Reviews with content warning for Colonisation - Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza

I was almost finished reading Mosab Abu Toha's impactful book of poetry November 2023 when in disbelief and dismay, read about his unlawful arrest at an Israeli checkpoint as he was trying to leave Gaza with his family. The family's passports and documents were confiscated, he was beaten while in jail and only released under international pressure. Another Palestinian author, Dr Refaat Alareer, has been killed under Israeli's relentless bombing of Gaza, while I was in the middle of reading the anthology edited by him - Gaza Unsilenced.

This genocide is happening before our very eyes. As of today, the death toll is above 25,000 with the majority women and children. There are still others unaccounted for buried under rubble. Famine, cold, preventable diseases and repeated displacement not to mention ongoing bombardment and now straight-up shootings by Israeli soldiers are a lethal threat to the Palestinian survivors.

These Gaza poems allow a vulnerable window glimpse into the experience of living under continuous Israeli control and siege prior to this current massacre. The afterword interview with Abu Toha is also illuminating.

I join countless others around the world raising our voices: Ceasefire! Stop impeding delivery of humanitarian aid.
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readingwithcoffee's review

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

I was able to get this ebook for free because #publishersforpalestine during #readpalestine week. Thank you to the Author, Mosab Abu Toha and Comma Press for participating.

This was a deeply moving collection, and the interview was very educational as well. I love seeing the author in communication with other poets and writers alive or dead (Audre Lorde, Edward Said for some examples) and just as likely to come up as his specific family members and friends with us or past. Thank you for sharing their stories and so beautifully. I also loved the photos of Gaza in color Especially as the poet wrote about questioning why he always imagines Palestine in black and white.

I read this also as a part of sharing things about Palestine during Bisan’s call for a global strike between Jan 21st and 28th 2024. I am confident this poet was held hostage by Israel during this recent siege even if he was eventually released and I encourage people to look it up and into it. Thank you again for these poems I loved them a lot.

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readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

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informative sad medium-paced

4.0

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bashsbooks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional medium-paced

5.0

Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear is evocative from the title, and it absolutely does not stop throughout the book. Abu Toha takes his readers into the intimate and heart-wrenching moments of a culture, a land, a people under generations of siege. He shows the humanity of the Palestinians of Gaza, a humanity that is often ignored, erased, or disputed in much of mainstream media today. These are not empty numbers or mindless villains dying in the streets of Gaza - they are children, siblings, parents, grandparents, friends, lovers, each their own complex bundle of human spirit. Abu Toha keeps that fact at the forefront of his poems.

I also enjoyed the photographic interlude and the interview with Abu Toha at the end of the book; both provided insight and context to some of the specific details enumerated in his poems. The photos additionally emphasized how real the lives of Palestinians are.

As I always try to do when I review poetry books, here is a list of my favorite poems from this collection: "Palestine A-Z", "My Grandfather Was A Terrorist", "Death Before Birth (DBB)", "Displaced", "To My Visa Interviewer", the titular "Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear", and "A Rose Shoulders Up".

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jayisreading's review

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

This was a heartfelt and heartbreaking collection of poems, in which Abu Toha primarily reflected on his life in Palestine. This collection also drew as much attention to the pain and trauma that Palestinians have gone through as much as it did to the love and hope they have for their history and culture. The first poem, "Palestine A–Z," was an especially thought-provoking way to start the collection and prepare the reader for the themes that would appear. In addition to these poems, there is an interview with Abu Toha at the end of this collection that really brought everything together poignantly that is well worth reading.

While I didn't think there was anything revolutionary or interesting happening when it came to form and structure, I thought the delivery of these poems were powerful, with many of them remaining with you pages after you finish reading them. (Somewhat of an aside, but I think this is a fantastic collection for novice readers of poetry.)

As Abu Toha beautifully writes in the interlude, "Through it all, the strawberries have never stopped growing." In spite of everything, the heart of Palestine continues beating.

Some favorites: "Palestine A–Z," "What Is Home?," "My Grandfather Was a Terrorist," "Sobbing Without Sound," "A Litany for 'One Land'," "Desert and Exile," "Edward Said, Noam Chomsky, and Theodor Adorno in Gaza," "Displaced," "To My Visa Interviewer," and "Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear"

Note: I would like to thank the publisher for making this collection free for readers to download.

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bladelikesbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

In this book - partially a collection of poems, partially interview answers - Abu Toha tells us of his personal life experience from a young age to present times.

Abu Toha’s writing is very beautiful and incredibly easy to follow (which i greatly appreciate). His writing show his faily life living in refugee camps in Gaza and the true horror of it, while also showing the beauty of his country, community, and religion.

I really enjoyed the interview protion of this book as i was able to understang his use of poetry better. Abu Toha’s has lived through so many attacks from Israel that he just cobsiders it a part of his daily routine which is so horrifying and sad.

I think this collection gives such good insight into daily life in Gaza and generational trauma. If you’re looking to learn more about the Palestinian people’s experienced of life in Gaza, or you’re looking into poetry that’s easy to follow, definitely check out this book:))

TWs - Blood; Body Horror; Bombing; Child Death (Graphic); Colonisation; Corpses; Covid; Death; Ethnic Cleansing; Genocide; Grief; Loss Of A Loved One; Medical Content; Medical Trauma; Murder; Violence; War

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