[Book Review] Ready Aim Fire by Lexi Vranick

A debut poetry collection by New York based poet Lexi Vranick. This 53-page book of modern poems centers on themes of hope, resilience, and survival in the face of personal challenges.


5 STARS 

I do not read a lot of poetry, but what I have read has told me that I quite enjoy modern poetry. Which is what Ready Aim Fire is. I enjoy the format and the way when it's done really well it packs a punch. I think Lexi Vranick's first collection of poetry, Ready Aim Fire, definitely has done it well. 

I have also realized I am not the biggest fan of star rating a book that has a lot of personal (to the author) content inside, whether it be poetry or autobiographical. However with reading sites, like the one I use BookThinker, you have to star rate a book for it to go on your "read" pile. So I give it five stars for a few reasons. The writing is done well done, I connected heavily to many of the themes written about in the poetry, and it was overall a powerful reading experience. However the star rating has nothing to do with the content itself. I don't feel comfortable rating someone's personal experiences. One con I honestly see with this book collection is that some of the topics and phrases repeated often, and although that is common with the poetry I've read, it's a little bit of a pet peeve of mine. The only other con I can think of is that it's too short. I totally wanted more and I was shocked when I turned my head to read the next poem and it was the Acknowledgments!

In a lot of the themes I related to it had a lot to do with self doubt, anxiety, and learning to believe in yourself. There is a lot of amazing poems that showcase Lexi's determination and resilience and I think it is inspiring. I think her writing is incredibly descriptive and she has an amazing way with words. I know she recently came out with a novel, Exist Ghost, and now I even more excited to read it now that I know how talented she is as a writer. 

I found myself using little tabs to mark the poems I liked the most and I have quite a lot for such a short collection. I think if you're someone currently going through rough times with your mental illness and you're not on the other side of recovery or getting help this book of short poems could be really inspirational. It definitely was for me. Lexi has this confidence in herself when it comes to her independence and just generally that I strive to one day see in myself. So I loved seeing her strength in her words. 

Overall, if you like modern poetry I highly recommend picking up Ready Aim Fire. I also think that if you're a beginner like me, this is a great place to start dipping your toes into the genre. 

Thanks for reading!