This one was not for me.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was incredible. It captures the stress, pressures and uncertainties of the pandemic perfectly which made for such an important read.

It was a delicate reflection upon what it meant to be alive during this period, and I personally found it very comforting to see so many of my own thought written down by another person.

This author is very talented and I will most definitely be recommending this book to other people.

Received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchanged for a review ~~~~~~


Politicians have all but established that living with this current pandemic will be the new norm. What we learn from it and what we take out of it will a sort of growth. In saying that, this book of poems definitely hits close to home as it is current. Lockdowns, Isolations and Quarantines run rampant in every government and has been experienced by most, if not all. The collection of short stories, delves into the lives of many experiencing such an event- the experience, the memories, the feelings, the notions, the ideas and the being. The poetry is relatable, truth (possibly experienced by some, or maybe many).

The poetry encompasses two sides of the coin- the believers and the non believers of the virus. Regardless of which you stand, best believe that the world is in this together and for how long? Time can only tell.

What can be born during a lockdown? theres the issue of mental health, the isolation, pregnancy (and new beginnings) and soo much more.

The book looks at many deaths -loss of job, loss of self, of identity, of being, of personality and yet also looks at new beginnings as well and what we can take away from this. As is life, there is balance and this book was able to capture that.

Born in Lockdown was the first pandemic-inspired poetry collection I’ve read. And it won’t be the last, although the short length and narrow focus of a lot of the poems did leave me hungry for a longer, epic retelling. That said, Tolu’ A. Akinyemi is a skilled, nimble poet who does a great job evoking the stress, chaos and boredom that enfused the early days of the pandemic. Individually the poems are Insta-style snapshots of fleeting moments, collectively they create a howl of outrage that rattles the reader’s skull. In a good way.

This is a vey unique poetry book that the reader simply cannot put down. This is a a series of snapshots of the time of COVID and everything that was a part of that - both the terrible parts and the parts that were not too bad. This book seems like a quick read and it is, but it is also very real about the struggles that most people faced during the pandemic and the lockdowns.
The author wrote about the vaccine, the struggles that families and others that lived together went through when there was no opportunity to hide or leave the other person/people.
I think that in the future this is going to be a unique historical piece that really lays out just what the COVID pandemic and lockdown did and meant to the people going through it.

Raw feelings and emotions. I felt I could connect with everything I read as though the author was reading my mind.

As the pandemic still rages on, I believe this book could relate to a lot of people that have dealt with the side effects of COVID-19; of losing someone, of knowing someone who has gone through it, job less, etc. I would read this again and would save this for history books.

This collection had a lot of promise, as I think we're all curious what sort of new literary wave will emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Literary waves have erupted from much smaller events, after all. I was excited to read this poetry collection, but it was just so SHORT and I felt like there could have been so much more. I liked all of the poems that were in it, but the entire second half of the book - which is short to begin with - was just previews of the author's other work. You'd think that with all the time he spent in lockdown there would be more poems from it. Or maybe there could be a poem about THAT. I liked what was there, but it felt like the first part of a draft.

When I read poetry, there is always an aha moment, that instant when I feel I connect to the author because we've experienced the same emotion.

Let's face it, if you are reading this right now, it's because you've been able to relate to Akinyemi. You are a COVID-19 survivor. Had the lockdown taken place in just one country or had I been born in 2023 I doubt I could have understood the majority of these poems since most of them lacked depth.

Was he against masks, pro masks, did he carry survivor's guilt, did he defy curfew... so many things weren't clear.

Thanks Netgalley for a copy of the book.

Born in Lockdown
by Tolu' A. Akinyemi
Pub Date 08 Sep 2021 | Archive Date 15 Aug 2021
BooksGoSocial
Poetry


I am reviewing a copy of Born in Lockdown through BooksGoSocial and Netgalley:




Through poetry, poets have always had the capability to travel inward, an ability to create something out of the chaos of their inner world.




This is why poetry is said to be so cathartic, because through it the poet is able to ease himself of his burdens.




Poetry is also a tool for reflection. Oh, poetry cannot be stuffed into a single purpose for it is the expression of human emotions in line and verse, in styles and forms, rhymes and metres. And so, it acts has a way for the poet to transmit what he sees, thinks and feels in his inner world, those abstractions, into something tangible.



When stuck at home in the loud silence afflicted by a world wide lockdown where does the poet turn to? What does he turn to? His inner world?




In Born in Lockdown Tolu’ Akinyemi has birthed a collection of poetry through the pain, the traverse.





The collection begins with a declaration of the poet’s utter despair. And with each you come across poems that are either personal or reflective, or poems that are querying in tone. On how the pandemic disrupts intimacy.



