It took me awhile to get through this one. As others have mentioned the direct use of you for his partner and you for his child was jarring. Otherwise this was a beautiful collection of poems centered around having a child.

It is rare for me to give a poetry collection fewer than four stars, but this one combined vivid descriptions of gay male sex with the joys of new parenthood in a way I found distracting. If this collection hoped to be a tribute to the delights of having a new baby, the author should have stayed more focused. (Especially jarring was that he addressed his lover/husband as "you," and then addressed his infant son as "you." Disturbing.) In addition, the free verse poetry lacked most poetic elements. I appreciated the sentiments but was not a huge fan of the execution.

I appreciate Netgalley and Book*hug for giving me a free advanced copy of the audio version of this book, which was capably narrated by Amir Haidar-- though with poetry, I usually enjoy that the author is reading his own poems.

The poems in <i>Umbilical Cord</i> are a beautiful collection of love stories, centered around the author’s son. On the whole, I loved these poems. The only things that bothered me was that in most poems, he addressed his son as “you”, but in one poem toward the beginning, he had a poem about sex with his partner with the partner referred to as “you”; the sudden switch was disconcerting. Hasan Namir’s love poured through every poem in the collection, and Amir Haidar’s narration showcased that love brilliantly.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

Umbilical Cord was a collection of poems that takes you thru the journey of Hasan and his husband to fatherhood via surrogacy.

Many couples are using surrogacy more and more to add or complete their family.

Hasan mentions in some of his poems how family/friends were not always receptive to their marriage or their means of having a child.

I enjoyed the poems as I reminisced if my own sons birth.

Hasan is a Canadian Author and I’ll def be checking out his other work.

Umbilical is a poetry collection exploring queer parenthood. Nasir takes us through falling in love with his husband, having a strained relationship with his own family, and the abundance of love he feels for his child.

There is nothing conventional about these poems. At times they can be crude and in-your-face, but this just makes them unapologetic. These poems aren’t a coddling way to get ignorant people to gently learn more about queer parenting; this is a take-me-as-I-am account of the joys, fears, and imaginations of what it means to be a queer parent, especially one that cannot give birth.

I believe I would have enjoyed this collection a lot more if I read the physical book over listening to the audiobook. However, the author-narrator was engaging and kept my attention. I loved that the audiobook is accessible for visually impaired folks by including very thorough image descriptions.

Overall, I really enjoyed this poetry collection. While Nasir’s story does not reflect my own life, I found myself connecting to the messages. I would give this book three stars, I would recommend it to others.

Umbilical Cord is a book of free text verse by Iraqi Canadian author Hasan Namir. Namir writes about the joy that his newborn son has brought into his life, as well as his love for his husband and his strained relationship with his father, who disowned Namir when he first came out.

The poems are arranged in mostly chronological order to tell the story of his marriage, the agreement of his sister-in-law to become a surrogate for her brother and Hasan, the birth of their son Malek, and the joy that baby Malek has brought to the couple.

While an audiobook of free verse poetry may seem like it could be a struggle to listen to, Umbilical Cord is anything but. I found narrator Amir Haidar’s reading captivating, as he brought just the right emotional touch to the poems. The poetry itself is deeply personal, heartfelt and compelling.

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in parenting, gay or otherwise.

One content warning - a couple of poems near the beginning include frank sexual language.

Rating: Four Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a very beautiful real story. It pulled at my heart. I was both mad and sad at some points but also so happy! I do not read very much poetry, but this one pulled me in. Thank you to Netgalley and Book*hug Press for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Book*hug Press for the audio ARC of this!

This was extremely engaging and compelling. I don’t read a lot of poetry, but this drew me right in. I was, however, surprised by how “adult” the beginning was, as I’d put it on my speaker and had to scramble to pause because the beginning was decidedly not child safe 😂 overall really enjoyed it and glad I listened to it!

Ironic, tender, and joyful poetry collection about queer parenthood. Gorgeous snapshot of life for two fathers caring for their son. Also, poems about gay paternity, IVF, and the cultural collisions that can happen.

Words cannot describe how lovely this poetry novel was to listen to. Each poem flows into the next one and helps to solidify and showcase how much love Hasan has for his family, friends and surrogate. The poems are both deep and sad at times but also joyful and uplifting, making for an excellent read.

This is a beautiful, deep, and moving audiobook. The reader is magnificent and the poems are so touching,

Hasan Namir's poetry is deeply poignant and personal in this emotional, yet ultimately hopeful telling of his journey to becoming a parent. Namir speaks with love to his child in poems entitled "Dear Child" and reflects on the highs and lows he and his partner went through on their path to creating their own family. The narration of the audiobook fit the book perfectly.

A beautiful collection of poetry about Hassan Namir and his partner and their journey and struggles through the process of having a child. While this does focus on fatherhood specifically for two gay men, I feel like it was relatable for all parents. The warmth and love you feel for a child is universal and Namir captured that wealth of emotion perfectly. Loved it and can’t wait to check out Namir’s other work. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Umbilical Cord by Hasan Namir is an emotional and lovely poetry book! I loved this book! I first read this book last year so I was so excited to listen to this audiobook. The narrator did a great job! I found myself becoming emotional all over again listening to these poems about family life, fatherhood, love and acceptance. Books like these are so important to represent how there are different families in the world. The love in this book is real and comes through these poems. So glad I got to read this book again!

Thank you to ECW Press Audio via NetGalley for this ALC!

thank you netgalley for this chance to read this book!
i rate this 3 stars, it was very well written and you can tell the love the dad had for his son.
there is no bond like a father and son and this book proves that even more.