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You Better Be Lightning (Button Poetry) Paperback – November 9, 2021

by Andrea Gibson (Author)
Goodreads Choice Award nominee
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2023 Feathered Quill Book Awards Gold Medal Winner
2022 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) Gold Medal Winner
2022 Over the Rainbow Short List
2021 Goodreads Choice Awards - Best Poetry Book Finalist
2021 Bookshop's Indie Press Highlights


You Better Be Lightning by Andrea Gibson is a queer, political, and feminist collection guided by self-reflection.

The poems range from close examination of the deeply personal to the vastness of the world, exploring the expansiveness of the human experience from love to illness, from space to climate change, and so much more in between.

One of the most celebrated poets and performers of the last two decades, Andrea Gibson's trademark honesty and vulnerability are on full display in You Better Be Lightning, welcoming and inviting readers to be just as they are.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    128 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Button Poetry
  4. Publication date
    November 9, 2021
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.25 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1943735999
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1943735990
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

andrea gibson

andrea gibson

andrea gibson

andrea gibson

Editorial Reviews

Review

“ANDREA GIBSON WILL CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT GENDER.”

― BUZZFEED

“ANDREA GIBSON SEAMLESSLY SPINS HOPELESSNESS INTO HOPE, FIRES BACK AT SOCIAL NORMS, AND CHALLENGES WHAT IT MEANS TO BE ALIVE AND TO BE HUMAN”

―THEM

“ANDREA GIBSON'S POETRY… WILL MAKE YOU FEEL SEEN AND HEARD AND BEAUTIFULLY ARTICULATED…”

― HUFFINGTON POST

”GIBSON CAPTURES RAW HUMAN EXPERIENCES AND EMOTIONS―BOTH GOOD AND BAD AND TURNS THEM INTO SOMETHING OPTIMISTIC AND HOPEFUL, REMINDING THEIR AUDIENCE OF THE POWER IN VULNERABILITY AND IN LIVING.”


― OUT FRONT MAGAZINE

“ANDREA GIBSON IS IN THE FIGHT FOR HEARTS AND MINDS. WITH A RELENTLESS SENSE OF URGENCY AND EMOTIONS ― “HAVING FEELINGS ALL OVER” ― LEAVENED BY AN OCCASIONAL FLASH OF HUMOR.”

―BOSTON GLOBE

About the Author

One of the most celebrated and successful poets of the last two decades, Andrea Gibson began their career in 1999 with a break-up poem at an open mic in Boulder, Colorado. In 2008, Gibson leapt into the forefront of the national spoken word poetry scene when they won the first ever Woman of the World Poetry Slam. Gibson is the author of four previous books of poetry and has release seven spoken-word albums. The honesty of Gibson's work makes audiences and readers feel welcome as they are. They are based out of Boulder, CO.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Button Poetry (November 9, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1943735999
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1943735990
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.25 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

About the author

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Andrea Gibson

Andrea Gibson

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Andrea Gibson (they/them/theirs) is a queer author of five full-length collections of poetry, including Lord of the Butterflies (Button Poetry 2018) which sold over 20,000 copies worldwide. Winner of The Independent Publishers Award in 2019, Andrea is also a two-time Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist. In 2017, Penguin Books published Take Me With You, an illustrated collection of Gibson’s most beloved quotes, and in 2019, Chronicle books published their first non-fiction endeavor, How Poetry Can Change Your Heart. The winner of the first Women’s World Poetry Slam, Gibson has gone on to be featured on BBC, Air America, CSpan, and regularly sells out large capacity venues all over the world. Gibson has also released seven full length albums of spoken word. Their most recent book, You Better Be Lightning, is forthcoming from Button Poetry November 2021.

