Heartbreaking and beautiful collection of poems. Could feel the author's pain through the words.

Honest and profound - These are the two best words I can use to describe the work from Sabrina Benaim.

I first happened upon her work via videos on facebook and instantly connected with every word she said, her raw emotion and truthful words resonated within me - so when I heard that she was releasing a book I of course had to have it.

Sabrina has an immense talent and this book only highlights what an incredible voice she has.

I have battled depression for as long as I can possibly remember and I felt as though her words were truly meant for me, Sabrina very much touched a part of my soul and made me feel as though I was not alone - that I was known in this world and I think that is such an incredible thing to be able to do for your audience.

Depression and Other Magic Tricks is a reality many individuals are facing and it whilst it can be painful reading, it is a step in the right direction for our voices being heard.

I would highly recommend Sabrina's work and will of course be waiting for her next instalments.

I thought that the book was ok though I can appreciate the amount of work that goes into writing any book. For me when I read poetry especially about a subject as deep and vast as depression I want to feel moved and I was not. To explain more about what I mean, when I was reading this book I thought about the lyrics to a song by Linkin Park, 'Numb'. For me that's very moving. Although I've been through depression in the past myself I did not feel like i could really relate to the poetry in this book. If anything it's one of those books that makes me want to explore more books and poetry that I would enjoy.

This is the book which understands people with depression like me. OMG. Thank you for writing this, Sabrina!

These poems deal with heart break and mental illness. They are both beautiful and sad. I liked Explaining my Depression to my Mother which I'd seen before. My new favourite was On Releasing Light.

"in some stories,
the protagonist has to kill the bad thing to release its light.

in my story,
i am the protagonist & the bad thing,
i have to learn how to bend the light out of myself.

i can do that magic."

Wonderful book. I loved how the author interwove magic tricks within the stories of depression. She really takes us on the ride through the pains and heartbreak. Although the experiences are different for everyone, I believe that she was able to express the emotions that have also been felt by others, making the stories yet different, but so relatable to the readers as well.

Another book I finished today. It was such an wonderful experience to have 2 books finished in a day. Another book I read in one sitting, and I just found out that I wasn't really into some poetry books these past few days, I dont really know what happened to me, but if you're a big fan of poetry books, you definitely need to check this one out. 3 stars out of 5 from me, :)

I enjoyed this poetry collection and I liked the way it was written.

This is my first time reading a book/ poetry by this author. I received an ecopy through NetGalley. The cover intrigued me. The poetry in this book was different than what I am use to. Some of them really made me think and I enjoyed them, and others I couldn’t really get a grasp of the emotion I felt I needed to be able to fully enjoy the poetry.

"when the sky fell...you would think i would have run...i stood cemented in the relief there was nowhere else to go..."

This collection of poems by Sabrina Benaim was brutal. And achingly beautiful.

I had never seen Benaim perform "Explaining My Depression to My Mother," nor had I heard of her before receiving a copy of <i>Depression & Other Magic Tricks</i> from Netgalley. In many ways I think that made this reading experience more powerful to me. I had no expectations, so the deliberate yet effortless way she writes about her anxiety, depression, and loss cut me deeply. And then lovingly she poured salt onto the wound. So many of these poems felt relatable, somehow striking a balance where they were specific and still open, a universality many can't achieve quite so gracefully. Even though not every poem resonated, I particularly liked "nature vs nurture" and the "magic trick" series. All in all, the highs far outweigh the lows and I will definitely be adding a physical copy of this to my collection.

2.5 It was a nice book, a short and quick read, and unfortunately nothing too memorable. The descriptions often seemed somewhat clichéd and there were plenty of stereotypes in there. I liked the parts when the author was honest, telling us what she has experienced and how she got through it, but it all got under-developed after a half.

The construction of the poems themselves isn't very different from any free verse poetry I've encountered. There were some good metaphors, but it all felt too sugary and falsely sad - and that's not something I wanted to read about, as I live with anxiety and have fallen in depression many times. I do remember most of the verses of "Explaining My Depression to My Mother", as it was really exquisite. The line I am sleepwalking on an ocean of happiness I cannot baptise myself in was truly haunting and a beautiful use of language.
Anyway, I did like this book but can't see myself getting back to it any time in the future - except, maybe, to the poem I've mentioned.

This is one of those books that just keeps getting better and better the more you mull over what you have read! I have highlighted so many passages that just made me pause in wonder at how simple but powerful words can be. Highly recommended!

I was not familiar with the author before reading this book. I am familiar with Button Poetry and enjoy the works they publish so I was eager to give this books a try. It did not disappoint. I related to many of these poems because I also suffer from depression. Sabrina does well putting her emotions into words when doing so is complicated for some of us. Depression affects everyone differently and her works are sure to help readers relate of feel unashamed of their ailments and pleased that they are not alone when feeling their intense waves of emotions.

Another Button Poetry book I couldn't wait to get my hands on. Sabrina Benaim was the first poet who sparked my love for Button Poetry and this book does not disappoint. Watching and feeling her cycle of strength, perseverance and healing is stunning. It's inspirational and full of raw emotion.

This was okay, nothing I particularly loved but nothing I hated either. You may enjoy it, you may not.

"Depression & Other Magic Tricks" is extremely relatable. I definitely recommended this collection for fans of her spoken word poems as I found myself reading these in her voice having gotten used to her pauses and cadences.

If you haven't heard her perform just stop scrolling through Goodreads and Google her. Trust me, it's worth it. :)

First of all, reviewing poetry books are hard because I always find myself clueless on where to begin with…

Anyway, let’s try.

