The Girl and the Goddess

**One of PopSugar's Best Books of Fall 2020

Praise for** The Girl and the Goddess
"If you're not already familiar with Gill, you should be. The British-Indian writer has been called 'the voice of the generation'--and with 441,000-and-counting followers on Instagram alone, she just might be." —Bustle

"Strikingly relatable... [Nikita Gill is] one of the most celebrated poets of this generation." —Marie Claire

"Fans of Rupi Kaur will almost definitely love Nikita Gill's empowering poems. Gill is especially interested in exploring emotions, and the beautiful but sometimes painful marks that important people leave on your life." —*Refinery29

“The Girl and The Goddess* is a magical and mythical story that reminds us to awaken and reclaim the goddess within ourselves.” —readpoetry.com

Autorentext
Nikita Gill is a British-Indian writer and poet living in the south of England. With a huge online following, her words have entranced hearts and minds all over the world.

Klappentext

Bestselling poet, writer, and Instagram sensation Nikita Gill returns with an innovative novel in verse, exploring Hindu mythology and legend. Let her be a little less human, a little more divine
Give her heart armor so it doesn't break as easily as mine Meet Paro. A girl with a strong will, a full heart, and much to learn. Born into a family reeling from the ruptures of Partition in India, we follow her as she crosses the precarious lines between childhood, teenage discovery, and realizing her adult self. In the process, Paro must confront fear, desire and the darkest parts of herself in the search for meaning and, ultimately, empowerment. Nikita Gill's vivid poetry and beautiful illustrations have captured hearts and imaginations--but in The Girl and the Goddess, she offers us her most personal and deeply felt writing to date: an intimate coming-of-age story told in linked poems that offers a look into the Hindu mythology and rich cultural influences that helped her become the woman she is today.

Leseprobe
In This Story:

There is a girl who is stubborn
and strong willed and who makes
a lot of mistakes.

A family that is trying to navigate
its way through the aftermath
of war and partition.

Parents who have the best intentions.
Gods and Goddesses who appear
seemingly at random.

So when magic comes to stay
it brings with it a firestorm
of emotions.

A Secret From Me To You

There is something
you should know
before reading this tale.

Despite my best efforts,
I still do not know
how to love myself.

But here is
the secret
that no one told me.

It’s okay.

It’s okay to feel
like you’re drowning
inside your own bones sometimes.

It’s okay to weep
like a sky devoured
by a storm.

It’s okay to be aware
that there are wounds in you still
that you aren’t letting heal.

Survival is ugly.
Healing is messy.
Self love is complicated.

It is the days you feel like this
as much as your best days
that help you grow.

All of this
is part
of being human.

You and I, we do not need
to be perfect at one more thing
no one has taught us how to do.

We can learn together.
How to be gentle with ourselves.
How to be kinder to ourselves

when life feels
like it is more endings
than beginnings.

Here is another secret no one will tell you:
No one has mastered the art of self love,
not even the Gods and Goddesses themselves.