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vanesst's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
kaitlainebell's review
3.0
I loved the cover design and the title, but this collection of poetry was not for me. I really wanted to love it due to the subject matter, but I just found that could not connect with the poems. That being said, there were a few good poems in this book.
I wouldn't recommend this book for most people, but I am looking forward to seeing more from the author in the future.
I wouldn't recommend this book for most people, but I am looking forward to seeing more from the author in the future.
elizabethlk's review
3.0
As a chronically ill, depressed, anxious, Canadian Jew-to-be (nearly three years into studying for conversion), I expected to deeply relate to this collection of poetry from a Canadian poet writing about mental illness, physical illness (similar ones to my own, we even have been on the same meds if these poems are anything to go by), Jewishness, and settings local to me, but I ended up not really loving it. I did relate to a lot of the poems, and some of them stood out as particularly good or enjoyable or relatable, but as a whole, I didn't really love the collection. I think the style was maybe just not to my taste. I'd still recommend it, as some of it was particularly good and I suspect that other readers might find the overall of it more to their taste than I did to my own. I probably won't actively seek out the author's work in the future, but I wouldn't say no to reading more from him either.
CW: suicide, suicidal ideation, mental illness, institutionalisation
CW: suicide, suicidal ideation, mental illness, institutionalisation
rileygrace12's review
2.0
Okay, honestly I am unsure of how to feel after reading this book. I liked the interwoven aspects of how the speaker was talking to someone but felt that I had a hard time connecting with half of the poems simply for the fact that the writing felt borderline pretentious in some parts. I do appreciate how it is breaking the stigma around mental illness and can allow people to see their struggles represented in poetry. Overall I most likely will not be picking this up again but can see others enjoying it.
overall ⭐️⭐️
overall ⭐️⭐️
duhnae's review
4.0
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was drawn to “Is This Scary?” first by the title and cover design, and then to the concept of a poetry collection about experiencing both mental illness and physical ailments, as well as the treatment of the two.
In that sense, I really enjoyed this collection. I did quite a bit of googling about the different treatments and medications depicted in Scheier’s writing, and I thought it was clever how he wove in specific references to each of them. I feel like I learned a lot! I do appreciate that Scheier’s poems are honest and make no attempt to glorify living with mental illness as I’ve seen others do, but rather, he offers a look into how difficult, overwhelming, and cyclical it can feel. As someone who experiences a different kind of mental illness, I think he captured those struggles and how they come and go very well.
My personal favourites from the collection were “To My Friends Who Did Not Visit Me in the Mental Hospital,” “Circular Labyrinth,” “Self-Parenting,” “Song to the Suicides,” as well as “And Then Job Answered God from inside the Whirlwind They Were Both Caught inside of.” In these poems, I was struck by the format, and by the unique connection between mental illness and things I had not thought of. For example, the idea of those cyclical feelings being like trapped in a labyrinth stood out to me. Additionally, I’m always a big fan when authors link biblical references with their poems.
While there were a lot of poems that held me and I found myself thinking about afterwards, oppositely, I did not find his poems related to love to be memorable to me. The imagery and metaphors were not as strong as those found in other works.
Overall, I would give this collection 3.5/5 and I would be interested in reading more from Scheier in the future.
I was drawn to “Is This Scary?” first by the title and cover design, and then to the concept of a poetry collection about experiencing both mental illness and physical ailments, as well as the treatment of the two.
In that sense, I really enjoyed this collection. I did quite a bit of googling about the different treatments and medications depicted in Scheier’s writing, and I thought it was clever how he wove in specific references to each of them. I feel like I learned a lot! I do appreciate that Scheier’s poems are honest and make no attempt to glorify living with mental illness as I’ve seen others do, but rather, he offers a look into how difficult, overwhelming, and cyclical it can feel. As someone who experiences a different kind of mental illness, I think he captured those struggles and how they come and go very well.
My personal favourites from the collection were “To My Friends Who Did Not Visit Me in the Mental Hospital,” “Circular Labyrinth,” “Self-Parenting,” “Song to the Suicides,” as well as “And Then Job Answered God from inside the Whirlwind They Were Both Caught inside of.” In these poems, I was struck by the format, and by the unique connection between mental illness and things I had not thought of. For example, the idea of those cyclical feelings being like trapped in a labyrinth stood out to me. Additionally, I’m always a big fan when authors link biblical references with their poems.
While there were a lot of poems that held me and I found myself thinking about afterwards, oppositely, I did not find his poems related to love to be memorable to me. The imagery and metaphors were not as strong as those found in other works.
Overall, I would give this collection 3.5/5 and I would be interested in reading more from Scheier in the future.
tiaschmidt's review
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Not going to be rating this one as it's Scheier's own personal experience with mental illness and I find the vulnerability in sharing that experience incredibly brave and impossible to rate. Overall, I wasn't a huge fan of the poetry style, but I appreciated what he had to say and related to a lot of it! I was tremendously confused at about half of this collection and couldn't even comprehend what was meaning to be told. At the same time, I did relate to a lot of it and found some pieces really moving. Overall, an interesting poetry collection.
kelly_e's review
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
3.25
Title: Is This Scary?
