Absolutely gorgeous and heartbreaking. Mahmoud has the ability to integrate politics and personal stories in a new and profound way.

Sister’s Entrance is a poetry collection about genocide, diaspora, the guilt of surviving, racism and Islamophobia, the burdens of girlhood, the solace of sisterhood, and the innocence of a first kiss.

Sister’s Entrance was such a raw and honest poetry collection! I requested this book because I wanted to know read more different kinds of poetry and this was one of them. I’ve read about racism, but not really about Islam or genocide, … Sister’s Entrance really confronted me with what it’s like to be a female Muslim and how everyone looks at you.

Sister’s Entrance was really interesting because I learnt so much by reading these poems. It was definitely something new for me, but a good new! I cannot wait to discover more poetry written by Emtitha Mahmoud!

It’s been a while since I read a poetry book and this one knocked me off of my feet. It truly was that good! Author Emtithal Mahmoud has constructed such a powerful collection of diverse and hard hitting poems...you really need to pick this book up for yourself.

Throughout the collection, Mahmoud never holds back. She’s brutally honest, open and explicit. Her poetry explores topics related to war, genocide, feminism, Islamophobia and discrimination. At times her wording can be quite jarring, a slap in the face, but I appreciate her ability to write as she sees or feels it. Isn’t that what poetry is? An honest outpouring of emotion? Her words are truly powerful as she has this ability to make what she's writing about come to life. It also provided me with a perspective on life during war. I have taught about the genocide in Darfur, but have always read books or watched videos from a primarily male point of view. It was refreshing to her a woman's voice. I hope that we will soon have more of these available. Also, since conflict in Sudan is ongoing, I really hope that this helps to highlight how many more people are impacted by war and conflict. 

My only issue with this collection is that at times it sounds repetitive. Perhaps different words could have been used? However, this didn’t take away from its raw emotion and power. I will definitely be looking for more from this author in the future.

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

3.5*

This book of poetry is a fascinating look into a young Muslim woman's life in a country in turmoil. Many of the poems were moving and emotional as well as being educational. The only negatives I really have about this is that it does start to feel a little repetitive and one-note the more you read. I'm excited to see what else this author puts out in the future.

Beautiful collection. Will have you reading over and over. I cannot wait to add to my classroom.

Filled with joy, grief, violence, and beauty! A collection that you’ll want to read again and again.

I don't even know where to begin with this book. It was painfully, yet beautifully raw. I found myself needing a breather a few times as the heaviness of the words set on my heart and brought tears to my eyes. There's so much that we hear about in the news, and may or may not be affected by it, but reading this from Emtithal's point of view makes it so much real. The gut-wrenching and traumatic events she has experienced, the losses, and all of it has affected me beyond words.

I definitely recommend it to everyone, even if they're not into poetry much mainly because its eye opening qualities.

Beautiful albeit harrowing collection of heart breaking poems. I would recommend it to everyone.

This was so beautiful. Mahmoud explores the extent of Islamophobia around the world, and the plight of Muslims everywhere. It's a heart-wrenching collection all about death and destruction, and the struggles of young Sudanese women trying to educate themselves in a country where education for women was practically unheard of. A beautiful collection of poetry - definitely an eye-opener for everyone.

Emtithal Mahmoud is strong and fierce and it shows through in her poems. Her country, her beliefs and her family, we all get to know the way she sees them and I, for one, love her look on the world.
Most of these poems are raw, you read about death more than about the living, which -in this case- isn’t strange.
For someone who has never seen war up close, this is a very interesting way to -in some way- try to start and understand what other people go through and that we're spoiled, living in a country like ours.

This is a haunting and harrowing collection. None of the poems are easy to read, many are about graphic and cover traumatic events from the author's personal experiences and perspective. Every poem was powerful and poignant, clearly written with so much emotion behind each one. When I read poetry collections I tend to keep a note of my favourites and the ones that stick in my mind the most as I read, the first one I wrote down was Why I Haven't Told You Yet, but I lost track of my favourites soon after that as I was writing basically every other one down. 

Sisters' Entrance is not an easy read, but it is raw, honest and incredibly important.

A harrowing, yet beautifully written collection of poems, exploring religion, pain and straight up raw emotions, Sister's Entrance is a must read. Following the authors life and struggles was difficult to get through but I'm so glad I did as it opened my eyes so much to such taboo topics that need to be raised a lot more, especially in the current times. Definitely pick this one up!

I will admit I enjoyed this poetry book more than others I have read. Instead of dealing with the heartbreak from romance, it deals with the heartbreak of genocide.

This was hauntingly beautiful. I got chills while reading about bullets dancing off skin. This book managed to tell a story that kept me entrapped and interested. It left me breathless and it made my head and heartache in ways that romantic poetry couldn't.

I highly recommend this. It was astonishingly beautiful in the most painful of ways.