“milk and honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look.” – rupikaur.com

 

The experience

It took me three weeks to read “Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur, and it was one of the best readings that I’ve ever done.

Lately, I’ve been attending a non-fiction workshop in New York City. The place where the course takes place is close to an Italian bookshop, called Rizzoli Bookstore.

Rizzoli Bookstore offers both an elegant and cozy space, where people can simply walk next to tables full of colorful-covered novels, looking up to the tall wooden shelves, seeking some literary inspiration, or just sit in one of the soft-vintage-look-alike couches.

Commuting is not always that easy. I’ve been learning this by traveling once a week from my residence on campus to hectic Penn Station, in the middle of the Big Apple. It takes a lot of patience and will in order to embrace the lifestyle of a commuter. The school shuttle, the train, the subway, the walking: a lot of steps to get to Broadway from Long Island. Time has been always a thing that I get worried about. I don’t like being late, so I rather arrive an hour earlier to a place where I have to be than to get there sweaty after a crazy run in the middle of a crowded and busy neighborhood like downtown Manhattan.

For this reason, every Thursday I spend an hour or so inside Rizzoli Bookstore. It all started the first Thursday of the workshop session. I was looking for an indoor place where I could wait those long minutes before starting the class. I was standing next to a glass door, through which I could spot several books and a couch. Without thinking twice, I entered and started walking around the store.

Finally, I’ve spotted “Milk and Honey“. I’ve always wanted to read this book, but it was expensive. I knew I couldn’t afford it, but I still was too curious to read it. So I grabbed it, sat on the closest brown-leathered couch, and began to flip through the pages.

I began reading it from the start, and I literally fell in love with the poems. The words, the format, the message. The moment I had to go to class, I had finished the first chapter of the book. The following Thursday I came in the shop and continued reading it. Last Thursday I concluded it: and I can firmly state that it is indeed a beautiful book.

What’s Milk and Honey

 

“Milk and Honey” is a collection of poems and prose dedicated to love. Rupi Kaur explores this sentiment through its pain, its merry and hurtful moments, and its epilogue.

The book is divided into four categories, which describe how love can be powerful within its multiple façades.

The Hurting

The author recounts episodes of sexual assaults, family issues, and hurtful relationship dynamics. Her mother and father are mentioned several times, which makes the whole section more personal and heartfelt.

The Loving

In this part of the collection, Rupi Kaur writes pure love poems. They are dedicated especially to people who are in love and to those who dream of love.

The Breaking

As harsh as it may sound, a young love story usually ends. The consequences of a love breaking are tragic to the heart and mind of the lovers.

The Healing

The last chapter reaches a broader audience, focusing on feminism and self-acceptance. Rupi Kaur reminds women to be in love with themselves first, in order to let someone else be in their lives.

The message

In these works, there’s a message of hope and faith. Hope for a better future and faith for the genuine version of oneself.

Personally, this book found a place in my heart. Not only I believed it was profoundly touching from the very first page to the last one, but I’ve learned a lot from Rupi Kaur’s words.

This is a book for hopeful people. People who, no matter how cynic or pessimist are, have the courage to move forward.