Beautiful and difficult, "The Lost Arabs" is an essential read. The writing is incredibly evocative and the imagery is breathtaking. Highly recommended for all adult poetry collections.

This book was so up my alley - poetry! Queerness! - that it almost felt like I took a wrong turn reading it. For some reason, it just didn't strike a chord with me. I feel like writing this was very cathartic for Sakr, and I'm glad it was, but these poems didn't seem to hold much weight beneath the surface, despite their heavy subject matter.

2.5 stars.

"I am obliged to love what I cannot erase. My memories
ache for this to be true. They do not want to die.
Even my darkest knowing seeks the light

as a new kind of mother. I ask the light how
to behave. It should know, it has been around at least
the block touching gentle what can be touched"

I didn’t really connect with this one much especially because I didn’t understand more than half of the metaphors and meanings that they completely went over my head. I felt exhausted while reading it and started skimming through since the poems are pretty long. The poems in this book are about the author’s feelings and views and there's some arabic words in some poems. I couldn’t relate to the authors struggles because we have differing views about how to be a Muslim. Each to their own, though I agree with him when he says, "Stop bombing the Middle East."

"In this poem, my mother has no purpose
beyond existing, beyond beauty, beyond
dancing beneath the stars. Let me give
way before meaning, let me incoherent,
let me give her this one shining moment."

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy for an honest review.

I've been looking forward to this for a while and I'm glad I enjoyed it! The poetry style was different from what I'm used to, but I enjoyed how unique it was. Some of my favourite poems from this title are:
- Ameen
- Out on the Way to Melbourne
- A Beautiful Child
- Every Day
- Self Portrait of What Graces the Night
- In Order to Return

The publisher kindly offered me a reader copy via NetGalley. Yet, this is an honest review of the book expressing my unbiased opinion.

First of all, what an illustrious, vivid imagery and heartbreak this poetry book elicits. It evoked my anger, my tears, helplessness, and yet, it also made me feel less alone. I'm not Arab so I'm not the targeted audience, but the emotions of the poet resonated with me because I often share them, too. Torn between countries and languages, queer and not completely seen and understood.

The poems have this story-telling quality like they narrate a story. I loved that aspect. However, some of their wording didn't resonate with me as much as I'd like to rate it with 5 stars. But that doesn't negate how fantastic and visceral this poetry book is. I truly believe my lack of 100% connection to the book is due to this unexplained personal, subjective intangible aspect, and not due to the quality of the poems.

I also loved how the poet infused his queer identity, language, overall sense of identity, religion, culture, and history. It was done masterfully, and it's this personal sense that sets this poetry book apart from others. It is visceral. It is personal. It is authentic. It is real. And for me, that's where the best poetry emerges from. I'll definitely read more from Omar Sakr and the publisher.

4 stars – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author: Omar Sakr
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing

I’d give this book 3 stars. Full disclosure though: I don’t usually read poetry. The book caught my attention because of the title. I’m always looking for a book about Middle Eastern people. It’s often hard to find anything that is accurate and I’m willing to go outside my comfort zone so I thought I’d give this a try.

I liked that the poet threw in some Arabic words in, I thought it felt more genuine. I found his background interesting and could actually feel his struggle with his mother’s addiction, his sexuality and his sense of belonging.

All in all, I think there were one or two poems I bookmarked and know I will read again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book of poetry.*

Omar Sakr is a bisexual Australian-Arab poet and his poetry deals with queerness, politics, love, family, and being Arab. I was surprised how fragile and concise the short poems were, I loved that he meantioned the djinn American Gods episode, and how fluent and natural all the poems sound. Not all poems worked for me, but they do not have to. If you want to experience what it means to be a bisexual poet with a diverse background.

One of my favourite poems was this one:
"You are not as tired of diaspora / poetry as I am of the diaspora. Sometimes // I thank God that I was born inside an American / -made tank. Sometimes I weep within // the beast. My uncle works on the railroads / and goes home to his nuclear family loathing // my queerness from afar." (A Beautiful Child, 40)

4 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an arc of this collection!
Some favorites from this collection:
Self-Portrait as Poetry Defending Itself
The Exhibition of Autobiography
Extermination
At the Site of the Future Memorial
Every Day
A Beautiful Child

This was a very solid collection, although I think it would have been better had the poems been grouped thematically. They totally could have been and I just missed the connections. But it just felt like emotional whiplash every now and again. Some of my favorite poems from this collection had to do with the author's queerness and his relationships with his family members.
I enjoyed more poems than I did not, and would highly recommend to anyone that is interested in poetry.