I got this book to review a while back. The person who wrote this ( can't be called a poet, IMO) shot to fame thanks to spoken poetry. I had seen her performance once, and quite intrigued.
The book was such a let down that I just wish to go back in time and undo reading it.
I've shared a few shots of the writing in the book, and discussed it with a lot of friends. The book lacks basic grammar, and that is the most annoying part of it.
Some of the writing is good, not poetry, just good writing that is heartening.
Some people said this is how spoken poetry is. But elocution has been in practise since forever. Written poems were enacted and they were perfectly fine to read. Why then are these poems so badly structured?
This writing had great potential, I thought, perhaps- the writer meant to convey the mindset of someone who is depressed. Probably this is how muddled their thoughts are- that's the only explanation I have for this.

Reading Depression and Other Magic Tricks felt like I was reading Sabrina Benaim’s personal journal. It was an intimate experience, as I’ve never read an author write with such raw and honest emotion about depression. And with every poem I read, I grew more and more intrigued to read the next straight away.

I could relate to some of the poems, moments where her words went to my head and lingered around a bit, waiting to be digested. Reading along I could see many of her fears spill forward in her writing. The raw, emotional tone in her writing style makes for instant connection, especially if you are someone who has also dealt with depression and anxiety.

Quite a few of the poems stood out to me, such as “Seven Small Ways In Which I Loved Myself Today.” With “self-care” being a major buzzword lately, it was refreshing to read a realistic list of ways someone struggling with mental illness might attempt to use a self-care plan. Sometimes it’s all you can do to remind yourself to floss daily or eat sweets without getting on the scale afterwards. Though these things are not glorified nor glamorized, they are very much a part of self-care.

“Explaining Depression to My Mother” was easily my favorite poem of the collection. After hearing her perform it on YouTube, I felt like I had the wind knocked out of me. I had never heard depression spoken of in such a raw way. I was in awe, as I felt like there were finally words out there to fit the emotions I experience when anxious. Maybe her mom didn't understand, maybe she never will. But I did and I'm sure anyone else who has experienced depression and/or anxiety could relate.

This was a truly touching collection of poetry. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys modern poetry as well as those who can relate to the subject matter. I plan to recommend to friends and will be buying a physical copy for myself.

This has been my introduction to Sabrina Benaim and Button Poetry. I look forward to getting to know her better through her works as well as other poets from Button Poetry. I’ve been bingeing the YouTube channel and really enjoying what I’ve heard so far. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of Depression and Other Magic Tricks for review.

it has some beautiful poems but as a whole i'm not much impressed by the poetic style.

Brave author! She shares her experience with depression and her mother issues in a creative way. Sublime

Sabrina Benaim is a performance poet popular on Youtube, and I had heard of her poem she wrote to explain her experience with depression to her mother. This collection included that poem and many others about Sabrina's experiences. Beautifully and poignantly written, every poem is deeply personal.

Thank you to Sabrina Benaim for bravely and eloquently sharing her experiences, and to the publisher and Netgalley, for the opportunity to read this collection fo poetry.

The legendary Sabrina Benaim manages to strike me straight in the heart. Again. After finding this book on Goodreads, I read some reviews and to my luck, it's currently on Netgalley! So much enthusiasm about a book about depression and living and life. I could very much stare at each of her poems and ponder over them forever. Everything is beautifully pieced together.

I couldn't help but go and rewatch her spoken word performances on Youtube after reading, and it's just mind-blowing word after word after word. What's so special about "Explaining My Depression to My Mother" is its pure rawness and emotion. The first time I watched her speak, I was so shocked and overwhelmed by how there was so much meaning in everything she said and so much relatability packed into a few minutes of poetry. I think I could listen to her poems for hours over and over again without blinking an eye.

Words. Are. So. Powerful.

Sabrina's talent for stringing words together is unbelievable. Every single word is real and honest. Some of which are painfully so. Her work is the type that you read and have to pause at, because wow ,someone put it in words. It's beautiful.

"i wouldn't say i'm sensitive, i'm just highly susceptible to feeling a lot"

"the hollow auditorium of my chest swoons with echoes of a heartbeat, but i am a careless tourist here"

"i held hands with my sadness, sang it songs in the shower, fed it lunch, got it drunk & put it to bed early"

It's nice to get a reminder that you aren't completely alone in the world, and I love her for that.

