Poetry collection review: Diving into the Wreck (1973) by Adrienne Rich. (TW: mention of SA)

Today I am reviewing the poetry collection Diving into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich (1929 - 2012). Adrienne Rich was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She also happened to be a lesbian and came out in 1976. Her collection here is from three years earlier but it was one that stood out to me. The thing I loved was how eye-opening I found the collection to be. From the joys of 'August', to the seriousness of 'Burning one's self out', her poems offer variety and a necessary meaning to each poem.

There are clear feminist ideas in here and as a proud feminist, I love to see it. Feminism is something that has always been needed and despite what some people could argue, is still needed to this day. For that I find that Rich's poems provide a relevance to the modern day reader. One such poem entitled 'Rape', offers a view as to what happens when someone reports it. This is a constant reminder what people have to go through. Even now, the number of people who suffer and the number of people who get away with such heinous crimes relating to that if a sexual nature. Reading about a harsh reality just reminded me the fight for justice and an end to this is still not over.

Other poems made me think deeply too. When reading 'Burning Oneself Out', I was reminded of how far I have come and how important a person's mental health is. I love that Adrienne Rich's poetry collection here is thought-provoking, even if it is not always the happiest if thoughts. She seems to challenge, question and highlight the good as well as the bad. Her collection was nice and so I am going to give it an 8.5/10.


Until next time,


Thomas (they/them).

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