Eighteen Years Paperback – November 17, 2016

Madisen Kuhn in this collection considers what it is to love? To feel? To live? There is a kind of lovely stream of consciousness that affects these poems in a thoughtful, meditative way, which leaves you transfixed. I can tell each of these poems were lovingly, soulfully crafted with an outpouring of honest, pure emotion that really resonated with me.Eighteen Years in its delicate focus on what it is to be a sentient being also considers rites of passage and moments of growing up and all the messiness that comes along with that and I appreciate that Kuhn never underestimates the intricacies of that process.This is also the perfect go-to book of poetry if your heart, mind, and body is going through and experiencing a lot and I love that all the while all of these important themes are coming from the young, promising voice of Madisen because that truly shines the light on the importance of youth writing and sharing with the world all the bits of insight they have, especially since our generation has a lot to reflect on in sobering, necessary ways.I overall love the attention to the way the book is designed with little scrawled drawings that capture the messages Eighteen Years is trying to get across and its ultimate essence. Additionally, the note Madisen leaves at the beginning is a lovely way for setting the scene for how you’ll experience her poetry and the note written on the back with a girl whose head has flowers blooming from it, which suggests a kind of blooming and growth of self as well is also an important mood setter: “This book is meant to bent and worn, written in, tear-stained, and loved. This book is for you.”Even if some of the poems are shorter or feel to some like they’ve come from the aesthetic infused pages of Tumblr that doesn’t make them any less, or at least I believe it doesn’t, as they are still warmly, beautifully packed with a lot to consider and an intensity of emotion that won’t soon be forgotten.

Poetry is very subjective but this book has been enjoyed by both me and my girlfriend. A lot of the topics revolve around mental health issues and self image problems - focused on non-reciprocated feelings from a female point of view towards a disinterested male. They also touch on depression, loneliness, and problems with self worth. Almost none of the poetry rhymes and a lot of the line breaks are in weird places too.All of that criticism aside there's some lovely tales that evoke relatable emotions, especially to millennials who grew up learning how to be who they were supposed to be instead of figuring out who they wanted to be or who they are.

Full disclosure: I purchased this book to give to a friend. I have no interest in free verse poetry as a general rule. I find the lack of structure unappealing and its content lacking. That said, when I flipped through this book after receiving it, I saw some good writing. I read the introduction, and then got into the poetry... and now I have a copy of my own, which I will read over and over again. Some pages are better than others, but for some, I needed to slowly read them half a dozen times before I felt like I could move on.If you're anywhere past maybe you're mid-20's, this book isn't necessarily written for you. That said, I think there's value in seeing the perspective of the younger generation even if this might not apply to you. There will also be an element of inherent value in the words themselves for everyone, even if not every poem applies. If you're on the fence, get it and donate it to your library when you're done so more people have a chance to read it.

It got here pretty fast. I haven't read it yet but as for the book itself, it looks good however the copy I got had some weird black marks on the top left corner. Other than that, its pretty good. I'm looking forward to reading Eighteen Years since I heard good things about it on TikTok!

Absolutely fantastic collection of poetry. The format of it is incredible as you can see Madisen grow and develop over the course of the book. Her writing gets more mature, she becomes more self-aware, and she develops a practicality in her approach to the problems she writes about.There are poems for every season of life housed within these pages. It is a collection that I will continue to read over and over again until the ink begins to fade from the pages and I have found reasons to underline every single line in the book.

Upon buying this book, I had never read one of Madisen's poems. After reading the introduction, I knew i would connect to her through her writing. Her poetry captured my attention instantly and I could not put the book down. I've read hundreds of poetry books and I'm in awe of how beautifully put together this one it. Fantastic read

Gave to a loved one and they said it was the best poem book they’ve read

Teenage Daughter loves it. Reads it every night before bed.

I have wanted this book for a long time and I finally ordered it and I was not disappointed. It's beyond beautiful filled with poems for all sorts of emotions. I was also very happy with the delivery. Arrived earlier than I anticipated! 100% reccomend this book. It is amazing!

Afraid I think this is mostly in the tumblr/insta-poetry vain, rather like Milk & Honey. A bit too superficial for my tasts, even if there are some nice lines/imagery dotted here and there, as it rarely made me feel/question anything bar what's already on the page.

I'm a big poetry lover but couldn't really connect with these poems - I feel they are aimed directly at those still in school.

This book is so good and literally so empowering. Some of the poems are really relatable! The physical appearance of the book is stunning with all the illustrations.

Daughter loved it