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Reviews tagging 'Medical content'
Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza by Mosab Abu Toha
13 reviews
bashsbooks's review
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".
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".
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Colonisation, Gun violence, Murder, Xenophobia, Blood, War, Child death, Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Medical content and Medical trauma
bladelikesbooks's review
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
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, Child death, Body horror, Colonisation, Grief, Murder, and War
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Medical content and Medical trauma
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
This was my main read for #ReadPalestineWeek. I also finished the Activestills book I was already reading, which I posted about previously, and started Freedom Is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis.
Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear is an impressive poetry collection about life in Palestine, and specifically Gaza.
‘In Gaza, / breathing is a task, / smiling is performing / plastic surgery / on one’s own face / and rising in the morning, / trying to survive / another day, is coming back / from the dead.’
Abu Toha’s poetry zooms in on mundane things and shows how they are twisted in a life under occupation and under siege; but also how they are a source of beauty, however small.
‘Through it all, the strawberries have never stopped growing.’
Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear is an impressive poetry collection about life in Palestine, and specifically Gaza.
‘In Gaza, / breathing is a task, / smiling is performing / plastic surgery / on one’s own face / and rising in the morning, / trying to survive / another day, is coming back / from the dead.’
Abu Toha’s poetry zooms in on mundane things and shows how they are twisted in a life under occupation and under siege; but also how they are a source of beauty, however small.
‘Through it all, the strawberries have never stopped growing.’
Graphic: Colonisation and Death
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Medical content
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