a beautiful, moving collection of poetry about fatherhood, about roots, about the hauntingness of grief. about the incredible James Baldwin. about the movement of bodies through force and through choice, across continents; the methods of staying alive, the way these experiences move through generations, how they live and breathe on and on

coming september 1. thank you to University of Nebraska Press for the review copy through @netgalley!

I was moved by every word in this poetry collection! Vivid, descriptive, and beautifully crafted. I am glad to have the chance to experience this piece!

I always struggle to review poetry collections because I feel that poetry is so subjective. I think you can read a poem and appreciate that it is technically good, but if it doesn't make you feel anything I'm not sure if it is as successful. Feelings are not an issue in this collection. This collection is poignant and timely. My heart broke for him when he talks about his father and filled when he talked about what he wanted for his son. I enjoyed imagery he evoked and loved when he wrote about James Baldwin. Overall, a solid collection for me.

Im not entirely sure how to rate poetry. I feel like reading them myself and hearing the poet read their poems aloud cannot be compared, I feel like the latter is how you have to experience poetry because then you get their emotions and their inflections. The poems were an intersection of grief and joy and identity being a Black immigrant son and father. All facets of his identity and his experience losing his dad has shaped how he wants his son to be raised, all he wants his son to experience, but Theres so much hesitancy and fear of being in danger of others even when it’s just his son showing joy.

A heartbreaking collection of poetry focused on immigration and family and the world we live in today. Powerful, impactful, and heart-wrenching. Recommended.

An honest, open exploration of grief, fatherhood, and immigration that leaves you feeling light and heavy all at the same time.

You can tell when you read this that the author dearly loved his father who he states has passed away, and his poems regarding his death are so tender. It opens up his heart and bares it for the whole world to see. To add his own experiences with fatherhood into the collection next to his grief is heartbreaking, seeing the parallels.

The subject of immigration is brought up in several poems but it's told in a story-like manner which, sad to say, seems to be the only way a lot of people will feel the most emotional towards it. I don't know if it was the author's intention to do that.

I truly enjoyed this.