Sending my love to Netgalley and Button Poetry for this gem. I'm still getting chills.

Depression & Other Magic Tricks was composed of poems that were mostly about depression but also about love, etc.

I liked how the poems were told. I also found them to be very touching and relatable.
It was pretty short but I still enjoyed it.

I don't read much modern poetry, but as someone with depression, I was quite drawn to the title of this collection. Benaim's collection is about her experiences with depression in several poems. I felt like it was very true and from the heart and for the most part I liked the poems. Some poems definitely resonated with me more than others - the romantic ones I didn't connect with much, but the ones about sadness and loneliness I felt in my bones.

Benaim has a voice that so direct and frank yet beautifully poetic, which is something I don't see often and it works so well with this topic. I feel like this makes her poems very relatable, especially to fellow sufferers of depression, and I enjoyed reading this poetry collection.

I really don't have any actual opinions on this. If I had one word to describe this collection it would just be meh.

A collection of poems about depression and mental health. This is the first time i have read a book of poetry about this subject, but as s sufferer myself i was eager to read it. I read the book in one sitting, enjoying some poems more than others. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this in return for an honest review.

*I received this book from NetGally in exchange for an honest review.

If you struggle with depression or know someone who does, this book is for you! I was aware of Benaim through some of her performance poetry videos and she has somehow given the same amazingly real voice to the struggle with depression in this book. Benaim writes beautifully and truthfully from her soul. I am definitely recommending this book and am planning on buying a hardcopy for myself even though I already have an ebook of it!

I am not sure how I had not heard of Sabrina Benaim previously, but this was my first experience with her work. I am looking forward to more from her! These poems were really raw and heartfelt. There were many that spoke to me about anxiety and depression. I would recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys modern poetry and especially those who struggle with depression or who want to better understand those who do.

Overall, this book is just an okay read for me but Sabrina Benaim did manage to hit me in the gut a few times especially with 'explaining my depression to my mother', which resonated with me. 'follow-up a prayer / a spell' is another piece that is basically written for me / about me, and so is 'seven small ways in which i loved myself this week'.

Really a mixed bag; I did enjoy the different types of poetry presented in this collection but a lot of the times they feel either neutrally or completely flat.

A Carefully Crafted Collection

This book ended too soon. I was so completely caught up in Benaim's word choice, her natural story telling prose. Every line provoked an emotion, a thought, but most often a fleeting memory. It was art. As a Button Poetry fan, I had already heard of Sabrina Benaim from her performance of "Explaining my depression to my mother" (which is included in this book). This was the reason I chose to read this book, I had found that incredibly intense. I loved it, just as I did this book.

Depression & Other Magic Tricks is for anyone who has been feeling lonely, or finding it more difficult to get out of bed recently, or perhaps suffering from depression themselves... Not all of it made sense to me, but a part of me always understood. Sabrina Benaim's words cover anything from lost love, making sense of love, bitter heartache and the sweet feelings of nostalgia. I especially related to her yearning to be able to control her emotions, but then wanting others to see how she truly felt when she didn't have the words to simply say. As well as her joy when she woke to the feeling that today would be a good day. That feeling is so very underrated. Then there was the poem "Girl behind you" which as a short woman, I could completely understand.

Benaim's writing reminded me how much I enjoyed listening to spoken word, the stories performed so emotively. I just loved the retrospective nature of her writing, as though those feelings really were both in the past and the present. This is a lovely collection.

I received this book through NetGalley.

I read this book in one sitting, even when I hadn't planned on reading much at all. I was just going to read a poem or two to see how I felt about the book. I was sucked right in. The poems are touching, heartbreaking, and hard to read at times, because I relate to them so much. The poem about explaining depression to your mother really resonated with me.

The writing style is different if you do not read a lot of poetry. I could feel the emotion and pain behind the words, even for the poems I could not personally understand.

Beautifully written.

Mixed feelings about this one. Some of the poetry was beautiful and relatable, but some of it was more mediocre and repetitive. I had higher expectations of this collection. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unlike many of the people who have read this, I didn't know anything about the author. This book is a poetry collection and I liked some poems but the form was a bit odd for my liking. However I did feel a connection with it and I enjoyed it overall. With that being said I don't know if I can give it 4 stars or more.

Absolutely beautiful. So raw and emotional, I absolutely loved it. Can't recommend it enough.