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20th out of 55 books
—
37 voters
How to (Un)cage a Girl
by
Francesca Lia Block (Goodreads Author)
A celebration of girls and women in a three part poetry collection that is powerful, hopeful, authentic, and universal.
Hardcover, 128 pages
Published
September 16th 2008
by HarperTeen
(first published September 1st 2008)
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This slim volume of Weetzie Bat’s creator Francesca Lia Block’s poetry is a collection of subtle (and not-so-subtle) messages of feminism and what it means to grow up as a woman in this culture. The first section is a year-by-year series on the themes of sexual awakening and the need for independence from parents while still desperately needing parenting. The poems in this section give voice to the struggle to be an adult while still wanting to be taken care of, touching on the illness and death...more
How to (Un)cage a Girl isn't your typical book of poetry. For starters, the title and book's cover hints that this book is likely geared for girls, but the author's dedication, "For the girls," definitely sets this piece apart from other collections of poetry. The title alone is unique and has probably aroused the curiosity of many people; however, the publisher offers an explanation by way of stating the purpose of the poetry collection: "It is a call to embrace the girl within, to heal her and...more
Now, this is not one of those reads a wide range of people would enjoy. However because I am:
a) female
b) fifteen
c) a poet and a reader of poetry
d) relatively open to all sorts of weird stuff
I was bizarrely taken by this thin little book. I mean, to be fair, I opened the first page and was like, "Um, no, I'm not reading a book that is ENTIRELY in lowercase. That is absurdly pretentious." I still stand by that opinion but with any other poetry book it would have been a deal-breaker. How to (Un)cag...more
a) female
b) fifteen
c) a poet and a reader of poetry
d) relatively open to all sorts of weird stuff
I was bizarrely taken by this thin little book. I mean, to be fair, I opened the first page and was like, "Um, no, I'm not reading a book that is ENTIRELY in lowercase. That is absurdly pretentious." I still stand by that opinion but with any other poetry book it would have been a deal-breaker. How to (Un)cag...more
This poetry lives in the adolescent, in that its focus remains for the most part superficial. Since this book of poetry is directed toward a young adult audience, this is not a bad thing.
Many of the poems center on body image, fashion, popularity, finding self, boys, and the like. They revel in the insecurities of the teenager. If I had read this when I was in high school, I would have been amazed, thinking, This is me. She knows. I would have believed.
Even the language itself remains very on...more
Many of the poems center on body image, fashion, popularity, finding self, boys, and the like. They revel in the insecurities of the teenager. If I had read this when I was in high school, I would have been amazed, thinking, This is me. She knows. I would have believed.
Even the language itself remains very on...more
I read this book because I once loved FLB, and here is one of her books that I haven't read, so of course I have to read it. But here it is, two stars. It's not that I can't appreciate good poetry, but mostly that the sort of angst, sorrow, mourning, lonely tragedy/difficulties of girlhood and womanhood translate into poetry in a way that is just sublimely irritating to me. So, it's hard for me to discuss the poetry because it's just not my thing. Many apologies to the angsty, healing lady poets...more
Beautiful poetry about the author's experience as a female, but widely applicable. I don't know if I always related to it, but I'm strange. I related to some of it and could imagine the rest.
For every author I love, there is always the one book they have written I do not like. In Francesca Lia Block's case, me not liking something she has written is virtually impossible, so I shall concede to say that this book did not move me quite the way her others do. I was brilliant, yes, beautiful, eloquent and imaginative. I would expect nothing less from the mind of FLB, but it was not fluid like her other books. Perhaps because it was a collection of poems and not a full story. Nonetheless...more
This collection of poetry communicates how hard it can be to be a girl and difficult it is to love yourself sometimes. Good things happen, bad things happen, relationships develop and die; basically, life happens. A lot of the poems are beautifully descriptive; some, I just didn't get. It's obvious how these poems are based on real life, not works of fiction. There is also a consistency throughout the book of stories resurfacing.
