1.5 stars out of 5

I feel so bad but I absolutely hate the layout of this book and it made it unreadable for me. I wish the author/publisher would've mentioned the format in the description provided by NetGalley because I am someone that has a really hard time reading scans and light-colored or fancy text. A number of the pages are scan-like in the sense that the poem is an inserted picture but they are "aged" by making the image dull and making most of the text a light grey. A number of the poems are also structured differently than normal and it's fun visually but does make it a bit hard to read words that are diagonally descending from the right (like a "/"). Usually, I give dnf's 2 stars because of the potential that I don't see, but because it was caused by the intentional layout in this book and I could only get through very little I am giving it 1.5.

From what I could read before I got too frustrated, the poetry was really good. A lot of time these collections of multiple authors' works don't mesh well but I thought the works all flowed nicely with each other. Still, it was not enjoyable at all for me unfortunately but if you like fun formats and don't have trouble reading them I say give this a go. I think a lot of people will love this that just, unfortunately, does not include me.

Disclaimer: I received a digital arc copy of this for the purpose of reviewing it from NetGalley but, kinda obvious on this one, this is my honest review.

Airea D. Matthews is Philly's current poet laureate and I've followed her work since she won the 2016 Yale Series of Younger Poets Award. In Bread and Circus her collection of poetry analyzes how class and socioeconomic status impact us on an individual and collective level. These poems range from making the reader laugh out loud to seriously considering the ways we have been impacted by capitalism on a personal and collective level. I really enjoyed the balance of poetry presented among this consideration of American inequality and the systems that impact our ability to look out for one another. In a society that prizes individualism over community this collection gives the reader lots of food for thought and consideration.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-arc copy!

THIS WAS EVERYTHING.

The beautiful thing about poetry is that so few words can slap you the hardest, leaving the brightest scar. I am thankful to Airea Dee Matthews, NetGalley, and Scribner for granting me advanced access to Bread and Circus before it hits shelves on May 30, 2023.

Bread and Circus speaks volumes louder than any book I've ever read. We get insight into what it's like to be a woman of color in a time when discrimination was the only. However, in white people's minds, where hate bled into every conversation and action. That level of strength rang true and empowering for many daughters, sisters, mothers, and grandmothers going forward. This piece was heartbreakingly beautiful and can stand the test of time in eradicating the bigots and inviting love into the picture.

Magnificent.