Official Review: My Thoughts Are Dangerous

[Christabel Uzoamaka]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "My Thoughts Are Dangerous" by Khadijah Tou Tou.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Khadijah Tou Tou’s My Thoughts Are Dangerous is a piece that contains poetry and some dramatic essays. I’d like to call her poems unusual poems because they don’t follow any rules; they are just raw, honest, and direct. In many poems, she attempts to connect with the reader to share her truths. She uses rhetorical questions and addresses the reader using “you.” In this book, Tou Tou reveals her wisdom on feminism, love, healing, war, and even racism. The author’s thoughts are, in fact, soothing, revealing, and force an inner consciousness in the reader. Her words do not wield swords or guns, and neither does she encourage their use. Her words are only dangerous to those who are unyielding; they will force you to be aware of yourself and your immense power.

I had to write my summary with a poetic tinge because of the deep appreciation I had for this book. People who have an interest in poetry will esteem this piece the most. But even if you do not like poetry, Tou Tou’s words give the right amount of interaction and wit to keep you both entertained and enlightened. She drew from some traditional and Muslim words that I felt made some pieces more exotic and lyrical. For instance, I learned Somaliland words, “Boqor and Boqorad,” that mean king and queen.

Another thing I liked was the author’s honesty. All her pieces sounded original. She did not follow any poetic rules or try to rhyme; she was swift in passing across her messages. One of my favorite quotes is, “When life gives you lemons, remind life that you grow your own orchard of fruits.” A long time after reading the book, I still pondered some sentences and realized how much I could relate to them. My favorite poem was one about a queen not accepting just anyone to the reserved seats of her life. I’m sure that many other people will find something that resonates with them too.

The author began with a dramatic piece that made me wonder, at first, what the book was really about. She proceeded to romantic poems, and I felt that the poems were all about relationships. Eventually, her voice became stronger and more resonant, supporting women’s empowerment, healing, love of self, and setting standards. She also stood against patriarchy, war, racism, and any type of oppression. This type of progression allowed me to appreciate the meaning of each poem, both individually and as part of a group. Art lovers also have a takeaway from this piece; there were thought-provoking and fascinating illustrations scattered across the book. However, the author made allusions to religion and the afterlife, which may bother some readers that do not believe in such.

I didn’t find any errors, but I did find some words that were written differently as a result of the author’s writing style. Examples include “kween, understood and outerstood.” So, I conclude that the piece received professional editing. One problem I had was that the poems did not have any titles. I would have appreciated a title for each poem to give me an initial feel of what a poem means or stands for to the author. I would like to give a perfect rating but am rating this book 3 out of 4 stars because some poems were a bit difficult to understand, especially with the author’s unusual writing style, and this affected my overall enjoyment of the book. While this book is for poem lovers, I encourage every woman to read it because the author was dedicated to uplifting women.

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My Thoughts Are Dangerous
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[Phelicia Gloria]

Boqor and Boqorad, King and Queen, have also learned something from the review, this a great poetry book, have enjoyed your postic tinge style you did when writing, great review.

[R_ANT]

It sounds like the book will be a delight to read in the future. Great review I like your writing style too and I'll hope to find the meaning of the messages from the poetry without a title.

[Hazel Arnaiz]

I was intrigued by the cover and the title. And your review had me at, "Her words do not wield swords or guns, and neither does she encourage their use." Thank you so much for sharing this book.

[Bookworm101520]

This book sounds fascinating! I love how you describe the content shifting focus throughout. Thanks for a great review!

[Eutoc]

Even the cover art of the book gave me a hint of something unusual about the book. But your review quite gave me a reason to give the book a second thought. I hope to read it someday.

[Atieno Magero]

Wonderful review! Your review has definitely done this book justice. This seems like a very interesting and exciting poetry book.

[Vivian Jabeya]

This book sounds interesting. Good review!