select praise for
when you ask me
where i'm going
“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, Newberry Honour-winning and New York Times bestelling author of Other Words For Home
“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 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
“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, New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Sunday Times bestselling author of Me and White Supremacy
“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
when you ask me where i'm going
scream
so that one day
a hundred years from now
another sister will not have to
dry her tears wondering
where in history
she lost her voice
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The six sections of the book explore what it means to be a young woman living in a world that doesn’t always hear her and tell the story of Kiran as she flees a history of trauma and raises her daughter, Sahaara, while living undocumented in North America.
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Delving into current cultural conversations including sexual assault, mental health, feminism, and immigration, this narrative of resilience, healing, empowerment, and love will galvanize readers to fight for what is right in their world.
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Shortlisted for the Goodreads Choice Awards 2019
A CBC Books Best YA Book of 2019