This is a hard one for me to review. Watch Us Rise is about several girls who decide to combine poetry and politics at their high school. I love the concept. I love the writing. I think it does a good job at showing that it’s a learning process. However, it really rubbed me wrong at times. The overall feminist message is good, but very very problematic for me.


To be specific...
A wee bit preachy.
The hatred for Christianity was utterly unnecessary and uneducated.
There was no recovery that beauty is not evil, besides saying a friend has good taste in her outfits. Prettiness? Not a sin if the girl wants it, dudes.
Boys can’t be called feminists in this book? Feminism had no benefit for boys, and Isaac was taken advantage of for his art.. They can only be called “honorary feminists”? What?????
Feminism is cis female centered in this book.
Quietness is not welcome in this book. Quiet women are put down. Volume was too worshipped.
Feminism is only for girls who are not “good girls.” Way to perpetuate the angry feminist stereotype. I’m not even sure what that line means.

I’m a very left leaning intersectional feminist, but this book feels a little stereotypical and very basic problematic feminism 101. I don’t feel especially welcome within this book, as a female born intersectional feminist poet. THIS should be my REALM. yet it’s not. It’s a nice try, but nah from me.