When You Ask Me Where I’m Going audiobook

Beautiful and emotionally powerful.From beginning till the end, I’m drawn by this collection. Its message was so loud and clear that it creeps into my heart and soul. Admittedly, it was quite draining especially when the author talks about violence and mental health. Each poems felt personal and that makes this collection even more precious. So much feels.

Without a doubt one of the strongest collections I read this year. I only recently heard of Jasmin Kaur because of her poem Scream, and I knew I had to check out her debut as soon as it comes out. Her writing style is flawless and she effortlessly manages to incorporate so many strong emotions into her pieces. This was a really unique poetry collection, and one that made me feel a lot. I loved how Jasmine wrote this using many different forms, not strictly poems. They had a depth to them and I loved the topics she wrote about. I can't say I didn't have high expectations for this, but I've managed to get even more than I wanted.And now I just want to read every single thing Jasmine writes next. think about iti am told to stopthinking so muchand i wonder whyit is that in order tosurvive in this worldi must not usemy mind.

Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Beth MowbrayWhen You Ask Me Where I’m Going is a thought-provoking debut novel which weaves together poetry, prose, and illustrations in a rare and extraordinary fashion. The foundation of this book is the narrative of a young immigrant mother escaping a history of trauma to live undocumented and raise her daughter in North America. This core body of prose is surrounded by poems and artwork that explores and embraces a broad range of issues related to culture, immigration, feminism, stigma, and much more.Perhaps a daunting concept to other debut writers, Kaur censors herself little in this book. With a dynamic, resounding voice she explores themes that are profound yet easy to consider and engage with throughout the text. Dividing the book into six sections, Kaur groups the lessons and insight she imparts into topics named primarily for parts of the human body: “skin,” “nerve,” and “heart,” for example. Within these sections she then tackles a multitude of themes that resonate within our contemporary personal and political worlds—race, ethnicity, and discrimination; trauma, abuse, and mental health in the context of interpersonal relationships; the daunting journey of motherhood, made a heavier task by the compounding external factors of today’s society.Perhaps the greatest theme, however, the theme underlying all others, is that of identity. How we define ourselves, our inherent value and worth, as well as how it is defined for us by others based upon their own (often skewed) lens of people and the world around them. Kaur explores the idea of being assessed by one’s appearance rather than what is underneath or held inside. She conveys the pain of being categorized as “other” based on one’s race, ethnicity, or culture and fighting the pressure to fit a certain “mold” formed by the assumptions of others. She explores the process of learning to be comfortable as oneself rather than being trapped by the meaning all too often assigned by others when you are part of a certain group. And she then underlines these ideas by providing a historical context, both personal and global.Tagged for ages 14+, this deeply moving work is sure to draw both young and older adults. Raw and introspective, both painful and uplifting to read, When You Ask Me Where I’m Going seamlessly conveys a vast spectrum of emotions in a very real way that the reader can easily connect with. Much of the subject matter is quite difficult to process, however Kaur does not flinch, does not hide from it. She writes with anger and outrage, with confidence and empathy, with sadness and hope. Her authorial voice is crisp and clear, bold and determined. Kaur expresses a genuine desire to embrace life and to see the world – in fact, to see each human being – do better.

Five stars. As a brown man, I learned a lot about the challenges that Sikh women face through reading this book and it was a humbling experience. This book needs to reach kaurs, South Asians and the rest of the world. It's so amazing to see our experiences as Punjabis captured in a book like this. The poetry was deep and insightful into the author's mind as a young, Punjabi woman living abroad. The short story of Kiran and her daughter left me wanting more. Even though we only saw a short amount of their story, I feel connected to them and reeled from the cliffhanger that Kaur left us on. I hope their story doesn't end there. I can't wait until the rest of the world gets to read this book.

** spoiler alert ** This book is very captivating. I really liked how the author used different voices and types of storytelling (poem, short story). The political poems in this book are very relevant to this day and age but the book is timeless. I read this poem to my mom and it made me tear up:a woman onceoffered me a penciland i thanked her profuselyanother offered me lifeagain and againand i never got aroundto thanking her.

In terms of layout and content, this book is unlike any book that I've read before! I loved how Jasmin didn't stick to the typical structure of a book, and there was an interchange of poetry, prose, illustrations, and short story. The book left me quite somber, and each and every piece of writing had me in a reflective state.

This book is impeccably written and it’s flow is smoother than butter! It’s always amazing seeing the perspective of women of colour in a society where their voices are often drowned out. On top of that, this book gives voice to a Sikh woman, which is an underrepresented group within an underrepresented group. All in all an amazing read! Definitely recommend.

Jasmin Kaur’s ability to capture emotion with such depth, intensity and clarity, creates a reading experience of joy and wonder. Having read nuggets of her poetry on Instagram, I can’t wait to get my hands on this book!

