This book holds so much pain & violence in its dark lines. It’s a beautifully written account of growing up as a Black boy in the UK’s apartment complexes, surrounded by cement, racism, police persecution, knives and guns. I read it on the road, gulping each poem down like a stone, each one so hard & heavy. This one is for the “Boys who felt grief and its economies of scale / in the budget of burial” (Put them in the room of Spirit & Slow Time), the boys who are “supernovas” (Thirteen). An echo “when you get tired of running from danger / you become the danger”. Accompanied by photographs, often portraits of Black people, the collection gives voice & visibility & life-force to those who are often looked upon from the elite chambers.

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“When everyone called me son of a shadow
it was concrete that called me proof of light.”

(Concrete IV)

4 stars

I enjoyed this poetry collection - I found it immersive and emotionally charged. The metaphors were thought provoking. In particular, I liked how the author returned to the motif of concrete throughout, extracting meaning and memories from it. I am not Black nor from London, but I felt this collection taught me something of that experience and the author’s perspective. The poems touch on a variety of complex topics in such a personal way (family, friends, poverty, gun violence, public housing, race and racism). I thought the photos were complementary to the poems as well, and grounded the poems with visual snapshots.

I thought the final section of the collection could’ve been longer - I wanted to hear more of the author’s perspective and reflections after leaving the hood.

'Poor' is personal and political wove together, through experience, witnessing, hoping and fearing. Truly a sharp brilliant collection with both gutting moments and humorous introspection. I would recommend this book to both those who are existing poetry fans, and as a collection to bring people into reading poetry. The blend of forms really brought the reader into the wider narrative. Femi is an exceptional talent and I would highly recommend this book.

Incredibly impressive poetry collection about the experience of a black man in England. It is tough, vulnerable, sweet, overwhelming (in a good way), and colourful. The added photographs fit so well with the descriptions within the poems. It further proves Femi's writing talent.

Caleb Femi has a powerful talent for illustrating a world that is absolutely foreign to me in a way that leaves me feeling viscerally and seeing in my mind’s eye the things he describes. I found myself moved again and again by his poems in POOR (as well as his photographs). I’ll be on the lookout for Femi’s future works with eager anticipation.

Great poetry collection that focuses on growing up Black in London and the community he finds there.

A Dazzling photos & collection of poetry! The imagery of words & setting feels moving. Schrödinger’s Black is my favorite poem here!

As a Black man myself, reading about another man's experiences in another country is strange, feeling the similarities that remain. It was a poem that penetrated my soul precisely because I had experienced firsthand many of the things mentioned.
I thank NetGalley and the poet for this experience.

Caleb Femi’s Poor is a visceral, unflinching collection that blends striking verse with gut-wrenching themes of nostalgia, boyhood, and systemic struggle. Femi’s poetry strikes with a full blow, leaving the reader oscillating between sorrow, rage, and aching reflection.

Poems like "Barter" will bring tears, forcing a confrontation with vulnerabilities, while "On Magic/Violence" ignites a simmering fury at the injustices laid bare. Others, such as "A designer talks of a home / A resident talks of home," evoke a haunting nostalgia for an "unlived life" quoting the author, leaving you suspended between longing and loss. And then there’s "Trauma is a warm bath", a poem that doesn’t just describe pain but makes the reader feel its scalding heat.

Every line in Poor is meticulously crafted, each word a deliberate blow. Femi’s prose is relentless, his imagery vivid and unapologetic.

The collection’s varied formatting, seen in poems like "Hallelujah Money", keeps the reader on their toes, reinforcing the unpredictability and raw energy of its storytelling.

A poetry collection not written for the faint-hearted, Poor engages all kinds of audiences that dare face the truth of being a young boy in an injust society.

I’m grateful with NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity of letting me read this before its publication.

Damn. Well done!
This was phenomenal! Caleb Femi has a way with invoking the spirit of "God" while at the same time mocking him for allowing black men to die by gun violence on the streets and that's damn breathtaking. Femi also uses cynical jokes to get his points across on multiple subjects. He allows softness to contradict with the harshness of white on black violence.
There's one poem that will stick with me for a long time where Femi talks about how he was stopped as a thirteen for "looking like a man they were searching for" and one of the officers who had stopped him had spoken at his school previously about how they were all supernovas. Cops, white cops, often forget that black children are CHILDREN. And they let that racism blind them. It's disgusting. poetry like this is NEEDED.