“ANDREA GIBSON WILL CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT GENDER.” — BUZZFEED

“ANDREA GIBSON SEAMLESSLY SPINS HOPELESSNESS INTO HOPE, FIRES BACK AT SOCIAL NORMS, AND CHALLENGES WHAT IT MEANS TO BE ALIVE AND TO BE HUMAN” —THEM

“ANDREA GIBSON’S POETRY… WILL MAKE YOU FEEL SEEN AND HEARD AND BEAUTIFULLY ARTICULATED…”— HUFFINGTON POST

“ANDREA GIBSON IS IN THE FIGHT FOR HEARTS AND MINDS. WITH A RELENTLESS SENSE OF URGENCY AND EMOTIONS — 'HAVING FEELINGS ALL OVER' — LEAVENED BY AN OCCASIONAL FLASH OF HUMOR.” — BOSTON GLOBE

"ANDREA GIBSON IS AN AMAZING QUEER, SPOKEN-WORD POET WHO CAN MAKE YOU WEEP WITH A HEART WRENCHING LOVE POEM AND THEN SWIFTLY INSPIRE YOU TO ACTION WITH A POWERFUL POLITICAL POEM." — SEVENTEEN

Their work has been featured on the BBC, Air America, C-SPAN, Free Speech TV and in 2010 was read by a state representative in lieu of morning prayer at the Utah State Legislature.

Andrea Gibson was born in Calais, Maine in 1975 and now resides outside of Boulder, Colorado.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
627 global ratings
Rich with meaning, meant to be savored
5 Stars
Rich with meaning, meant to be savored
I had to pause and sometimes walk away from the book after every single poem. They made me think, feel, and experience things In a new way. Gibson’s poems are packed with experience, not opinion, which makes them so relateable. They speak of their lives and what they've been through with soul-deep hope despite hardship, and it made me reflect and listen. Every poem was as if I had been talking to the author about their life in person. Gibson’s poetry is meant to be savored, not rushed. Buy it. Read it slowly. Let their words open your heart and mind to a better world.
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Top reviews from the United States

Annette M.
5.0 out of 5 stars Honest, heart-opening poems that revive your faith in humanity
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024
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Such a beautiful collection about real and hard things (aka human life) but shared in a generous and heart-expanding way. Very accessible, and although marketed with a focus on LGBTQ+ issues, the book has much to offer everyone. Highly recommended even for those who don't normally read poetry.
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Cha cha cha
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2024
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This is such a treasure trove of relatable insight; beautiful, visceral, funny and so warm. I have used their work with clients as a mental health therapist and gifted this book wildly. Not a huge poetry nut, but I have gotten so much from Gibson's gift- thank you!
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Milissa
5.0 out of 5 stars This book broke me and then reminded me why that's beautiful...
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2021
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There is lightening between the covers of this book. Every time I read it again I am struck by something I missed, or struck again by something I can't shake.

I'm a collector. I have more books than walls so every room in our house is a miniature library. Of course, like all good stewards, I have my quirks... and the most stringent rule is to never break a spine. They always look new and enticing, as if they are all still untapped wilds waiting to be explored. I pride myself on the control of reading through a book without ever opening it wide enough to crack. When it came in the male I was thrilled, turned it over on its side and smiled. Andrea Gibson You Better Be Lightening Button Poetry tucked into the stars of a pristine, night sky spine.

I carried it around for a few days, peaking now and then, choosing a poem at random...I think I broke their record for goosebumps on the first day. This morning I sat on the back porch with my Saturday morning coffee and the last nasty habit I can't quite shake, finally able to read it from cover to cover, page by delicious page. I was so lit by the words echoing off my heart I couldn't bear to set it aside, even to reach for the coffee... without hesitation I balanced the precious book in one hand, using two fingers on either side of the spine for balance, I slipped the other two fingers inside and with my thumb as leverage, opened it wide.

It happened with a cloud of smoke ringing my head while I breathed over the steamy cup, sighing at the lightening flash of insight into my crippling time traveling addiction. I don't know if I felt it or heard it... you know how it is when you twist your body some way and something happens in your back, something so subtle you aren't even sure how you know...and for an eternity of a second you're hovering on the edge of pain and relief.... is it broken?... or is it just a feel-good crack back into place?...

Devastation washed over me, and like my life flashing before my yes I traveled back 20 years, my 30-something-year-old self, smiling through the back breaking weight of an untenable situation, waiting to steel moments of escape between the pages of a book, and the fantasy of a world where spines are never broken.

