BOOK NAME: Time You Let Me In: 25 Poets Under 25
Editor: Naomi Shihab Nye

I recently read a book of sorts called Time You Let Me In, which is actually a compilation of poems written by 25 poets who are under 25. The poetry is almost all free verse, and is not rhythmic in the sense that many pieces of poetry are. It is jagged and raw, but it is more touching and emotionally stirring than any poetry I have read before. It is about important occurrences in the lives of the poets who contributed. The language used is somewhat mature, however, and for that reason I would recommend it to children who are at least 13. Although I usually don’t particularly like swearing, I felt that the language used in some of the poems gave more depth and meaning to the writing than it would have had had the language been left out or replaced. The poetry is raw in many ways, but it gives true, heartfelt accounts of events that happened as well as providing rare snapshots into people’s lives.

I haven’t read a book that is entirely poetry in a while, and it was refreshing, especially since the verses were so unconventional and unlike anything I had ever read before. In short, I would recommend this to a definitively older group of readers who are ready for a deeply moving emotional rollercoaster of a book.