Favorite Excerpt:

they asked her,

"what does it mean to love yourself?"

she answered,

"it means to uncover and release whatever keeps you from true happiness; to love, honor, and accept every single part of you, especially those that are kept in the dark. it means to observe yourself continually with the utmost honesty and without judgment. loving yourself means striving to reach new heights of self-understanding so as to cultivate the wisdom that inner peace requires." - yung pueblo ( )

I requested this from the library because I have repeatedly seen it mentioned as "great poetry".

This is not poetry. This is the author's guide? experience? narration of? his journey to self love, kindness, search for happiness. Which is great for him, but there is very little actual practical advice in here. I also think this author is young and has fortunate enough to not yet been faced with caregiving duties that cannot just be "let go". Or difficult people you cannot simply cut out of your life (bosses, teachers, coworkers, family). Or the drag of health problems, job searches, and so on. But I guess that is also why his pen name means "young people" (per author bio).

I can see why some people might love this book. I also think I am decades past that point in my life.

(Shelved as poetry though I disagree.) ( )

Inward by Yung Pueblo is a beautiful collection of spiritual poems. Two serve as an intro of sorts, followed by 5 sections- Distance, Union, Interlude, Self-Love, and Understanding.

This book dealt me a gut punch. These poems sang to my soul, conjuring sadness and longing, but hope as well. They are about loving yourself, and finding your own self-worth, which I am in desperate need of doing. I just have such a hard time of it. I feel patently unlovable. I do get locked in obsessions and binges, trying to use outer things to fill an emptiness that cannot be filled with frivolity. I ended up purchasing a copy of my own, and enjoy flipping through to random poems, using the one I land on as a meditation focus. Highly recommended for those who enjoy poetry, and all things spiritual.

***Many thanks to the Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. ( )