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If They Come for Us: Poems Kindle Edition

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 422 ratings

“A debut poetry collection showcasing both a fierce and tender new voice.”—Booklist
“Elegant and playful . . . The poet invents new forms and updates classic ones.”—
Elle
“[Fatimah] Asghar interrogates divisions along lines of nationality, age, and gender, illuminating the forces by which identity is fixed or flexible.”—The New Yorker

NAMED ONE OF THE TOP TEN BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY • FINALIST FOR THE LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD

an aunt teaches me how to tell
an edible flower
from a poisonous one.
just in case, I hear her say, just in case.

From a co-creator of the Emmy-nominated web series 
Brown Girls comes an imaginative, soulful debut poetry that collection captures the experiences of being a young Pakistani Muslim woman in contemporary America. Orphaned as a child, Fatimah Asghar grapples with coming of age and navigating questions of sexuality and race without the guidance of a mother or father. These poems at once bear anguish, joy, vulnerability, and compassion, while also exploring the many facets of violence: how it persists within us, how it is inherited across generations, and how it manifests itself in our relationships. In experimental forms and language both lyrical and raw, Asghar seamlessly braids together marginalized people’s histories with her own understanding of identity, place, and belonging.

Praise for If They Come for Us

“In forms both traditional . . . and unorthodox . . . Asghar interrogates divisions along lines of nationality, age, and gender, illuminating the forces by which identity is fixed or flexible. Most vivid and revelatory are pieces such as ‘Boy,’ whose perspicacious turns and irreverent idiom conjure the rich, jagged textures of a childhood shadowed by loss.”
The New Yorker

“[Asghar’s] debut poetry collection cemented her status as one of the city’s greatest present-day poets. . . . A stunning work of art that tackles place, race, sexuality and violence. These poems—both personal and historical, both celebratory and aggrieved—are unquestionably powerful in a way that would doubtless make both Gwendolyn Brooks and Harriet Monroe proud.”
Chicago Review of Books

 “Taut lines, vivid language, and searing images range cover to cover. . . . Inventive, sad, gripping, and beautiful.”
Library Journal (starred review)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“An outstanding collection of poetry . . . wonderful play with form . . . These poems cover so much—identity, loss, brown girlhood, the complicated bonds of family, what home is when home is torn apart. Much to admire here. [I] will be thinking about these poems for a long time to come.”—Roxane Gay

“[Fatimah] Asghar presents a debut poetry collection showcasing both a fierce and tender new voice. . . . Through simultaneously lyrical and frank poems like ‘Kal,’ ‘Ghareeb,’ and ‘Halal,’ Asghar allows poignant contradictions to rise to the surface.”
Booklist

“In forms both traditional . . . and unorthodox . . . Asghar interrogates divisions along lines of nationality, age, and gender, illuminating the forces by which identity is fixed or flexible. Most vivid and revelatory are pieces such as ‘Boy,’ whose perspicacious turns and irreverent idiom conjure the rich, jagged textures of a childhood shadowed by loss.”
The New Yorker

“This summer, [Asghar’s] debut poetry collection cemented her status as one of the city’s greatest present-day poets. . . . A stunning work of art that tackles place, race, sexuality and violence. These poems—both personal and historical, both celebratory and aggrieved—are unquestionably powerful in a way that would doubtless make both Gwendolyn Brooks and Harriet Monroe proud.”
Chicago Review of Books

If They Come for Us is a searing search for self.”Electric Literature

If They Come for Us is a remarkable debut collection, and Asghar’s poetic voice strikes a singular note in several places. Not one of the 44 poems in it feels superfluous. Asghar may unapologetically rip the reader’s heart open, but she also sutures it with the utmost tenderness and care.”Live Mint

 “Every age has its poets who spring-load every line with the personal and political so that you know what it was to be fully alive in that time and place—or torn from it. Asghar provides this anguished specificity in her debut poetry collection, a meditation on identity, dislocation, and loss. . . . Taut lines, vivid language, and searing images range cover to cover. . . . Inventive, sad, gripping, and beautiful.”
Library Journal (starred review)

“In this awe-inspiring debut, Asghar, writer of the Emmy-nominated web series ‘Brown Girls,’ explores the painful, sometimes psychologically debilitating journey of establishing her identity as a queer brown woman within the confines of white America. . . . Honest, personal, and intimate without being insular or myopic, Asghar’s collection reveals a sense of strength and hope found in identity and cultural history.’”
Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About the Author

Fatimah Asghar is a nationally touring poet, performer, educator, and writer. She is the writer of Brown Girls, an Emmy-nominated web series that highlights friendships between women of color. She is a member of Dark Noise and a Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellow.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07637XY5N
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ One World (August 7, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 7, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5195 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 130 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 422 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
422 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the poetry in the book inspiring and sweet. They describe it as a wonderful, thought-provoking read that rings true with honesty and truth. The book is described as honest and real.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

20 customers mention "Poetry quality"20 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the poetry collection. They find the poems inspirational, sweet, graphic, funny, saddening, hopeful, and creative with forms. The poems explore themes like culture and identity of the poet.