I had pretty high expectations for this book after reading a few reviews, although this book didn’t disappoint totally but it didn’t manage to touch my heart either. This collection discusses themes related to mental health, family, relationships, and self-care.

As much as I didn’t fall in love with this book, there were some parts which I could totally relate to. Especially the one- “Explaining My Depression to My Mother“. It took my mother more than 6 months to understand, or at least comprehend some of it and it took me more than 6 months to gather the courage to get help, so this poem did hit hard home.

"if I am holding you without hands,
how am i supposed to let go?"
(gravity speaks)


But there were some poems which were rather confusing. I also didn’t know that she did slam poetry, listening to her (link given above) felt like a totally different experience than reading this book and I understood that it was that particular emotion I felt lacking while reading this book. Hearing her was a rather powerful and wow experience which I didn’t exactly feel while reading this.

Anyway, my favourite poems from this collection including the above were the loneliest sweet potato, dear Beyonce (I), how to fold a memory, unrequited in nine acts among the few.

Depression & Other Magic Tricks is a collection of poems from Sabrina Benaim, a poet with one of the most popular videos of a performance out there. While that is the thing that drew me to this collection, the rest of the work is just as strong and emotional as that performance.

What I liked about this collection is that is doesn't shy away or try to put anything in a standard box. It's real and even as personal as it is to the poet, still relatable to a wide audience. The only thing I didn't enjoy is that some of the poetry is written in a block paragraph form, which I've always found difficult to maintain my attention span while reading. Other than that, it's a superb collection.

Simply put, this is a thought-provoking and compelling collection of poetry. I was immediately drawn to this book for a few reasons. The first being the title and cover which were both just beautifully enticing. Then the description had me even more interested, so I entered with high hopes and I'm pleased to report that I wasn't let down.
Truly, this was a great collection of poetry.

At-a-Glance Review: Depression & Other Magic Tricks is a good-sometimes-great collection of poetry about love and mental health, and the ways in which they intersect. My biggest issue was with choppiness in some of the poems, but that style might be what other readers of poetry prefer.

Content Warnings:
- mental health (anxiety, depression)
- sexuality exploration (kissing, mentions of nakedness – not graphic)

Babbling Review:

Guys, I’ve been excited to read this book for months. Like many other readers and reviewers, I discovered Sabrina Benaim’s poetry via the internet (Facebook, specifically) and her performance poetry videos. “explaining my depression to my mother (a conversation)” blew my mind and stuck with me; I re-watched/re-listened multiple times and showed it to everyone I know (except my own mother). When I read this poem out loud myself, directly from the book, to my husband while laying in our bed in the dark… I read it how Benaim performed (ish; I’m not a performer myself).

Anyway, I joined NetGalley a couple of weeks ago (if you like reading, get on it), and saw this book was available. I requested it, crossed all of my fingers and toes, and did a happy dance when I found out I’d be given a copy. I dove in that night, read a handful, re-read them, and then put it down to sleep on them.

My feelings about this collection: warmth, aching, understanding, resonance, gratitude; there were a few moments of confusion and slight disappointment. By the rating at the top of this review, though, you know I liked this book.

I liked Benaim’s voice throughout, the way her long lines and prose poems suggested artful streams of consciousness. I liked the lowercase aesthetic (in fact, I love all-lowercase aesthetic); I also liked that proper nouns were capitalized, and that a few of those proper nouns were “Beyoncé”. Though the format changes poem to poem, Benaim’s voice and parts of her style are strong.

My favorites were the prose poems and the poems with long lines with fewer breaks. Benaim is a fabulous prose poet, in my opinion. She writes gorgeous lines, creates wonderful metaphors and imagery, and blocks work well for her as she uses more full sentences than phrases — even in her poems without punctuation. Her writing style is narrative, and it works for her. The mostly-lowercase, mostly-complete sentences are what make her voice hers. To remove the extra pronouns to better fit broken lines would take away from her style and voice.

I do think, however, she could work on her format style. She’s well suited to block poetry and long lines, rather than short lines (three words or fewer) or blocks with way too many slashes. I found that her poems worked best when left long, broken up by a well-placed line for breath here and a slash (as a substitute for a punctuation mark) there. Longer lines are where Benaim shines, like in these excerpts from “follow-up a prayer / a spell”:

i am not alone because i feel alone
i am not alone because i feel alone / with company

i forgive myself even if i am the last person i want to forgive
whatever i have come from / wherever i am going

Her poems made up of short line lengths were choppy and, really, the weakest of her poems because of that choppiness. They seemed to be filler poems to add length to the collection. That is to say, they were fine, but they weren’t great. The block poems were good but ruined by the excessive number of slashes; they suffered the same choppiness as the poems with excessive line breaks.

Choppiness aside, Benaim handles anxiety and depression beautifully, explores mental health experiences with vivid and precise imagery that I wish I could utilize myself. (Example: “girl behind you” will resonate with every anxious person who feels like everyone is staring at them when they go out in public; Benaim hits the nail on the head with the details she highlights.)

Overall, Depression & Other Magic Tricks is a good-sometimes-great collection of poetry about love and mental health, and the ways in which they intersect. There were a few poems that I personally would have cut, but they did not ultimately detract from the reading experience in a glaring way. My biggest issue was with choppiness in some of the poems, but that style might be what other readers of poetry prefer. I do recommend this book to anyone who likes contemporary poetry. I’ll be re-reading many of these poems again and again, as I got something new out of them each instance I re-read them for this review.