Book Review | Pangaea by Hinnah Mian

So I was actually rejected on NetGalley by Central Avenue when I requested this book

So when Hinnah reached out I was super excited!

So yes, I did get the book from the author. But I know the kind of poetry I vibe with and I am absolutely a harsh critic when it comes to these things!

You are so beautiful, but I’m sorry if sometimes I don’t know whether it’s a mask or not. I saw a man rip his skin off right in front of me once. And now sometimes when I run my hands over you, I look for corners that lift. It’s just a habit.
I want to love you wholly. I will one day. Please be patient with me.

I really like this collection

It’s based on her experiences of being a young brown woman in the US, navigating not just racism but abusive relationships.

she tells me we are
blessed to have a home
on both ends of the world
and i tell her it is a curse
to not belong to
either of them

She’s a really good writer, and her poems made me hurt at times, which is why it took me a while to read the book. It really is an intensely personal collection, and explores trauma in great detail.

It’s also nice to see another Pakistani (Hinnah is Pakistani American) talking about her experiences, because when do we talk about relationships? We just assume that we’ll just get slut shamed unless we’re near our closest friends.

Her poem ‘I don’t think my father remembers this but’ is also a really great depiction of how our parents do some messed up stuff and then don’t even remember that they did those things!

Blurb

“if you wish to read 
the story of my people 
look no further 
than my body.” 

Pangaea is a collection of poetry about working through the trauma inflicted on a body, whether the trauma comes from a person, a country, or from within. It is the act of learning to be whole in a broken body, a broken world. It is a collection of tales told through generations of stories hidden beneath the skin.  

Rejected Edits