"...time invites you to learn about and understand the culture and identity of the poet. Some of these poems absolutely floored me...." Read more

"Beautifully written, funny and creative with forms..." Read more

"...It was honest, open and beautiful... even if the prose were just a tad imperfect. Actually, maybe more so because of that...." Read more

"...There were many moments of such beautiful, heartbreaking images exploring the political, personal, and corporeal landscape post-partition...." Read more

11 customers mention "Readability"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They say it's a great read for poetry clubs, thought-provoking, and informative. The writing is great and accessible for students who aren't familiar with literature.

"...Wow that sounds like a bot wrote it... this was just a really good book, okay?" Read more

"...Is this the best book of poetry ever written? No. But it's good, and it's important...." Read more

"Beautiful book, for content it is great. However, the book’s cover had some clear, sticky substance lightly splattered over it which bummed me out." Read more

"Beautiful text! Accessible and engaging for students who might not live literature yet ambiguous for higher levels...." Read more

7 customers mention "Authenticity"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's authenticity. They find it honest, truthful, and enlightening. The book is described as real, factual, and humorous. It serves as a powerful introduction for beginners to poetry.

"This incredible collection is full of politics and identity and self discovery and highlighting differences, but at the same time invites you to..." Read more

"...I found pieces that surprised me, and resonated with me. It was honest, open and beautiful... even if the prose were just a tad imperfect...." Read more

"What I loved about this work is that, as a friend put it, "Fatimah excavates the truth." I felt that as I explored the collection...." Read more

"...and culture should learn about and this poetry book is a powerful introduction to beginners...." Read more

Raw and Emotional
5 out of 5 stars
Raw and Emotional
Every poem in this collection tapped into a myriad of emotions and brought the realities of war, politics, sexism, identity, sexuality, feminism, cultural history and religion to the forefront. She weaves her own story with current events and makes you ponder the state of the world, especially that of marginalized people. Every poem is beautiful and raw and feel each emotion in a visceral way. This bookdragon rates it 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2020
    This incredible collection is full of politics and identity and self discovery and highlighting differences, but at the same time invites you to learn about and understand the culture and identity of the poet. Some of these poems absolutely floored me. The first Partition floored me in a very different way than White Lie floored me or My Love for Nature floored me. With every turn of the page there was something unexpected and foreign to me, but also so viscerally familiar I felt as though we were living a mirrored childhood even though the similarities were only in the way it felt remembered. Absolutely amazing collection. I went in not knowing what to expect and left completely amazed at the power behind these words.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2018
    Beautifully written, funny and creative with forms (almost every poem tries something new, from mad lib style news stories to a screenplay about the author’s family fleeing Kashmir during Partition). If you’re any minority at all and even remotely interested in history or coming-of-age poems, you’ll enjoy this. I would recommend it to everyone since these are such important conversations which too few people have. Wow that sounds like a bot wrote it... this was just a really good book, okay?
    6 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2019
    A debut poetry collection that looks into what it's like to be a Pakistani Muslim woman in America.  Filled with anger, joy, confusion and love, she tells her story.  A story of being orphaned, coming of age without a mother, questions about race and sexuality, and love for a world that put a target on her back.  For such a short book, it packs a wallop.

    Is this the best book of poetry ever written?  No.  But it's good, and it's important.  I find myself gravitating more and more toward stories about immigrants or other cultures in America, what they have to deal with, how they try to adapt, because I fear becoming complacent- forgetting for even a moment that what is so easy for me isn't for everyone- that we aren't all equal in other's eyes even if everyone is in mine.  Does this make sense or am I just rambling?  For me, the first step toward making an America that loves and accepts everyone is accepting the differences and the past- what they had to go through and their heritage.  I want to understand how others feel, because ignorance is just not an option.  As I have always found I learn and understand best when things are written, it just makes sense for me to seek books like these out.

    Excuse me while I climb down from my soap box.   The poems and exerts here made me smile sometimes, and cry in others.  It made me feel, as all good writing should.  I found pieces that surprised me, and resonated with me.  It was honest, open and beautiful... even if the prose were just a tad imperfect.  Actually, maybe more so because of that.  For me, this is a four star collection.