First off, let me say that I was given this book in exchange for an honest review...And boy oh boy am I glad! I love writing poetry myself, at least I used to. I haven’t written any in a while, but now that I have read this it makes me want to get my poetry journal out and see what I can come up with! That is saying a lot, because I really don’t get inspired easily! This book was extremely POWERFUL and MEANINGFUL. At least to me it was. Such profound poetry and important truths and realities being expressed in such a clever way! The artwork made the book that much more fun to read as well, while the design and placing of the words made you think. It really was a perfect combination of beauty and point! I am so glad I had the chance to read this, and even more glad that I get to say that I am a proud owner of this book so I can get it out and look back on it whenever I want!I have taken so many quotes from this book and used them on so many things since reading it!

the sun rises& israel drags his feet across gaza’s chest.settles across her skin & waits empty-eyed forit to tear& a white man sits atop amerikkka & callsbrown skin a furnace. says that we consumeeach other in smoke & flame. that it is betterwe burn each other to ash than intrude on hisproperty& a cop in punjab empties out a cartridge.cleans it out in a young singh’s body & namesit necessity. decides to side with a system thatputs food on the table & bodies in rivers& a woman floats in space. stares at the earthas the sun cowers behind it. watches existencelight up in twinkling cities & villages. wisheshumanity could step back to stare at itself.

Amazingggg~A definite must read if you like instapoetry or powerful poemsRTC

4.5 starsThis poetry/prose collection is so emotive and powerful, and one of the best examples I’ve seen of modern poetry done right. While some of the poems followed the easily relatable “Insta poetry” pattern, they had much more depth and layers to them than I’ve found in other collections, and therefore left a more lasting impression rather than feeling so accessible or relatable that they became generic.I saved most of my favorite poems as Kindle highlights, but a few were incorporated into illustrations and therefore weren’t highlightable, so I’ve saved them below:——scream so that one daya hundred years from nowanother sister will not have todry her tears wonderingwhere in historyshe lost her voice——you are not the moonand the tides of mywell-being will not be pulled by yourevery moodyou are not the sunand I will not movehelplessly to the rhythmof your burning orbit.——after all this timeyou hold back the tidebehind your eyesthinking i cannotswim——youare neither river nor sunneither moon nor lightyou are too presentin this skin to be heldby a metaphor——they say lavender softens anxietyand I wonder whether I canplant a garden so densein your mindthat the knots in your chest unraveland never tighten again.——I am teaching myself that there isno shame in filling more spacethan these two lungs.——I have no desirefor words that floaton waterI want language so thickit will drown me with it.

Eagerly anticipated! If Jasmin’s previous works are anything to go by, this will surely be an enthralling read.

can't wait to finally read this book! jasmin kaur is a talented story teller, organizer, educator, and poet whose deft economy of words bears the weight of multitudes of human experience.

"right now, i am okay. right now feels like honeyed sunlight pouring into a quiet room. like seafood curling around my ankles and all the butterflies in my stomach finally at rest. like every field in punjab watered and flourishing. like each cell in my body waking up to sing. like going home and not being afraid. i just thought you should know. i mean, remember. because i'm sure it won't always feel like this. but i don't want you to forget that this moment was possible. it can happen again. and again."my first 5 star read of the year and it was a poetry book? who am i? i bought this book completely on a whim because i follow the author on instagram and to be honest i didn't have high expectations for it. i haven't liked poetry books i recently picked up and thought i was done with the genre. but this was absolutely breathtaking. Jasmin Kaur has a way with words that i have rarely encountered before. this book does not only contain beautiful poems, it also has written elements of fiction in it that were equally beautiful as the poems. When You Ask Me Where I'm Going does not let you read through it quickly. i had to reread many pages multiple times because i realized i didn't pay enough attention to do the book justice. some poems even had me a bit teary. it's hard to describe what it's about, Kaur covers immigration, toxic masculinity, abuse, love and just life in a way that any review wouldn't do it justice.i would highly recommend this to anyone that is by any chance reading this review right now and i will definitely pick up Jasmin Kaurs next book soon.

4/5"My generations aches to capture everything down to the aesthetics of a meal. The trouble is, there is no way to preserve life in a photograph"Kaurs collection is a knockout. Her poetry conquers difficult subjects and breathes new life into the form. In her book she displays a vast variety of poetry, creative writing, and illustrations that left me speechless. Her writing is extremely powerful and unafraid of divulging what is on her mind. This book explores themes of feminism, social justice, and mental health, and strikes the truth on each subject."I tell myself that my body is a garden of flowers but when most of us are caught up in the scent of roses we forget about the dirt that they bloom from."

I'm not much of a poetry reader, but this book definitely pushed me to re-evaluate my stance on contemporary poetry. Jasmin Kaur packs so many relevant, hard-hitting topics into a small number of words. Each one felt carefully selected and beautifully expressed. Between the illustrations, poetry, and sections of prose, the book is so varied it never gets tiresome. What captivated me most though was the fictional story of Kiran and Sahaara. My only wish is that it was longer! It felt a little disjointed smack dab in the middle of this semi-autobiographical poetry and left me with many unanswered questions.Ultimately though, I would recommend this book to anyone looking to branch out and step into poetry. It's the perfect blend, meaning that there were several relatable moments for me as a reader (discussions of trauma, growth, women's empowerment, etc), but there were many parts that were wholly new and unfamiliar as well. Kaur has a very thoughtful, fresh perspective that we don't often hear from—her words hold a certain weight and importance. Very excited for this book to come out this October.

A very well written book which is very thought evoking - as is always to be expected from any of Jasmin Kaur’s work. A must read!

I've been following Jasmin for a long time and have always found her poetry profound and enthralling. I can't wait to get this book!