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taylersimon22's review
4.0
Content Warning: Child Abuse and Neglect, racial trauma
I read Surviving Home in one Day. About 100 pages of poetry filled with trauma and abuse. There weren't many poems that were hopeful to counteract the pain, but that is intentional and powerful. We shouldn't have to add sweetness to make other people's pain palatable.
"My pain is sculpted into art for you to consume" is one of the poems that best summarizes the collection. Katerina Canyon turns her painful memories into art. This is why she doesn't have to add poems about hope or love. She is already turning her pain into something beautiful.
Reading these poems were powerful, but sometimes the really fanciful words took something out of it for me. They almost become a way of distance. But dissociation was also a theme within these poems, with the use of the first, second, and third person. These were ways to distance from all the pain.
I also like all the nature comparisons. We are animals, and we have similar habits. Survival and destruction are natural things.
I definitely recommend this poetry collection. Let it be pain turned into art that pushes us to do something, and not just another thing for us to look at and thank the universe our lives aren't filled with that pain.
I read Surviving Home in one Day. About 100 pages of poetry filled with trauma and abuse. There weren't many poems that were hopeful to counteract the pain, but that is intentional and powerful. We shouldn't have to add sweetness to make other people's pain palatable.
"My pain is sculpted into art for you to consume" is one of the poems that best summarizes the collection. Katerina Canyon turns her painful memories into art. This is why she doesn't have to add poems about hope or love. She is already turning her pain into something beautiful.
Reading these poems were powerful, but sometimes the really fanciful words took something out of it for me. They almost become a way of distance. But dissociation was also a theme within these poems, with the use of the first, second, and third person. These were ways to distance from all the pain.
I also like all the nature comparisons. We are animals, and we have similar habits. Survival and destruction are natural things.
I definitely recommend this poetry collection. Let it be pain turned into art that pushes us to do something, and not just another thing for us to look at and thank the universe our lives aren't filled with that pain.
thevirtualbookmark's review
4.0
Surviving Home is such an elegantly written work of poetry. The author implemented powerful imagery within her words that it allowed us as readers to live vicariously through her emotions. The only slight downfall we had regarding this book is that it felt out of place with no true plot to set it in a direction that the author was intending.
akroth's review
5.0
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A phenomenal collection of poetry from this new-to-me author. While I enjoyed the entire book, the first half was especially fantastic.
Highly recommend.
A phenomenal collection of poetry from this new-to-me author. While I enjoyed the entire book, the first half was especially fantastic.
Highly recommend.
_moreofmeg's review
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
CW: Child Abuse and Neglect, Racial Trauma, SA.
“Surviving Home” by @poehtickat was captivating and so very raw. I would say that it is necessary to practice self-care prior to reading, during and after. It took me quite some time to finish because as an empath I tend to take on stories as if they are my own. In this collection there aren’t many “sighs of relief” to be had or poems that raise the mood to a “happier” note and I applaud the author for this. I believe that it was intentionally done this way and it drove the collection home for me. There are so many poems that I could highlight, but I believe my favorite was Thoracic Biology. The quote that stuck with me from it was “For the most part I want to learn to let go, to hurt a little less. My heart is what hurts the most.” Kudos to @poehtickat for this collection and thank you to @bookpublicityservices for the ARC
CW: Child Abuse and Neglect, Racial Trauma, SA.
“Surviving Home” by @poehtickat was captivating and so very raw. I would say that it is necessary to practice self-care prior to reading, during and after. It took me quite some time to finish because as an empath I tend to take on stories as if they are my own. In this collection there aren’t many “sighs of relief” to be had or poems that raise the mood to a “happier” note and I applaud the author for this. I believe that it was intentionally done this way and it drove the collection home for me. There are so many poems that I could highlight, but I believe my favorite was Thoracic Biology. The quote that stuck with me from it was “For the most part I want to learn to let go, to hurt a little less. My heart is what hurts the most.” Kudos to @poehtickat for this collection and thank you to @bookpublicityservices for the ARC
anotherreaderaccount's review
4.0
This poetry is not to be read lightly. This book is intense and raw, words wielded at their sharpest like knives. The world is a complex place, and the people within it are no exception. Complicated, toxic, self serving, vicious even. All 105 pages expose all of it, the dark ugly underbelly of it all.
