My Mother Was A Freedom Fighter

Great book poems speak to me and it wasn’t written for me.

I love the texture of the poems in this book. They enabled me to feel the depths Aja’s emotions + envision life through her eyes. She sees through a lens that only a warrior could see + I’m a woman, so a warrior is too, me.Two poems in particular, “logan square” + “the young” have stuck with me after my first read. But I found lines in almost every poem that allowed me to release my shoulders from my neck + breathe out loud—I am not alone. Women, we are not alone.My mother is, too, a freedom fighter. As is the mother in me, although to be. This book reminds me of that. It is so powerful + a must read for women everywhere.

aja monet is a cherished prophet of our times. This incredible collection of poems goes everywhere and I’ve given it away several times. We are so lucky to have her. Do not hesitate to buy this collection.aja monet’s work with Miami Dream Defenders and her Covid-19 ‘Homemade Poetry’ online readings (available on her and Haymarket Books’ channels) brought together amazing poets from all around the world and are a great way to hear her read some of the poems from this collection – and to discover more poets you will surely love.Thank you aja.

This is a powerful collection and a must-read for any person interested in contemporary poetry. Both style and content are well-developed, the poems are accessible yet intellectual, the images are Césaire-esque at times - vivid, impactful and potent. You can tell that these poems were written over a long period of time and that the poet has honed her technical skill in that time as the technical skill in some poems is far beyond that in others, but as a testament, it makes for formidable reading.

I love this book of poetry. The poems are very powerful.