A Look Inside Rupi Kaur's "Milk and Honey"
Written by Megan Fonceca, Staff Writer on Monday, January 8, 2018
"Milk and Honey," by Rupi Kaur, is a collection of poetry about survival, loss and recovery. The 25-year old Indian woman has made a remarkable difference in the culture of teens today with well over two million copies sold. After having gained immense popularity, the book skyrocketed, reaching #1 on the "New York Times Bestseller" list. Not only is there a poem on every page, but an (aesthetically pleasing) original sketch to go with it. Her writing reaches out to large issues today such as sexual assault, rape, social standards and feminism, giving the teenagers something to relate to within every page.
The book is divided into four sections: the hurting, the loving, the breaking and the healing. The first section, hurting, explains Kaur's personal thoughts as she had been through trauma, rape, and mental abuse from her absent father. These poems are short and sometimes dark, which really gives the reader an opening into how she felt exactly. Kaur connects her heritage and writing to create poetry unlike any other. The next two chapters are an easier read, which include Kaur’s breakup stories and feelings of love and loss, which are probably the most relatable to teens. The final chapter is a story of the uplifting and “happy ever after” Kaur had experienced throughout the journey.
The young author spills beautiful and eye opening truths over the poems in her book leaving plenty of jaws dropped. "Milk and Honey" also takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and sheds light on the ones you didn’t even know needed to be lit. This genre doesn’t exclude adults, and is recommended for people 15 and older due to the language and imagery. Whether you love poetry or are hesitant about it, no time will be wasted when diving into this. Within 208 pages of depth and emotion, you’ll find yourself and a copy at your local book store or Amazon ranging from $8.99 to $14.99.