I would recommend to older teen girls and adult women. A good read...more
I would recommend to older teen girls and adult women. A good read...more
How to (Un)cage a Girl is beautiful, tragic, and inspiring- as is most of Block's work. I'm a huge fan, so I'm always happy to find others that enjoy her books too.
The first few poems focus on a teenage girl's life, beginning at age fourteen and continuing until age nineteen. Being a teenage girl, I can relate to the text on the paper. It wasn't too long ago that I had to deal with first getting my period, the urges and pressure to have sex, looking in the mirror and hating what I see, and losi...more
The first few poems focus on a teenage girl's life, beginning at age fourteen and continuing until age nineteen. Being a teenage girl, I can relate to the text on the paper. It wasn't too long ago that I had to deal with first getting my period, the urges and pressure to have sex, looking in the mirror and hating what I see, and losi...more
This is the first book I've read by Francesca Lia Block, and it won't be my last. Not many people have heard of How to (Un)cage a Girl, but its great nonetheless. Although it is short (128 pages) I still found myself satisfied with the overall affect of it and the poetry. It's not a novel written in verse but more of a collection of poems that tie together to tell a story. The only problem I had with it was that some of the poems did not have the punctuation they needed and therefore made it kin...more
how to (un)cage a girl is Francesca Lia Block's slim collection of poetry, which, if one of the poems inside is telling the truth, was written over forty five days. It is divided into three sections, none of which left me lusting for more. There are a couple gems, in particular "forty-five thoughts for my daughter and my virtual daughters" which every teenage girl should probably read. It includes such thoughts as "dancing is an antidepressant / kindness is the new status symbol". Mostly however...more
Reviewed by Lauren Ashley for TeensReadToo.com
HOW TO (UN)CAGE A GIRL is a short collection of poetry for and about girls. Told in three parts, these poems deal with many facets of life that women must deal with, from being a teen to becoming an adult. This is a book about life: the ups and downs, the pressure, the joys, the pain. This tiny book includes it all.
I enjoyed the book very much, and found the modern approach to poetry to be interesting and refreshing. It was a bit hard to understand...more
HOW TO (UN)CAGE A GIRL is a short collection of poetry for and about girls. Told in three parts, these poems deal with many facets of life that women must deal with, from being a teen to becoming an adult. This is a book about life: the ups and downs, the pressure, the joys, the pain. This tiny book includes it all.
I enjoyed the book very much, and found the modern approach to poetry to be interesting and refreshing. It was a bit hard to understand...more
I was surprised to see that this was a three-part book of poems by Block, one of my favorite authors from middle school. Block’s Weetzie Bat novels really gave me hope for a society that was accepting and loving rather than bitter and cynical. The poems in her newest book, How to (Un)cage A Girl, were still beautiful, but they also hit a nerve that will resonate with every high school girl. Why are some girls popular? Why are some girls total skanks? How am I supposed to make it through the scho...more
Block's collection of poetry almost reads like a narrative, opening the floodgates of adolescence with 120 pages of verse. Her style is confessional, raw, and at times racy, but ultimately her work is refreshing. It's not the pinnacle of the poetic tradition, and it's certainly gimmicky, but considering the audience, the gimmicks make the work more accessible for non-connoisseurs. How to Uncage a Girl is an enjoyable read, and current teenage girls will certainly find this tome a treat, as it wa...more
Okay, so I tried to get through this book...twice. Call it bad book ADD. How to (Un)cage a Girl is the coming of age story of a girl struggling with an eating disorder. I found the characteristics and thoughts of the girl to be cliché teenager and the fact that it was written in past tense from a woman's POV (with a bit of a patronizing flare), did not help. Not very realistic or interesting. But don't take my word for it...I didn't finish it.
Well, that was disappointing.
Came across as a) patronizing b) rather shallow somehow, even the poems about heavier topics. The only one I liked a little was about the FtM person, but that is probably because I know someone in that situation. Certainly not because of the breathtaking writing.
Whereas I might have enjoyed Block's other books if I first read them as a young teen, I'm pretty sure I would have disliked this even then.
