Ending the War on My Body

Ending the War on My Body is a stunning collection of poetry. It focuses on waging war with your body, and never quite living up to your own expectations. The poems also feature using the body as a weapon and also to please men. I resonated with a lot of the poems.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a digital copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

This is a collection of poems that details the harsh realities where a woman feels the desperate desire to alter her body in order to fulfill society's standards of beauty. It is separated into parts, each part consisting of poems that follow each phase in the main character's journey as she slowly learns to love her body for all of its worth. It is not an easy journey and each poem details the raw emotions that were felt during such a painful time in her life.

I think that the poet did a phenomenal job of writing poetry that tugs on the heartstrings of a reader. Her personal feelings and experiences were used to craft such intricate portrayals of the harshness that women endure as they are faced with constant images of the "perfect woman" in the media. The metaphorical comparisons and painfully accurate allusions were utilized beautifully as a journey of self-acceptance was presented to the readers, as the positive morals of self-love eventually became more prevalent.

Overall, this poetry collection was beautifully done and I think that the poet did a phenomenal job with the writing of this book. The realism was painfully apparent and I truly hope that more people can pick up this poetry collection and experience the journey that takes place amongst the pages. I am grateful to Netgalley and the author for providing me with an opportunity to read such a powerful poetry book.

Katherine McClinitic perfectly described the war many of us face throughout our lives. The battle to be seen as beautiful and worthy to not only the male gaze but to the entire world. The poetry was raw, powerful, and incredibly real. I related to her poems so much that it felt as if I wrote them. Katherine's work made me feel as if she saw into my own heart. This book feels like coming home to yourself after a long, gruesome battle.

A solid poem collection!
I enjoyed the poets voice, the way she used language and her prose. It’s not the best collection I’ve read by any stretch but it’s sure isn’t the worst.

this collection of poems handles everything from body image and diet culture to body positivity. this is a gorgeous first publication from the author and I am very curious to see what else she is going to publish.
I found a couple of poems to be a bit predictable but I overall enjoyed this book and gave it a 4.5 out of 5.
huge thanks to Katherine McClintic and Canoe Tree Press for this opportunity to read the advance copy of this book on NetGalley.

“I am signing
a peace treaty
with the shape of my face,
from the arch of my eyebrows
to my crooked teeth,
I declare this war
waged on my body
ended.”
-
A harrowing book of poems about the pressure society and ourselves place on our bodies. The author talks about her perspective of how much pressure and hatred she had towards her body and how it affected her life.

Anyone who has had a complicated relationship with their bodies will relate to this.

It made me think long and hard about different ways that I’ve waged a war on my body. How I’ve starved, abused, defiled, and berated my body for only doing what it is meant to be doing, all because society told me to.

Katherine did a wonderful job bringing it around to a sense of acceptance. The end shows that while you can acknowledge the time spent in the war, these moments don’t define you.

A beautiful book of poetry on the war with one’s Body, aging, beauty, diet culture, and societal standards. I resonated so deeply with many of these poems and words, and am celebrating alongside each person who chooses the brave decision of ending war with their bodies.