This book was very moving. I read several of the poems two or three times. I love it when someone is able to articulate an experience that I have trouble putting into words.
These poems are raw and full of emotion.
Thank you for spreading awareness about EDS and MCAS.

Klein's poetic voice in "Maddening Mast Cell Mathematics" transforms medical terminology into powerful metaphor, creating a "chronic illness calculus" that renders invisible suffering perceptible. Her language performs a delicate balance—technically precise enough to educate about "Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and mast cell activation syndrome" while emotionally resonant enough to convey lived experience.

Thank you Netgalley, Querencia Press, and Sarah Klein for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

As someone that lives with Lupus and Fibromyalgia, this book of poetry hit hard. It made me cry, because it so accurately described what I endure on a daily basis.

It's raw, beautiful, and everyday life for so many of us.

These poems capture the pain, suffering, anger, grief and healing that comes with chronic illnesses. It shows the work that oneself puts in to do what’s best for their own body even when it’s been dismissed time and time again. These poems are so true to the struggles that so many americans have when it comes to healthcare. It’s heartbreaking but relieving that someone has put these feelings into a book where so many others can relate to and feel heard and seen.

This collection of poetry is short but it packs a punch, taking on the American medical system and rampant ableism while weaving in mathematical references that went over my head much of the time. That’s not new for me though when it comes to poetry as a whole.

Sarah klein’s “maddening mast cell mathmatics” really captured me.

As someone who is chronically ill, I was enraptured with the rage inside these pages. Chronic illness makes you angry, the way people demean and belittle, ignore. It’s hard to find art about these processes that allows us to feel the rage. It’s always about getting better, healing your mind, peace, happiness, acceptance, we never are given permission to be mad the world failed us, but Klein gives it to us. Klein feels it with us.

[3.75/5] While I'm not a big poetry reader, MADDENING MAST CELL MATHEMATICS caught my eye because it is about chronic illness. The synopsis touts the author's hopes of educating the public more about Ehlers-Danlos (EDS) and mast cell activation (MCAS) syndromes through their collection of poems. This is a noble goal as few are probably aware of EDS and even fewer have heard of MCAS, the latter of which many physicans are unaware.

It is hard to review something so subjective and personal, but I would hesitate to say that these poems provide much in the way of education. They are written in a way that feels a bit abstract, sometimes referencing mathematical/scientific theories that I doubt much of the public know about. Thus, the poems are not broadly accessible, at least in terms of reading fr educational purposes. For the reader who enjoys analyzing poems, there is probably a lot to digest.

However, I love when I come across nonfiction as a whole that broadcasts lived experiences previously shunted to the side and ignored, particularly when it comes to medicine. It's incredibly important to get these voices out there. So, though perhaps not acutely educational on these syndromes, the poems reflect the author's pains and frustrations. They reflect the mental exhaustion of living with chronic illness, the frustration with American healthcare. One poem, "What Cannot Be Quantified Will Be Ignored," turns the pain scale into a commentary on how much pain does one have to be in before taken seriously. Another poignant poem recalls her mother's passing and how that love is what keeps her going and living. It was both sad and tender.

So, if you're looking for something a little different, definitely pick up MADDENING MAST CELL MATHEMATICS. I'm glad I read it and hope to see more poetry about "taboo" topics and medical marginalization.

Thank you to the author for being so raw in sharing their feelings and experiences. As a sci-fi fan, i especially enjoyed the poems that leaned more towards the scientific ("Post-Traumatic Mathematics") but also devastating poems like "Look, Mom, I'm chronically ill" contributed to an overall visceral reading experience. A great blend of poetic and brutal honesty.

POWERFUL. That is the only word that comes to mind when I think about this collection of poetry. The hope, frustration and grief are peppered on each page. Each poem more relatable as the last, until you are left with the totality of pages that fully describe you.

"Inspiring" is my favourite poem, and "What cannot be quantified, can be ignored" is a true representation of the pain scale when it comes to people suffering with hEDS and MCAS, along with it's many other co morbidities.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in June. Yeah this was a short but very good collection of poetry dealing with what it means to be disabled and the harm society can do on us. Very recognisable.