Lightening

I wandered into the house in a haze and found myself on the floor my office holding one of the only books in my collection that is ... marred... I’ve had it since I was 12. A wonder, an age-inappropriate treat, taken from a woman I babysat for... It’s damage suddenly looked like the art of love... white lines of use running up and down the spine, scars I created with careless abandon as I whipped myself into a frenzy of forbidden knowledge and ideas. ... Somewhere along the way, I stopped having enough gratitude for simply living to Truly love, and indulge in, a good story... I think this cracked spine is just the beginning of finding something I lost within myself a long time ago.

I hope others, who need it, will read this book and find the courage to stop fearing the storm and just decide to be the lightening....

Thank you Andrea Gibson, your words are reaching people in a way you might never have imagined.
31 people found this helpful
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Son La
5.0 out of 5 stars Andrea’s writings are a gem.
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2023
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I’ve enjoyed her for the last few years. I own all her books. Two copies of one because friends now gift her to me. It’s delightful.
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Anonymous
5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Lightning Strikes!
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
There is magic in all of Andrea Gibson’s words, but this book has a special kind of potency. The words leap off the page and ride their lightning strikes straight into the hearts and minds of every reader fortunate enough to be in their path.

I teach high school English and in the nearly two decades I have been teaching, I almost always have to force feed the poetry lessons and very few, if any, of my students ever genuinely enjoy the process. This year, I used this book and had a very different experience. Not only were my students highly engaged in our reading and analysis of these poems, many of them were driven to purchase the book for themselves and have been genuinely excited about poetry.

There is something palpable on these pages. A truth that resonates with every reader because it seems to capture the very essence of our human condition and holds it up to the light for us to marvel at. It awakens the entire kaleidoscope of emotions in the reader and invites us to see them as the precious gifts they truly are.

If you love poetry or if you are human, you need this book more than you know, so do yourself and your library a favor by adding it to your collection asap. You won’t be disappointed!
9 people found this helpful
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Lisa
5.0 out of 5 stars Open heart
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2024
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Andrea Gibson opened my heart over & over again in this collection
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Courtney LeBlanc
4.0 out of 5 stars Love poems to the world
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2024
A collection of poems with themes of love - queer love, love for the earth, love for themselves; mental health, survival, and a bit more love thrown in.

from The Year of No Grudges, or Instead of Writing a Furious Text, I Try a Poem: "I know most people try hard / to do good and find out too late / they should have tried softer. // I've never in my whole life / been levelheaded, but the older I get, / I'm more level-hearted— // and I think we make gods / who look like us for a reason."

from The Museum of Broken Relationships: "I thought you weren't flinching // until we started sharing a bed / and I could see the war / behind your eyelids."

from Every Time I Said I Want to Die: "We can do anything / with it. Sunbathe or scream or forgive ourselves / everything, most especially the thread we could not / convince to close our wounds."
One person found this helpful
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Maddy
5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2023
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This book makes you feel it all. What wonderful work by THIs poet. I found them on Glennon Doyle’s podcast
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Top reviews from other countries

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Lana Maree
5.0 out of 5 stars Tender Poetry
Reviewed in Canada on February 4, 2024
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Beautifully written. I have read this book cover to cover and return to it almost daily. Their use of language is provocative, as well as lovely and engaging.
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Karla Singson
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book, Andrea Gibson never disappoints
Reviewed in Mexico on July 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
Nothing like it. Full of colorful, loud emotions, written masterfully. Gibson is different on paper, it’s a soft whisper, a gentler landing. Yet just as heartwarming. Will always be a fan.

P.S. Come perform in Mexico? 😊
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kristinschnabel
5.0 out of 5 stars Tolle Texte
Reviewed in Germany on March 16, 2024
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Andrea Gibson folge ich schon lange auf Instagram und liebe ihre Texte. Das Buch ist für alle geeignet, die englische Poesie lieben.
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T.
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 16, 2023
Verified Purchase
I laughed, I cried, and I healed..
This books feels like a wholesome conversation! Once again, Andrea managed to make me more okay with the world, will definitely be rereading it soon!
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Cliente Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars Meraviglioso
Reviewed in Italy on April 28, 2022
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Meraviglioso! Spedizione leggermente lenta, ma é stato possibile contattare facilmente il venditore e avere notizie della stessa. Sono più che soddisfatta del servizio e innamorata perdutamente del libro
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