Came across as a) patronizing b) rather shallow somehow, even the poems about heavier topics. The only one I liked a little was about the FtM person, but that is probably because I know someone in that situation. Certainly not because of the breathtaking writing.
Whereas I might have enjoyed Block's other books if I first read them as a young teen, I'm pretty sure I would have disliked this even then.
I would read Francesca Lia Block's notes on a bar napkin. Seriously. I love this woman's style more than I love cupcakes. And I love me some cupcakes. This book is divided into three parts, years at the asylum, in the lair of the toxic blonde, and love poems for girls. Each part could stand on its own, with the first being from (I'm assuming) Block's teen years, the second observations about other people that have had an effect on her and the third as just what it sounds like: love poems for gir...more
I haven't really read poetry in a very long time, so I don't have much of a standard to judge it by, but Block's poetry read like what I might strive to write myself. As always, I love the language she uses- here in more concentrated doses of what I love so much in her prose, and found the subject matter emotionally and symbolically resonant with my own experiences.
I LOVED it. <33 Francesca is a really good author. I love this one because it's written in a girl's aspect. It talks about some problems girls might go through and their thinking. It describes what you think and this is a very relatable book in my point of view. I recommend it to many, many, girl's out there. c: <3 "HAPPY READING!"
These poems by the author of the Weetzie Bat YA novels were mostly disappointing. Miss Block has a flair for words, and description, but it's not translating to her poetry in a way that works. If I were her editor, or her teacher, I'd tell her to read more. Her writing, and I believe her life, would profit from it.
Honestly...not a fan. I appreciate poetry and even dabble in it at times, but unfortunately this one was not really my cup of tea. It was interesting to learn where the cover image art stems from and there were two note-worthy poems that I will mention more in my blog post, but overall, it wasn't for me.
3 stars if you're a Block fan, 2-1/2 if you're not. the poems about girls and women are pretty good, if uneven. they just won't appeal to everyone. the last one, "forty-five for my daughter and my virtual daughters", I'd like to have embroidered as a gift for my daughter.
One of the best poetry books I have ever read and I'm not usually a big fan of poetry. A little angsty, but simple honest prose that is piercing and haunting and yet also full of hope and love. She definitely has a dark side that I love and am going to read her novels next.
I really wish I had had this book as a teenager, or heck, even a year ago when I was having a lot of body image issues. I think it really addresses that topic well for girls, particularly those of us who really enjoy women's magazines and popular culture and struggle with the images portrayed therein.
A really cool book of poetry, not just for young adults. I love Francesca Lia Block's style of writing and as usual she doesn't try and censor sensitive subjects.
Lovely batch of poems that speaks to women's plight and struggles. The author has a specific way of writing that may take some time getting used to.
Slightly boring poems about girls and beauty. Only the last several ones were good when the author was addressing her children.
It was really interesting to read. The book was very personal to the author, which made it even more deep and emotional.
This is Block's latest poetry book as far as I know. I read this on the way to State Drama competition. I loved it.
wow it turns out its actually not easy to be a teenage girl that has to support an immature mother.
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Francesca Lia Block was born in Los Angeles to a poet and a painter, their creativity an obvious influence on her writing. Another influence was her childhood love of Greek mythology and fairy tales.
She has lived in the city all her life, and still resides there with her daughter, Jasmine Angelina (about whom she wrote her book Guarding the Moon), her son Samuel Alexander, and her two dogs: a spr...more
More about Francesca Lia Block...
She has lived in the city all her life, and still resides there with her daughter, Jasmine Angelina (about whom she wrote her book Guarding the Moon), her son Samuel Alexander, and her two dogs: a spr...more
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“...choose to believe in your own myth
your own glamour
your own spell
a young woman who does this
(even if she is just pretending)
has everything....”
—
66 people liked it
your own glamour
your own spell
a young woman who does this
(even if she is just pretending)
has everything....”
“My mother said, "kiss him, darling, it's easy so natural" and I thought to myself, not with lips of stone, dear mother, not with lips of stone”
—
10 people liked it
More quotes…
Nov 23, 2010 07:10am