Description
Tell the world who you are.
An exploration of identity and belonging from award-winning poet Solli Raphael.
Following on from the success of Limelight and Spotlight, this new book from award-winning poet Solli Raphael, hopes to ignite a conversation around identity and belonging for young people. It covers topics from Australia's identity to the influence of social media, as well as Solli's experience ofself-discovery and gaining a handle on the idea of belonging.
Packed with ideas, tips and plenty of activities for kids and teens, Solli encourages readers to find their voice and reflect on their own individuality. The book also contains 35 new poems from Solli exploring these topics.
Words have the power to empower others and Solli hopes Starlight will spark something in every reader.
Review
Not having had a chance to read the other works from Solli Raphael, I was eager to be the reader for this latest book, all about identity and belonging.
It is split into two parts. Part One is a mix of his real-life experiences and how they have shaped who he is, and the reader can start to explore and discover what identity really is, and what it means to them, along with reflection sections for the reader to ask themselves questions about each topic. Solli summarises each chapter with his ‘Top Takeaways’, which is a great way for the students to get an overall feel of what has been presented and the questions raised.
Reading this book certainly made me think about who and what has influenced who I am today, and I am sure readers will take that away from this book too, as well as thinking about who they might be in the future. Numerous topics are covered and include how our online identity and our real-life identity can be different, how influences in our life can help determine our identity, and how our differences give us our individual identity.
Part Two features poems and stories, some long and some short, and they take the reader into the world of identity and belonging in a way that is very different to Part One.
This is a book that will not only be enjoyed by those who like the poems and stories that Solli tells, but also by those who are interested in learning about how and why we are the way we are, and is suitable for readers across all secondary levels.
