In this realm, words are currency. Step into a wonderland where illusions are shattered and beloved stories are turned on their heads. With truth laid bare, Maithy Vu conjures the muses of fairytales to grapple with gender equity, mental health, cultural identity, love, and purpose. Poems for Princesses with Peas Under Their Mattresses is a kaleidoscope of emotions spanning from childhood to womanhood. The spellbinding collection invites readers to reimagine the power dynamics of familiar tales-so they can ...
Read More
In this realm, words are currency. Step into a wonderland where illusions are shattered and beloved stories are turned on their heads. With truth laid bare, Maithy Vu conjures the muses of fairytales to grapple with gender equity, mental health, cultural identity, love, and purpose. Poems for Princesses with Peas Under Their Mattresses is a kaleidoscope of emotions spanning from childhood to womanhood. The spellbinding collection invites readers to reimagine the power dynamics of familiar tales-so they can discover the magic within themselves.
Read Less
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 52 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 52 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
VIs ââ?¬Å"Poems for Princesses with Peas Under Their Mattressesââ?¬Â? for those in the pursuit of being a princess, or is it a cautionary reimagining of the fairy tale misnomers and myths of being a princess?
I kissed a frog and never sought a prince again,
Maithy Vu writes.
Or both? We can�t leave out the power of courage and magic in those original tales, nor does Maithy Vu in this smart chapbook. Either way, it is an entertaining mental dance to identify which fable or fairy tale Vu is referencing. She cleverly does not title them but uses Roman numerals instead.
What is clear is Vu�s effort to make sense of how these tales, once read to her as a child, have informed and shaped womanhood for herself and perhaps for others across the globe. Some of the original tales, which have been glorified, some for centuries, idealize misogynistic dynamics. Then repeatedly read at bedtime� What are the effects? Through Vu�s poetic examination, readers see some of the effects. In many cases, they have influenced our ideas to our own detriment, and as Vu points out,
The tales I consumed became tools for the knots I spent restless nights unraveling.
Her words have transformed stories once held dear into tools for navigating the challenges of being a woman with life�s unforeseeable complications that can�t be simplified in a fable.
Chapbooks are all about sticking to a theme, and this collection takes it further by staying within the framework of fairy tale motifs as they relate to women. Each poem stands alone and is written in a variety of poetic forms. Without a doubt, your childhood nostalgia will be triggered, but not as you might expect. Like with this great metaphor: ââ?¬Å"ââ?¬Ë?What big thighs you have.ââ?¬â?¢Ã¢â?¬Â?
You donâ��t need to love fairy tales to love these witty poemsâ�"just be a fan of a play on words. The collection could be a bit more raw, or the themes deconstructed further, but as Vu mentions, it is also a collection to help her readers sleep instead of tossing and turning about over personal demons reimagined from long-ago bedtime stories.