How Long to Read How We Hold On

How Long Does it Take to Read How We Hold On?

It takes the average reader 1 hour and 45 minutes to read How We Hold On by Karren LaLonde Alenier

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

Poetry. The title of Karren Alenier's new collection, HOW WE HOLD ON, seems especially timely, appearing at the end of a year of pandemic dislocations. But though Covid does make an appearance here, her themes are far broader, timeless and universal: how we love, how we deal with loss, how we find our place in the world, how we relate to family and heritage, all topics to which she attends. In the poem "Homecoming" Alenier writes of the Greek word parea, for which there is no exact English equivalent, a term for a group of friends who delight in one another's company, for the joy of sharing experiences: "how / most importantly we can love / and help each other through / celebration / and sorrow." In a very real sense, this collection is her invitation for us to join her parea, and to share in her celebrations and her sorrows. She writes poignantly of her father and especially her "partygirl mother" who attempted to make "girl talk...with a daughter who read books she did not understand." They and other family people the first two sections of the book. The third section, "when it drops you gonna feel it" takes place largely on Jamaica, a place dear to her and her late husband Jim (to whom the book is dedicated), for which reason it also has pride of place on the cover of the book. In the final section, many poems are letters written to her "Zayda Isaac," a great-grandfather who died in the previous pandemic of 1918, to whom she was introduced through keepsakes, eyeglasses and letters, "things a loving widow showed / a fiveyearold me," with whom she now reaches a new understanding: "and now 2020 / year of perfect vision a new pandemic this / widow me /sees." In the title poem, reflecting on the things her late mother and husband chose to keep closed away in chests, she writes, "in my chest an aging heart brims / with blood both beautiful and swift." That blood courses through these pages, and they brim with life--with its celebration, and with its sorrow.

How long is How We Hold On?

How We Hold On by Karren LaLonde Alenier is 104 pages long, and a total of 26,416 words.

This makes it 35% the length of the average book. It also has 32% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read How We Hold On Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 2 hours and 24 minutes to read How We Hold On aloud.

What Reading Level is How We Hold On?

How We Hold On is suitable for students ages 10 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy How We Hold On?

How We Hold On by Karren LaLonde Alenier is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

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