Author: Jacob Scheier
Genre: Poetry
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: April 13 2021
Thank you to ECW Press for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review
T H R E E • W O R D S
Profound • Challenging • Personal
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Is This Scary? is a collection of poems which travels deep into illness and suffering - both physical and mental. Poet, Jacob Scheier recounts his own experiences, as well as those of others, through a series of poems, and pushing back against the stigma surrounding illness. He challenges the mainstream notion of "triumphing" over illness in favour of illness being an ongoing journey; one which needs to be expressed, explored and honoured.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I was originally drawn to this collection after reading the premise. As someone who has anxiety, and has lost a loved one to mental suffering, reading and advocating for mental health is something I am passionate about. For me, this collection of poems is necessary. Through metaphor and dark humour, Jacob Scheier has delivered a raw and honest portrayal of the cyclical nature of illness, exploring suicide, mood, medication and institutionalization, all while attempting to break down barriers and provide an alternative perspective on how society views and approaches illness. Poetry is such a subjective genre, that it's often hard to find fault or criticize. What I can say is I was unable to fully experience these powerful poems for all that they are for several reasons, but mainly the abstract language. I feel as though I could have put in hours of external research in order to gain a fuller appreciation, yet I didn't necessarily have the time to do so. The author's prose is so wonderfully constructed and offers a variety of styles, but this is just not my style of poetry. My personal favourites included "To My Friends Who Did Not Visit Me in the Mental Hospital", "Harold & Maude Revisited" and "Wanting to Not Want to Die". I cannot conclude my review without mentioning how the cover artwork is the perfect depiction for what the author is trying to relay - that everyone experience illness and suffering differently like the ink blot. People will see things differently, making it unique and
so deeply personal, and in that way it demonstrates the powerful grip it has and how it needs to be honoured and embraced.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• short poetry readers
• readers between abstract and contemporary poetry
• mental health advocates
• those experiencing their own mental health journeys
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
From God as We Understood Him
"In the fall of your relapse
I admitted to myself
and no one else, I miss
what I once misunderstood."
From Harold & Maude Revisited
"I want to
tell you
those were the first good tears
I've fallen in a year & I don't
know exactly what made me cry. It's something I like
about tears,
again--
they're so unreasonable."
Author: Jacob Scheier
Genre: Poetry
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: April 13 2021
Thank you to ECW Press for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review
T H R E E • W O R D S
Profound • Challenging • Personal
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Is This Scary? is a collection of poems which travels deep into illness and suffering - both physical and mental. Poet, Jacob Scheier recounts his own experiences, as well as those of others, through a series of poems, and pushing back against the stigma surrounding illness. He challenges the mainstream notion of "triumphing" over illness in favour of illness being an ongoing journey; one which needs to be expressed, explored and honoured.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I was originally drawn to this collection after reading the premise. As someone who has anxiety, and has lost a loved one to mental suffering, reading and advocating for mental health is something I am passionate about. For me, this collection of poems is necessary. Through metaphor and dark humour, Jacob Scheier has delivered a raw and honest portrayal of the cyclical nature of illness, exploring suicide, mood, medication and institutionalization, all while attempting to break down barriers and provide an alternative perspective on how society views and approaches illness. Poetry is such a subjective genre, that it's often hard to find fault or criticize. What I can say is I was unable to fully experience these powerful poems for all that they are for several reasons, but mainly the abstract language. I feel as though I could have put in hours of external research in order to gain a fuller appreciation, yet I didn't necessarily have the time to do so. The author's prose is so wonderfully constructed and offers a variety of styles, but this is just not my style of poetry. My personal favourites included "To My Friends Who Did Not Visit Me in the Mental Hospital", "Harold & Maude Revisited" and "Wanting to Not Want to Die". I cannot conclude my review without mentioning how the cover artwork is the perfect depiction for what the author is trying to relay - that everyone experience illness and suffering differently like the ink blot. People will see things differently, making it unique and
so deeply personal, and in that way it demonstrates the powerful grip it has and how it needs to be honoured and embraced.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• short poetry readers
• readers between abstract and contemporary poetry
• mental health advocates
• those experiencing their own mental health journeys
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
From God as We Understood Him
"In the fall of your relapse
I admitted to myself
and no one else, I miss
what I once misunderstood."
From Harold & Maude Revisited
"I want to
tell you
those were the first good tears
I've fallen in a year & I don't
know exactly what made me cry. It's something I like
about tears,
again--
they're so unreasonable."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
Moderate: Chronic illness and Mental illness
institutionalizationstregamorte's review
2.0
In this collection of poetry following Scheier's experience with depression, suicidal ideation, and being a patient in a mental health treatment center. This poetry collection is difficult for me to rate, because it's such a personal account from the author and I would never want to minimize his experience. That said I couldn't help but feeling quite dumb while reading this. I felt like I needed a syllabus to be able to follow along and pick up on all the nuance more efficiently. I did appreciate at the end there being a short key of references for specific poems because it made me understand the richness better.
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