Find Me as the Creature I Am by Emily Jungmin Yoon is a contemplative poetry collection that delves into themes of identity, intergenerational ties, and the complexities of the self. Through lyrical and introspective verses, Yoon explores the tension between individuality and collectivism, weaving together reflections on love, nature, and the human experience. The collection invites readers to consider their place in the world and the interconnectedness of all beings. Yoon's evocative language and poignant imagery make this work a thought-provoking addition to contemporary poetry.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

“And when I say we are beasts, / is that a metaphor?” It is my goal to start reading more poetry, and when I say that this is the perfect book to jump in with, I mean that with my whole heart. I really feel like some people are able to capture the human condition so well in writing, and Emily Jungmin Yoon is for sure one of those people. I will definitely be adding more of her poetry to my TBR this year, I highly encourage more people to do the same!

"Find Me as the Creature I Am" is a very reflective collection with emotionally charged explorations of identity, trauma, and human-animal parallels. Its poetic focus on inherited family narratives and bodily themes personally resonated with my appreciation for darkly lyrical, introspective works. This book prioritizes metaphor and ambiguity over direct argumentation, so if you’re drawn to a blend of visceral imagery and philosophical questioning, this is definitely a collection you will enjoy.

This a beautiful and powerful collection of poems is about the author's identity as a Korean woman and how society treats people of Asian decent. The author also discussed the idea of leaving your mark on the world and what we leave behind. It was such a moving collection. She also delves into the hate that Asian Americans have had to deal with because of covid-19 and the horrendously inappropriate blame that was put on the Asian community.

All of these poems invoked reflection on the importance of being true to oneself and living a life that leaves behind a story of a life well lived.

A gorgeous, transporting, and unique collection of poetry that sometimes reads more like a memoir. You can see how much Emily Jungmin Yoon gave of her soul to write this. Her collection, in all of its beautiful language, explores themes of identity, diaspora, loss and grief, hope and hopelessness, humanity, and the body in all of its forms, both gross and gorgeous. Yoon is a new author to me, but I will certainly be seeking out her other works.

Some of my favorite quotes:

"I was in the habit of loving anyone who laid a cold hand on my face and said he'd pray for me. Or anyone who prays."
"I accept that I am now "Asian".-I am now simultaneously more than and less than Korean."
"A burro walks into a lake and kills herself after losing her newborn, and I believe in an elsewhere."

Absolutely beautiful! Can't wait to introduce my students to some of these gorgeous poems.

*Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.*

Loved this collection! I think its my favorite from this poet. It was incredibly tender and heartfelt.

Crying while reading poetry doesn't happen to me very often, but the way Emily Jungmin Yoon weaves language to create vivid imagery and thought-provoking emotions got to me several times while reading this collection of poems.
The poems explore humanity's relationship with nature and each other in a way I don't think I expected when I started the book. I really sat with this one for a while before I could begin to put words down for even a basic review. It is so very good!
If you enjoy poetry, add this to your tbr then rush out and buy it!


Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

I felt such companionship with these poems, so many of which excavate the emotional dissonance that results from being human in the Anthropocene. This world is so beautiful yet so vulnerable to our species’ disrespect. The niche experiences and emotions of this lived experience are plentiful and Yoon really takes her time to isolate these moments and images, to give them a voice, give them time and consideration. I want to make a nest out of these poems, to allow myself to be fed by them, to let them nourish me and contribute to my survival. Yoon is a new favorite poet and I will gobble up anything she writes next.

I loved this book. Its so different from other poetry books. What is different is she writes with a lot of feeling. A lot of the poetry books feel like they.were.just written and not with feeling. This book is differnt. Loved it and this.author's writing is so pure. Its a must read if you like or love poetry.

I received a free copy of the book and is voluntarily writing a review

“Find Me as the Creature I Am” (Ecco, 2024) is Emily Jungmin Yoon’s second full-length poetry collection following the successful debut of “A Cruelty Special to Our Species” (Ecco, 2017).

(Her book titles alone pop curious bubbles of my literary curiosity!)

Joon’s poetry traverses the liminality of grief and loss, passion and violence, comfort and compromise. In communion with nature, memory, and family history, she creates a lyrical landscape of gravel, shark teeth, and “Gray Area” mud.

“Find Me as the Creature I Am” is ripe with thought-provoking, contemplative questions found in the very best poetry and prose. In “Body Of,” she asks about her body’s existence beyond being a vessel for birthing babies. What of her brain? Her heart?

