this was a really good read, I liked this format for memoirs, I really enjoyed the way Mr. Holmon writes both the poems and the essays.

I unfortunately couldn't connect with this book.

Not really for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for ARC

I wasn't a fan. I think it just wasn't something that resonated with me, I couldn't get myself into this collection.

My ebook expired before I could finish it but, what I read of it was great! I loved the storyline and it was hard to put down.

In his quick, lively debut collection, poet Omar Holmon delivers a rollercoaster of emotions chronicling everything from the death of a parent to racism to love to the pride in being a nerd. This is a book that will make you laugh, but will also make you think, often in the same poem. It may not be hugely advertised, but this is a solid addition to Button Poetry’s catalog, as well as an excellent testament to the experiences of a Black nerd trying to navigate family and this complicated world we live in.

In many ways, Holmon manages to pull off some truly impressive writing. His style is accessible and conversational, but filled with clever turns of phrase that underscore his linguistic artistry. In one of my favorite examples, the poem, “Having THE Talk with my nephew,” he sets up the entire poem sounding like an adult lecturing a child on the importance of paying attention and not causing trouble, only to pull the rug out from under you and reveal in the last line that he is actually talking about Super Smash Bros.

And this brings up another major strength of the book: much of Holmon’s poetry is informed by experiences with his family. His mother’s cancer diagnosis, his strained relationship with his father, and his efforts to be a good role model for his nephew all help to sculpt the narrative, immersing you in not just his personal narrative, but also in his family life. The poems involving his nephew are particularly impactful, as they give a venue to explore racism at a more fundamental level, be it a discussion of police brutality in “While helping my nephew assemble a toy city ice cream parlor and construction site for his city” or the blunt answer to questions about race in “My Nephew Learns About Race.”

I will say, there were a couple times where the writing just didn’t quite land where I think he intended it to–lines that felt redundant, poems that beat around the bush without fully reaching the point, and so on–but that is not uncommon in collections, especially in debuts. As a whole, this was a fantastic start to what I hope will continue to be a successful poetry career.

When I first started reading this book, I didn't realize that I already knew who Omar Holmon was, that I'd seen his poetry videos on Youtube some 5+ years ago and found his poems to be funny and open and warm, but as I read his book, that same energy just came shining through and I ended up going back to YT to hit up all the old favourites.

In terms of this collection, Holmon perfectly captures the small everyday moments, both banal and wonderful, that not only make up a life but summon into being a family - a whole community really - of loving, angry, hurt, giving, betraying people. It's potent in it's honesty, and although the grief he feels is crystal clear on the page, his poems draw attention to what is inevitably behind his grief (what is always behind grief really): love.

What distracts from the content however, was the frequent typos/grammatical errors/occasionally ugly formatting that made for a somewhat frustrating reading experience. Hopefully these issues are present only in the digital copies and can be rectified easily enough. I also felt that a couple of the poems could do with a little editing in terms of cutting back some of the fat. Sometimes ideas and feelings became weighed down with a bit too much clutter.

Despite these (very minor) issues, I still enjoyed reading this book. It's a strong collection and it's coherent both in aim and execution, which isn't always the case with projects such as these. I would definitely recommend to anyone with an interest in contemporary poetry, especially if that interests intersects with a passion for pop or nerd culture.

4* for the formatting issues/errors, otherwise 5*

3.5 Stars.

Reading this collection, you could feel the author's pain and grief. The poems about his mother's death were heartbreaking to read, but they served their purpose and conveyed the lingering saddness that comes with a death of a parent. Personally, I loved the poems that covered race. They were impactful and with everything going on in America right now, these poems were the ones that effected me. However, I did think the writing style was average. The informal tone was deliberate, I just think the poems would've hit harder if the writing was a bit more complex. That is just my opinion though, I'm sure a lot of people enjoyed the infomal tone. I do also think some of the poems were quite boring or unnecessary. Some poems left me thinking... "oh ok. Why though?" I just though a few of the poems were irrelevant.

Overall, the author delivered on the emotion, I just think the execution could've been a little better.

A very moving collection. It's trips close to "instagram poet" territory, but what saves it is its specificity. Holmon goes deep into his hope and his hurt from from love (both romantic and familial), from his complex relationship with his father, from the realities of race and gender in our society, and from the searing loss of his mother. And the hope and hurt is leavened with a good amount of humor and nerd cred which makes this a very interesting collection.

The cover was the first thing that attracted me, and then of course the title. "We were all someone else yesterday" - constantly evolving even when we don't want to. Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The book is a medley of several occurrences in the life of Omar Holmon, his relationship with his family, his mother's illness, and also includes his musings over all that is part of the life of a brown man in America. With all these forming the core, this book stands out in the way Omar adds his humor, making it feel light and subtle, but nevertheless making the reader emotional as well.

There are many lines in this collection that I could relate to both as a daughter to my mother and as mother to my sons, like,

"I see a reflection of my own
in her face staring back at me

but she's on the other side
staring back at me and seeing my father."

and another one on the expectation of the beloved,

"who wouldn't want to see the words
their partner would use of their paged portrait?
Knowing full well they'll find out
once or if they ever break up.",

and the one on the super toaster was hilarious best, while Black girl magic was a subtle take on racism, again with his humor intact.The list is endless. All in all a very touchy collection of button poetry worth a read..

