From the Publisher
Kaur’s debut collection explores what it means to be a young woman in a world that not only fails to hear her but that often refuses to see her. The novel begins with poems that are more than pretty words; they carry weight and breathe fire. Power is reclaimed through self-acceptance and love.” — ALA Booklist
“Kaur’s elegant and informative poetry and prose packs a powerful punch. The gentle words empathize with and encourage readers, uplifting the soul, and praising every woman’s spirit.” — School Library Journal
“Kaur’s poetry delivers moments of startling clarity and light, lyrically describing the experience of a population rarely visible in Western literature.” — Kirkus Reviews
"Kaur draws on her experience of being a Sikh woman in Canada to express feelings of anger, grief, and tentative hopefulness that will resonate deeply with young women who feel unheard and unseen because of their ethnicity, their immigration status, and/or their experience of domestic abuse." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“A searing and gorgeous debut. This book made me feel seen, but it also educated me—it’s sure to provoke many necessary and meaningful conversations.” — Jasmine Warga, author of Other Words For Home and My Heart and Other Black Holes
“An emotional journey that will enlighten, inspire and empower readers everywhere.” — Amanda Lovelace, bestselling author of the princess saves herself in this one, the witch doesn’t burn in this one and the mermaid’s voice returns in this one
“Kaur weaves a captivating narrative that reminds us of what it means to be raw, to be powerful, to be beautifully unique—beautifully human. So many people need this book. I’m one of them.” — Kristin Cast, #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling author of the House of Night series, The Dysasters, and the forthcoming The Key
“Jasmin Kaur epitomizes a powerful, assertive, and unapologetic voice, speaking candidly about the deep, dark, and hidden while maintaining a tone of optimism and resilience. As she challenges expectations and brutal truths, Jasmin offers an insightful commentary on the world from her eyes that is bound to resonate.” — Madisen Kuhn, author of 18 Years, Please Don’t Go Before I Get Better, and forthcoming Almost Home
“Jasmin Kaur’s work is divine and essential. She sees you and then hands you the mirror to see yourself. There is a sweet, fierce and true vulnerability in every piece. Cling to this book, it is honest and it will bring you home to yourself.” — Upile Chisala, author of soft magic, nectar, and the forthcoming A Fire Like You
“A fierce reminder of the irreplaceable and irrepressible nature of our own voices and the power they hold.” — Trista Mateer, author of Honeybee, The Dogs I Have Kissed and forthcoming Aphrodite Made Me Do It
“Gut-wrenching and awe-inspiring. Jasmin Kaur writes the type of poetry that you never want to stop reading, that makes you want to cry, laugh, stop and think, scream, and then tell your stories and speak your truth without apology. This book will change you.” — Layla Saad, author of the forthcoming Me and White Supremacy
“Raw and introspective, both painful and uplifting to read, When You Ask Me Where I’m Going seamlessly conveys a vast spectrum of emotions in a very real way that the reader can easily connect with.” — The Nerd Daily
ALA Booklist
Kaur’s debut collection explores what it means to be a young woman in a world that not only fails to hear her but that often refuses to see her. The novel begins with poems that are more than pretty words; they carry weight and breathe fire. Power is reclaimed through self-acceptance and love.
Kristin Cast
Kaur weaves a captivating narrative that reminds us of what it means to be raw, to be powerful, to be beautifully unique—beautifully human. So many people need this book. I’m one of them.
Amanda Lovelace
An emotional journey that will enlighten, inspire and empower readers everywhere.
Jasmine Warga
A searing and gorgeous debut. This book made me feel seen, but it also educated me—it’s sure to provoke many necessary and meaningful conversations.
Upile Chisala
Jasmin Kaur’s work is divine and essential. She sees you and then hands you the mirror to see yourself. There is a sweet, fierce and true vulnerability in every piece. Cling to this book, it is honest and it will bring you home to yourself.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
"Kaur draws on her experience of being a Sikh woman in Canada to express feelings of anger, grief, and tentative hopefulness that will resonate deeply with young women who feel unheard and unseen because of their ethnicity, their immigration status, and/or their experience of domestic abuse."
Trista Mateer
A fierce reminder of the irreplaceable and irrepressible nature of our own voices and the power they hold.
Madisen Kuhn
Jasmin Kaur epitomizes a powerful, assertive, and unapologetic voice, speaking candidly about the deep, dark, and hidden while maintaining a tone of optimism and resilience. As she challenges expectations and brutal truths, Jasmin offers an insightful commentary on the world from her eyes that is bound to resonate.
The Nerd Daily
Raw and introspective, both painful and uplifting to read, When You Ask Me Where I’m Going seamlessly conveys a vast spectrum of emotions in a very real way that the reader can easily connect with.
Layla Saad
Gut-wrenching and awe-inspiring. Jasmin Kaur writes the type of poetry that you never want to stop reading, that makes you want to cry, laugh, stop and think, scream, and then tell your stories and speak your truth without apology. This book will change you.”
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Kaur draws on her experience of being a Sikh woman in Canada to express feelings of anger, grief, and tentative hopefulness that will resonate deeply with young women who feel unheard and unseen because of their ethnicity, their immigration status, and/or their experience of domestic abuse."
School Library Journal
09/01/2019
Gr 9 Up—A collection of poetry, prose, and illustrations surrounding the daily realities of what it's like to be a young woman in a world that doesn't always understand her. With six sections that highlight the multitude of conversations many women battle daily, this collection's pages are painted with the topics of mental health, sexual assault, immigration, and feminism. Ultimately, the collection takes readers on a journey to fight for others, for family, and especially for themselves. Kaur's elegant and informative poetry and prose packs a powerful punch. Broken into six parts themed as a journey across the body ("skin," "muscle," "lung," "nerve," "heart," and "light"), the mixed literary styles open a window into the world of being young and a woman in an unforgiving world. This isn't one continual story unfolding, but rather a string of experiences and thoughts that speaks strongly to women of color, undocumented immigrants, and those who are hurting. The gentle words empathize with and encourage readers, uplifting the soul, and praising every woman's spirit: "a note to self/you are worth every moment/that led you to yourself/you're the one i'd choose/every single time." VERDICT Fans of Joy McCullough's Blood Water Paint or Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X will want this collection on their shelves.—Emily Walker, Lisle Library District, IL
Kirkus Reviews
2019-07-13
Poetry and prose that explore the Punjabi experience.
Shifting between poetry, prose, and illustrated poems, this book both celebrates and interrogates the lives of Punjabi families in India and Canada, beginning and ending with poems that focus on the female experience. Subjects include the pressure to be a good Punjabi daughter-in-law and wife and the impact of colorism. While the first third deals with issues of violence, such as the systematic rape of women in the Punjab, the last third focuses on love, particularly self-love. The middle section, which is mostly prose, focuses on Kiran, who flees Chandigarh, India, for her aunt and uncle's home in British Columbia because she is pregnant. Although her mother asks her to get an abortion, she decides to have the child, a girl she names Sahaara. The remainder of the section explores Sahaara's life as a Canadian Punjabi high school student. Kaur's poetry, particularly in the first third of the book, delivers moments of startling clarity and light, lyrically describing the experience of a population rarely visible in Western literature. Unfortunately, though, the prose section in particular is clunky and the characters, underdeveloped. Kaur's ideas and compassion, however, burst with a promise that indicates that her future work has the potential to add layers to the at times hackneyed language and plotlines in this debut.
A boldly experimental text that, unfortunately, tends toward the trite. (Poetry. 14-18)