    On the adult content, there's some language and it does touch on some more adult themes but I still see this as being very teen friendly.  I give it a three.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2021
    The poetry in this book helps me to understand the courage of those who are so discounted and oppressed. I was inspired by them to act better and do better with others.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2019
    What I loved about this work is that, as a friend put it, "Fatimah excavates the truth." I felt that as I explored the collection. No one was safe from questioning, not even herself. There were many moments of such beautiful, heartbreaking images exploring the political, personal, and corporeal landscape post-partition. A raw coming-of-age narrative everyone should read--stories that shouldn't be forgotten.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2019
    Beautiful book, for content it is great. However, the book’s cover had some clear, sticky substance lightly splattered over it which bummed me out.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2019
    Beautiful text! Accessible and engaging for students who might not live literature yet ambiguous for higher levels. I’m so excited to use selections of this text in both my 11th grade ELL co-taught classes as well as my AP literature classes.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2023
    This collection of poetry is deep, melancholy, and reflective. This is the first poetry book I’ve read that centers on the Pakistan India partition. The partition was a brutal time in the 1940’s that tore India into two countries based off culture and religion (Pakistani Muslims and Indian Hindus). Every Pakistani family has a partition story, and Fatimah’s poetry is such a beautiful way to process that collective, generational trauma. The partition is such an important world event that every person and culture should learn about and this poetry book is a powerful introduction to beginners.

    🏳️‍🌈Since publishing this poetry book, Fatimah now identifies as non-binary and so this was a perfect poetry book club read for pride month. Fatimah has a poem in this collection called “Other body” that specifically talks about gender nonconformity. Thanks to @jenny for choosing this book for our poetry club. It was such a deep and informative read!

    🌻Note: For fans of Rupi Kuar (author of the sun and her flowers), this book reminded me of her poetry collections in many ways, including topics and tone.

    P.S. The Disney series Ms. Marvel also covers the India Pakistan partition and centers on a Pakistani family. I recommend that for fans of superheroes and diverse representation!
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • N. Rogall
    5.0 out of 5 stars First book of poetry I have bought for 40 years
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2022
    I haven’t bought a book of poetry for decades. But after reading one of her poems on Facebook, I ordered this
    It is such a stimulating collection. From the heart rending incisive poems about partition to the humorous and painful poems about growing up the collection displays an amazing talent
  • Aayu Bajaj- @paintinbooks
    4.0 out of 5 stars Her poems are deeply moving and intelligently written about the keen observations in her life
    Reviewed in India on August 11, 2020
    “Nobody in India will love me
    & so I drew them a line”
    -Cyril Radcliffe, who drew borders of partitions in less than 40 days without ever previously visiting South Asia.

    Honestly, I read this book twice before even sitting down to write this review. The poetry is so deep, powerful and full of emotions that I felt the need to read this book again to feel the emotions which I may have missed the first time.

    This debut book of poems by Fatimah Asghar explores the history and difficulties of 1947 partition, the inheritances of violence, struggles of being a brown woman in the USA, vacuum created by loss of parents early in life and explorations of the body. In 100 pages, the book gives you so much to grasp, understand and sink in your soul.

    Her poems are deeply moving and intelligently written about the keen observations in her life. I am sure that her poetry will find its new form of saying and will give you a rush of emotions every time you pick up this book.

    This book touched my heart. I highly recommend this to poetry lovers.
    Customer image
    Aayu Bajaj- @paintinbooks
    4.0 out of 5 stars Her poems are deeply moving and intelligently written about the keen observations in her life
    Reviewed in India on August 11, 2020
    “Nobody in India will love me
    & so I drew them a line”
    -Cyril Radcliffe, who drew borders of partitions in less than 40 days without ever previously visiting South Asia.

    Honestly, I read this book twice before even sitting down to write this review. The poetry is so deep, powerful and full of emotions that I felt the need to read this book again to feel the emotions which I may have missed the first time.

    This debut book of poems by Fatimah Asghar explores the history and difficulties of 1947 partition, the inheritances of violence, struggles of being a brown woman in the USA, vacuum created by loss of parents early in life and explorations of the body. In 100 pages, the book gives you so much to grasp, understand and sink in your soul.

    Her poems are deeply moving and intelligently written about the keen observations in her life. I am sure that her poetry will find its new form of saying and will give you a rush of emotions every time you pick up this book.

    This book touched my heart. I highly recommend this to poetry lovers.
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  • Laura
    5.0 out of 5 stars Umwerfend
    Reviewed in Germany on July 26, 2019
    Fatimah Asghar reißt mit jedem Gedicht mit. Geschichte, Emotionen, Hoffnungen. Wunderschöne Sprache. Jedes Gedicht ganz verschieden, und doch ist ein sehr klarer, sehr gut erkennbarer persönlicher Stil da.
  • Irene Rafiei
    5.0 out of 5 stars Go READ this book
    Reviewed in Spain on September 14, 2018
    Unbelievably beautiful.
  • Kat Davis
    4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 3, 2021
    A very powerful collection of poetry. It doesn't pull any punches and gets to the heart of the matter of belonging, difference, ignorance, displacement, and ostracism. yet there is also love, friendship and family here. Very well expressed and vivid. Great read.

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