines; it's a must-read.

in this poetry collection, Fatimah Asghar beautifully brings together stories of her own experiences as a Pakistani Muslim in America and the history of the partition, 9/11, and the current American administration

This collection of poems was haunting and it grabbed me in a way that I wasn't expecting. Infinitely relateable for me, "Boy" broke my heart into little pieces and I have yet to gather them up again. The words touch on both the experience of being a woman, being a boy-girl, being different and what it's like to be an immigrant growing up in America.

I cannot recommend If They Come For Us enough.

Wow. This book is so incredibly powerful. I wish I could sit down with the author and hear her stories, crying with her for the pain that Fatimah has lived through.

Some of my favorites:
"For Peshawar" - such a sad, beautiful tribute
"Partition" - eye-opening insight into the struggle of not belonging as an immigrant and minority searching for an identity
"Kal" - this is a neat play on the word kal and the tomorrow/yesterday
"When the Orders Came" - so sad
"100 Words on 45's 100 Days" - SPEAK TRUTH

Ugh. All of them are so good. I recommend this read to everyone who wants to learn more about the struggles of refugees, immigrants, and the Hindu and Muslim population after 9/11.

This is a beautiful and touching collection about homeland, family, and belonging. Poems touch on a wide range of topics and time periods, including Partition, 9/11, and the current situation in America. "When the Orders Came" and "100 Words on 45's 100 Days" are short but straight to the point and hard hitting. I very much enjoyed the way different formats are used, especially in the cases of "Script for Child Services: A Floor Plan" and "Map Home." I absolutely loved "Microaggression Bingo." An all around fantastic collection. This is the kind of poetry that I love to read and that I would love to see more of.