Poetry at its best - grief, humour, fun facts and memories. An outstanding collection of poems. It has some pretty powerful lines. Quite loved it!

Name: We Were All Someone Else Yesterday
Writer: Omar Holmon
Genre: Poetry
Review: The cover is beautiful which makes this book attractive and eye catching for the readers. At first, I didn't understand the meaning of the cover, but when I did, I had tears in my eyes.

"Migration becomes second nature to me now
I move out of our apartment,
I move in with a friend,
I can move everything but
on"

The poet breaks our heart with his words. The poetries are good which makes us laugh when our eyes are full of tears. Most of the poetries in this book deals with the poets life, family, friends, love as well as discrimination and racism.
Some of my parts from the book are:
“Lets call a spade a spade, not a gardening tool”
Refers to calling something as it is
Speaking bluntly without “beating around the bush"

"history will say “donated”,
when they mean taken
history will say “cultivated”,
when they mean stolen
history will say “discovered"

"I know that peacocks
have a huge need for companionship,
alone they get heartbroken
I am alone now,
I doubt I am a peacock,
I mean,
I doubt that I am a heart broken"

A collection of phenomenal, beautifully composed poems, We Were All Someone Else Yesterday by Omar Holmon is a heart wrenching, and emotional poetry book about grief, love, identity, and healing. At its core, this poetry book is about Holmon's family--it's a tribute to his mother, it's a heartbreaking cross-examination into his relationship with his father, it's a reminder of how bittersweet love can be and a beautiful ode to his roots, his culture and his heritage.

If I had to pick three things that I loved about this book, then that would be the rhythm, the imagery, and the raw passion in each of his poems. Like many modern poetry books, this book focuses more on creating vivid scenes rather than relying solely on metaphors. With every poem in this book, you can practically see the characters and the places jumping out of the pages--I absolutely loved the way he appeals to the reader's senses. There's "El Dorado Is A Taste, Not A Place", which features a macaroni and cheese roux, commits at least 3 stanzas to simply describe this dish, all to explain the pain of losing a loved one to death--and it was absolutely brilliant!

The poignant way in which he narrates his story only adds to the charm of this book, and overall, the book is perfectly balanced in terms of its emotional appeals--it has a bit of grief, a bit of wholesomeness, a bit of eloquence and a bit of swearing, a bit of rage and a bit of humor. They all work together to add a very personal feel to the story, and also added originality in a genre where it's rather challenging to bring something new to the table.

In summary, this is a poetry book that I would definitely recommend to anyone who loves modern poetry or poetry slams. Anatomy Of A Prayer is by far one of my favorites. Though I've never watched any of his live performances, the rhythm in each of his poems makes it easy to imagine just how engaging his performance would be. The book comes out next week on 12th May, so make sure to save the date and get yourself a copy--this one is definitely worth it.

3.25 stars

This book was emotional ans touching to me but i have to say it was very interesting to have the author write this memoir in a poetry form not many people out there can do this.

I could honestly relate to some of the poems but not all of them i felt some of them were out of place. It was very out place and language. Please be aware when you are reading this.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley.

I was excited to read this as I'm a huge fan of the publisher Button Poetry and typically enjoy the work they put out. Unfortunately, this book did not resonate with me as expected. Something was missing that just didn't draw me in. I love rich imagery and texture, whereas this work was very...matter of fact. I will say as someone who has also lost a mother to sickness, I did admire the moments of nostalgia Holmon invited us to partake in. You can tell there's a lot of emotion poured into this work. A lot of honesty and grit. Overall this lacked the type of flourish I appreciate in a collection of poems.

Omar Holman explores his experience as a black man in America while interspersing his mother’s battle with cancer and his absent father.

"A book of poems and essays that are drenched in both sadness and umistakable humor"
This is written by a black author that lost his mother to cancer. A lot of the poems/ essays are about her and their relationship, and those are my favorite! You can feel the bond they had and his grief.
Unfortunately most of the other poems didn't really resonate with me, but I guess it's mostly because he includes a lot of stuff that other black people would be familiar with, which is absolutely great! I love that and I think a lot of people would really appreciate it (as do I) but because I'm white and I didn't grow up the way the author did, I can't relate that much to the things he's describing.
Nevertheless it was nice to see life from a different perspective.
2.75/5 stars

We Were All Someone Else Yesterday was a beautiful study of real love.
Omar brings light to the beautiful everyday small acts of love, a funny toaster ad that kept him and his mother laughing all through her chemo trip, his sister's attempt at an upside down pineapple cake on his birthday, the effortless grace with which his partner wields his late mother's skillet.
These are the moments that live on in our memories and touch us the deepest.

There is much to appreciate in this literary work, complete with verse, life, and reflection. A wonderful journey and mentor text.

I thought this was an okay book of poetry. I didn't feel connected to any of the poems In this collection. I thought I was going to like them but I sadly did not.

Thank you to Button Poetry & NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available May 12 2020

Stirring and vulnerable, We Were All Someone Else Yesterday is Omar Holmon's account of dealing with the strages of grief as he witnesses his mother pass away from metastatic cancer. Along the way, we are touched by different events and women in Holmon's life, from his irrepressible Australian Indian fiance to his adorable nephew Keee. Written in a conversational manner, you can almost see Holmon jumping off the page and performing these pieces right in front of you! In these troubled times, this collection can help ease the loneliness as you laugh, cry and hold your family a little bit closer.