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Book Review: WHEN YOU ASK ME WHERE I’M GOING by Jasmin Kaur

Kaur’s soul and words of wisdom take on many forms in WHEN YOU ASK ME WHERE I’M GOING.

When You Ask Me Where I’m Going is not a traditional novel. Kaur’s words come alive in a variety of forms: poems, prose, and illustrations. But no matter the format, each piece of art holds a sincere honesty to it. With six distinct sections, there is sure to be a page or two–or 100–to speak to anyone and everyone.

Kaur explores many facets of life in When You Ask Me Where I’m Going. She touches on the judgment of one’s skin tone, mental illness, motherhood, feminism, immigration, and more. Kaur speaks to those who often feel like outsiders. Her work proves that the seemingly invisible are, in fact, seen.

I am not generally one who enjoys poetry, but when I read the description of When You Ask Me Where I’m Going, I knew I needed to make an exception and give this a shot. I unequivocally made the right call. I found Kaur’s statements informative and inspirational. She left it all on the page, and I’m very grateful for her raw expression and (at least what I consider to be) fearlessness.

The works that spoke to me the most were those regarding depression. Kaur creates an environment where you can’t help but reflect on yourself. She acknowledges the feelings of doubt when it comes to self-worth and invites the reader to re-evaluate their views in order to celebrate who they are. I’ve never voluntarily annotated a book before, but I took the time to mark a few of my favorite pages, words I needed to hear.

My only (half-hearted) complaint about When You Ask Me Where I’m Going is that I wish there was more cohesion from one piece to the next. But that’s probably little more than my typical-novel-format mindset talking. I absolutely recommend picking up a copy. I think anyone who decides to read Kaur’s book will be better for it. When You Ask Me Where I’m Going could very well be that source of hope you return to again and again.

RATING: 4.5 OUT OF 5 STARS

When You Ask Me Where I’m Going arrives on shelves October 1st, but you can preorder a copy now via Amazon or IndieBound.

Perfect for fans of Rupi Kaur and Elizabeth Acevedo, Jasmin Kaur’s stunning debut novel is a collection of poetry, illustrations, and prose.

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


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.

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.

By Lara

20-something. TV addict. Reader. Writer.