The author writes about her childhood trauma, how home can be an oppressive place, an urgent memory. And how she turns that negativity into alertness and awareness for the present, to make it into something greater than the past.
Thanks to @bookpublicityservices for the free copy of this unforgettable read!
The author writes about her childhood trauma, how home can be an oppressive place, an urgent memory. And how she turns that negativity into alertness and awareness for the present, to make it into something greater than the past.
Thanks to @bookpublicityservices for the free copy of this unforgettable read!
earthtoallyy's review
4.0
Surviving Home // Katerina Canyon
“It is told through hot cylinders of pain That sear experience into the skin.
It is told in front of the sharp bayonet That sprays blood-red existence against The multi-colored palette of the universe.
It may sit silent and still On these black and white pages, But it exists in every tremble
Of my leathered hand, and it is smeared Into every tear-stained scream that flows through my quavering pen.”
An unapologetically transparent tale written in breathtakingly beautiful prose.
These poems tell the story of a broken home, an abusive childhood, and a racially profiled life.
The poetry itself is stunning, the conversation it tells is heartbreaking and I found myself needing to take a break every now and then because of how deep the story goes. In the end, I was crying and feeling an overwhelming kinship to the author. Not through a similar upbringing, but through the heartache that the world gives me. She speaks of abuse and racism, of the different lives people live because of the color of their skin, the hardships she’s faced, and the journey of survival that is life.
An honest collection of poetry that tells a story that needs to be heard. I highly recommend this book, but definitely check out the trigger warnings if need be.
Thank you to Book Publicity Services for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.
“It is told through hot cylinders of pain That sear experience into the skin.
It is told in front of the sharp bayonet That sprays blood-red existence against The multi-colored palette of the universe.
It may sit silent and still On these black and white pages, But it exists in every tremble
Of my leathered hand, and it is smeared Into every tear-stained scream that flows through my quavering pen.”
An unapologetically transparent tale written in breathtakingly beautiful prose.
These poems tell the story of a broken home, an abusive childhood, and a racially profiled life.
The poetry itself is stunning, the conversation it tells is heartbreaking and I found myself needing to take a break every now and then because of how deep the story goes. In the end, I was crying and feeling an overwhelming kinship to the author. Not through a similar upbringing, but through the heartache that the world gives me. She speaks of abuse and racism, of the different lives people live because of the color of their skin, the hardships she’s faced, and the journey of survival that is life.
An honest collection of poetry that tells a story that needs to be heard. I highly recommend this book, but definitely check out the trigger warnings if need be.
Thank you to Book Publicity Services for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.
teeturnedthepage's review
4.0
It’s been a minute since I’ve read a collection of poetry, so I was little nervous about how I would digest it, but this was so beautiful! From the first page until the very last, there was an urgency in the story being told. Canyon uses themes of addiction, hardship, generational trauma and community like a kaleidoscope! There are so many different angles to appreciate this collection from. I appreciated the honesty and vulnerability most!
taishacasimir's review
3.0
Surviving Home was an interesting; however, it was not my cup tea. Katerina Canyon is an excellent poet, who wrote great poems that will tugged at people’s heartstrings. 3.5 stars
andthatsonliterature's review
4.0
I feel like poetry is something that really taps into your emotions because it’s usually written from a personal space. It takes a courageous spirit to open up about their life and share it with people all over. I believe the author did an amazing job telling her story in prose. I felt like I was on a never ending emotional roller coaster as I read through each poem. The author strung together vivid images to reveal her troubled childhood and how she managed to survive. I appreciate the author’s honesty about her childhood. Her story shows people that everyone’s life isn’t all roses. Reading this was like listening to my favorite album, front to back with no skips. Beautifully written, each poem was better than the last.