Born in Lockdown is a collection of poetry that is beautiful in it’s simplicity and powerful in its meaning.


I give Born in a Lockdown, five out of five stars…


Happy Reading!

This is the very first book that I read about the experience of the pandemic. While some of the poems struck home, most of them felt too general to identify with personally.

I am a big fan of poetry, and was interested in poetry created during lockdown.
These poems were ok , but I found it confusing that they seemed to be written from 2 different viewpoints.
I also found it to be lacking in imagery and depth.

It has been over a year since lockdowns started and we are now starting to read the words of those who are writing about their experiences, our experiences, of going through this pandemic. Akinyemi gives a voice to all of these experiences. These poems are raw and touch on so many aspects of how this virus has impacted our lives. Each poem feels like it is coming from a different person. What have we taken from our experiences in this pandemic? How can we characterize this time period for future generations when they will study us? What will our children learn about the era of COVID-19? What do we want to remember? What do we want to forget? This little book of poems answers these questions and reminds us of our experiences. This is a book that I will come back to again, and this is a book that anyone should read so they never forget.

The second I closed this collection of poetry, I wanted to turn back to page one and read it all over again.

Covid (and 2020) is something our generation will always share, and this is a simple reminder of the rollercoaster of feelings and emotions we all went through as the news changed daily.

It’s not over yet, but one day this will be history, and this book will make for a wonderful record to be referenced.

Raw and genuine, this is a collection of poems everyone should read.

It has been a while since I picked up a book of poetry and this book reminded me why I enjoyed studying it so many years ago.

Each piece simple in its own right, yet evoked emotions and memories of the last 18 months and was so relatable. It was as if the poet was in my mind in certain moments throughout the pandemic. Certain poems were particular poignant for me - 'Boredom - These antidepressants no longer work; They don't understand the language of quarantine and isolation', 'Not The End - these variants know no colour', ' Survivors - The paranoia of COVID sends us into a dark hole', 'COVID Survivor - Our lives were clouded with loneliness, chilling fear and untimely deaths'.

This book holds an experience endured by all during 2020/2021 and I would recommend everyone to read it. In years to come when I have children and I tell them about the pandemic, I would refer back to this poetry to help tell the story of how it impacted on so many lives.

Thank you to the poet for such powerful writing.

I have read this poet's previous work Dead Cats Don't Meow and thoroughly enjoyed that collection. However, when the poet took on the challenge of writing about the coronavirus pandemic, I feel like they bit off a little more than they could chew .This collection may not have meant to come across as extremely political and opinionated but, that's exactly how it came across. I really didn't feel any emotions while reading this collection and when I did it was only anger at the fact that I disagreed with what the poet was saying. This has definitely made me hesitant to continue reading their works.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. I am leaving a review voluntarily.

That being said this book got my three stars because I lived in this pandemic like many others. That reason alone made this real and honest and that I appreciate. There were many things I could relate to lol especially in regards to COVID fear.

If there is one thing we have all learned about this pandemic is how to live in your fear 😰. The last year and a half has been a bad dream most of us just want to jump out of. I am happy the author chose to use his time to grow lyrically.

As for the style it is the same as most poets now. We are an era of Twitter and Instagram poets. So the poems are very short and to the point. As a person who prefers epic narratives this didn't give me the full meat and potatoes I was looking for. However, it was good for what it is.

I would give the author another shot because this was still very well written. Special thanks again and to my friends Happy reading 📖😍🥰😍🥰

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

In this real pandemic, we have all been struggling TOGETHER! And, trust me this is the book I’d like to suggest anyone I know personally or virtually! Everyone!

This book is a collection of poems and proses, over a reflection of what’s going on and depicting what’s happening all over the world.

Just simple poems explores the pandemic situation, lockdown, countless feelings, effects and reactions the virus birthed. It portrayed even in this time how politics and businesses are tampering with us all.

I found this was a great reflective implent as we try to get back to “normal” life as we knew it? But will we?

The bookprovided thought provoking points to think back about my own personal time during the pandemic from the perspectives of my various family members and friends or colleagues. Wfh.

The book could be interpreted differently by everyone to get them to open and fill in their own voids and depth.

I'm not normally one to read poetry, but I saw this available and had to see.

I ended up reading it twice, raced through it quickly and then went back to read each individual piece again. Amazingly resonant of the multitude of emotions behind the pandemic. A must read for anyone, particularly those still struggling with the last 18 months.

This was a great reflective tool as we try to get back to “normal”. It provided thought provoking points to think back about my time during the pandemic from the perspectives of my various family members. I wish the book dove into more specific details and deep emotions but maybe that was the point…to start the process and allow the reader to fill in the blank for themself.