If you enjoy reading poetry by Victoria Chang, Joy Sullivan, or Maya C. Popa, this might be the book for you.

Thank you to Emily Jungmin Yoon, Ecco, and Netgalley for the eARC.

this was IT for me!

thank you netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!!!

i haven’t been excited by a contemporary poetry collection … perhaps ever, but especially not like this. each poem takes up its own unique space in the collection and i found the conversation that the text has both with itself and with me as the reader to be exactly the conversation that i’ve been needing to have recently.

this is beautifully written and the blending together of the experience of life on earth that of being in love and being a young woman is something that i have yet to see written about in such a way. i simply have to find me of emily jungmin yoon’s poetry because this collection is a new favorite!

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for sending me an eARC of this book.

I've read Emily's work here and there over the years, but this is my first dive into a complete collection. The poems were raw and spoke deeply to me. The language sweeps you in and carries you throughout the collection, as you feel a wave of different emotions. I really enjoyed this but will definitely be returning to this book to re-read and frame some of the poems on my office wall!

Find Me as the Creature I Am is a volume of poetry about family, the body, animals, and more This is my first read by Emily Jungmin Yoon. I found the poems moving and the perspective fresh, with striking imagery. I recommend this book highly for other poetry readers.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this as an ARC!

I'm never sure how to rate or talk about poetry (I feel like I start off each review like this lol). To me, poetry is supposed to be an elevation of the subject in a nearly superfluous way. This is not that. And that is not a dig at her work! At all! Her poems were very conversational, as though she was sitting across from me just talking about it. It's not a style I prefer, but I think it worked well for the topics she discussed. In fact, handling them in the way I prefer likely would've been the wrong way to go, as it would end up removing the realistic aspect and basically been a disservice to her past, experiences, and the topics touched upon.

My main qualm is that the first poem ends in a moment that the second poem is entirely about, and it threw me off as the emotions within the two come across very different. I did a double take and needed a moment to reassess.
A second issue I had was the one poem that related to horses. I'm very much a horse girl and found it to be a stretch to relate the two, but I think that's because I know just too much about horses. It may also be related to a small, recent sourness due to being dumped into a wall by my own horse literally two days before! Horses aren't so majestic when they gift you giant purple bruises lol. And they certainly don't come across as "tame" in that moment either!

Overall, I would recommend this collection of poetry.

It's been a hot minute since I devoted some time to read poetry, but Emily Jungmin Yoon's upcoming release did not disappoint.

Find Me as the Creature I am is a unique poetry collection exploring identity, trauma, and transformation. Using mythological and animal imagery, Yoon reflects on her experiences as a Korean immigrant, weaving personal and collective stories of displacement, resilience, and self-discovery.

I can't begin to relate to the experiences of marginalization Yoon shares through some of her poetry, but my husband is Korean and my youngest daughter is half Korean. So, my hope is that this helps me better understand those deep feelings around identity and be an ally for them and others in the community.

A huge thank you to @aaknopf and @netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This deeply reflective collection of poetry is deft and evocative – ranging from universally human and existential subjects to specific cultural experiences, it demonstrates the author’s acutely attuned perspective on the world and how we navigate it (for better or worse).

While the collection starts off strong, it gets a little meandering and cumbersome in the back half. However, it ends on an eerily prescient final poem (from which the title is derived) that does a lot to underscore the talent for imagery and observation that Yoon wields.

I really wanted to love this collection more because it came from an Asian poet, but I struggled to connect with the voice of the speaker and some of the formatting and through lines. Though I really enjoyed the definition poem “Body of,” a lot of this collection seemed more stream of consciousness/musings on current events than anything else. I agree with the overall message, but I feel like the genuine emotionality is missing something here.

In this short collection of poetry, Yoon contemplates life, death, nature, race/racism, love, and the purpose of writing. While at times her poetry confronts difficult truths, readers are left with a sense of hope. The final poem, “Next Lives,” has me thinking about the future. About endings. About how we don’t really know what comes next. That’s the beauty of this collection. The poems are rooted in Yoon’s personal experiences, and there’s a call to appreciate the world and call out its injustices. I see myself reading this again and again (I’ve already read it twice) and using it in my classroom. I’m looking forward to reading more of Yoon’s work!

This collection was very eye opening, it taught me a lot. My favorite poem is the one titled decency, which I feel was the highlight of the collection.