"Writing in the tradition of the great feminist, political poets, Prerna Bakshi challenges the patriarchy’s construction of the female mind and body, and illuminates the feminist experience shared by women living in the developing world today. Her narrative poetry is dedicated to the world’s stateless people, a murdered daughter, a Chinese migrant factory worker, survivors of domestic violence, and all those affected by the Partition — to name just a few of Bakshi’s poetic inspirations. Writing about everything from sexual assault to what happens, as she writes, “When the Poor Woman ‘Leans In’,” she wants you to be moved, and haunted, and angry, and empowered. And the poems in Burnt Rotis, With Love will do just that."

 

- 9 Poetry Collections That Will Change The Way You See The World, Bustle

 

To read the full article, click here http://www.bustle.com/articles/161046-9-poetry-collections-that-will-change-the-way-you-see-the-world

 

"Wendy Doniger's book on Hinduism had been just pulped and most poetry books read like odes to trees that bore fruits and flowers that were in full bloom. Bakshi's strong imagery and metaphors obviously stood no chance. Her poems encourage women to burn rotis, to be imperfect, to be immoral, to be unruly, to upset the status quo. Bakshi's poems pull one out of the comfort zone. Through her 54 poems Bakshi has become the voice of workers, peasants, Indigenous people, women and children. Bakshi has given women a voice in her poems. Bakshi is a fiery feminist. She articulates their fears, their shame like no one else."

 

- For Women: How To Burn Rotis & Fight Patriarchy, Catch News

 

To read the full article, click here http://www.catchnews.com/culture-news/for-women-how-to-burn-rotis-fight-patriarchy-1471965632.html/fullview

 

"Bakshi writes about what it's like being a woman today living in the developing world, what it's like to have a female body, and how dangerous it is. This collection is so necessary, illustrating how being a woman is a political act in itself, documenting the experiences of murdered women, domestic abuse survivors, factory workers, and more. It's a must-read for anyone alive right now."

 

- 3 Poetry Books With Strong Narrators That Are So Necessary Right Now, Joanna C. Valente, Poet and Editor, Luna Luna Magazine

 

To read the full review, click here http://www.lunalunamagazine.com/blog/3-poetry-books-with-strong-narrators-that-are-so-necessary-right-now

 

"The messages that she delivers are vital stories about oppressed people around the world that Westerners should especially be made aware of, and it’s clear that Prerna Bakshi deserves critical praise and recognition for her brave and touching new work, Burnt Rotis, With Love."

 

- Sean Lynch, Poet and Editor of Whirlwind Magazine.

 

To read the full review, click here https://issuu.com/whirlwindreview/docs/whirlwind_issue6/c/spx9ba5

 

"Prerna Bakshi’s poetry is not for the meek or sheltered. In the collection, Burnt Rotis, With Love, Bakshi is unashamedly feminist, unashamedly Indian, unashamedly herself. It is raw and unencumbered, which contrasts the subjects she devotes her prose to. Her work, candid and heavy at times, serves as an icebreaker to bigger discussions and experiences that we all have been through. The collection, as a whole, is a response to mainstream feminism, which often times leaves out perspectives of women that are not a certain size, color, or race. Burnt Rotis, With Love, gladly fills the gap and without asking, includes all of us."

 

- Ev Petgrave, Linden Avenue Literary Journal

 

To read the full review, click here http://www.lindenavelit.com/book-reviews.html

 

"I found it impossible to keep my balance and remain on the surface of these poems. This collection is powerful and unsettling, and Prerna Bakshi pulls you in deep and doesn't let go. In this body of cohesive, tightly woven poetry she explores and interrogates the narratives of Partition of India/Punjab post British colonialism, women's identity, gender, and class struggle. Her poems are connected by setting, imagery, challenging themes, and autobiography; and she casts the net wide... Violence, oppression, exploitation, abuse, struggle, survival and resistance.

 

I found her poetry startling and urgent and written in a voice that seeks--no, make that demands--answers to our most basic humanitarian questions. She is a force for change and I'll be watching as her body of writing expands and she ultimately takes her place among the important new literary authors of this generation."

 

- Janine Pickett, Editor, Indiana Voice Journal

 

To read the full review, click here http://www.indianavoicejournal.com/p/blog-page_19.html

 

"Indian poet Prerna Bakshi writes searing, stark, powerful political poetry and in her collection Burnt rotis, with love, she tackles a huge range of social, political, and personal issues. Her explorations of colonialism, identity, and struggle are already receiving worldwide praise and this text is a necessary addition to any poetry library."

 

- S. E. Smith, Editor, Global Comment

 

"This poetry stands in solidarity with all struggles of emancipation, is not afraid to being called partisan and wears its irreverence with a just pride. And yet, there’s a thread of compassionate humanism in all her poems which binds together the noisy struggles and pained silences of the oppressed. ’Burnt Rotis, With Love’ is an important work of radical poetry today."

 

- Rahul Vaidya, Vikalp: People's Perspective for Change

 

To read the full review, click here http://www.vikalp.ind.in/2016/06/book-reviw-burnt-rotis-with-love-by.html?m=1

 

"Bakshi is a fervent feminist with a unique gift of language, which she uses in this book to spit in the face of the double-standard patriarchy and all of its crimes. Bakshi uses powerful words in a story telling form to grasp the reader by the face and demand that they see modern society for what it is committing: femicide. Inside you will find many references to the Hindu religion and Indian culture, which Bakshi, as an activist, uses to confront and dismantle modern hypocrisy; whether it take the form of religion, state repression, or sexism. The author is obviously sickened and angry by the torment which feminine-identified people face in this world and this book is a rally cry for feminists everywhere. This is a real page turner, as it enlightens with every word. This book is excellently written and I recommend it to everyone, to get a fair viewpoint of what happens to women every day, hour, and second in this world."

 

- Adam Levon Brown, Five 2 One Magazine

 

To read the full review, click here http://goo.gl/xkJSY3

 

"What also makes the collection striking is its unapologetic political-mindedness. In poems such as ‘A Day in the Life of a Migrant Factory Worker’, a story is told, only to reveal in its footnotes that it is based on a true account of a Chinese migrant factory worker at Foxconn called Xu Lizhi, who died by suicide at age twenty-four. She also speaks for the necessity to look at issues of gender from an intersectional perspective, responding to Sheryl Sandberg’s ‘Lean In’ philosophy, by describing ‘When the poor woman leans in/it is to plough the land, sow the seeds…’ and providing a much-needed backlash against middle-upper-class neoliberal ideas of so-called feminism."

 

- Carmina Masoliver, The Norwich Radical

 

To read the full review, click here http://bit.ly/2fkQBiL 

 

"Alors qu’il est si souvent de bon ton aujourd’hui, dans certains milieux, littéraires ou non, en Occident, de considérer la poésie politique – comme la lutte des classes – comme quelque chose de dépassé, il est extrêmement roboratif et particulièrement précieux (même si l’exercice rappelle vivement la cruauté du contemporain en marche) de lire de tels fragments acérés et vivants, sous la plume d’une jeune autrice se définissant elle-même, avec un certain humour noir, comme une « Marxiste du Sud »."

 

- Librairie Charybde

 

To read the full review, click here https://bit.ly/2AilYHv