Like blood rising to a place that’s been hit, 'Here in Sanctuary—Whirling' is spare in form in some places, sectioned into lyrical puzzle pieces, dense with meaning, and displays the injustice at the border. I love the theme of forgetting and emotional truth remaining despite details slipping away. I hope to see more from D. Dina Friedman as an impactful voice.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.

While the message is an important one, the book wasn't particularly outstanding.

this book didn’t left any strong impression for me. i love the writing style especially through poetry but there are some racism comment that i didn’t agree. also the obsessiveness towards America kind of making me questioning the message that i hope this book could deliver

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like poetry is such a powerful tool to speak of one's reality. This short collection by Friedman was informative but also extremely touching and necessary.
I'd recommend this book to anyone really. A very important read and very well done.

D. Dina Friedman gives voice to a collective anger and memorializes the seemingly insignificant moments that end up changing the course of a life. Her writing is accessible and poignant but lacking authenticity. Perhaps because some of the stories she is telling belong to others, but you don’t learn that until the acknowledgments. Great read nonetheless!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I am so glad I stepped outside of my reading comfort zone and read this book. These stories are beautiful and painful and very necessary. It’s one thing to imagine the horrors that occur at the border, it’s another thing entirely to read real life stories of said occurrences. This book will stay on my mind and in my heart for a long time.

This was a quick, but informative and heart-tugging read. It is all too easy to brush over stories and news about immigration and what goes on at America’s border in the comfort of willful ignorance while curled up at home. These poems, however, bring a taste of the real trauma people are going through every day.

The poem “MY FRIEND TELLS ME THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF STORIES JUST LIKE THIS ONE” not only had me tearing up for the lives it told of, but also that I had not even realized the true “why” people wanted to immigrate to America in the first place.

Friedman poems are accessible for the average reader while maintaining strong depictions of the depth of feelings and experiences.

I sincerely recommend this book of poems for anyone of any background or political party who wishes to get a picture of the border and the lives impacted and torn apart by it today.

This collection right here reminded me of being unable to unsee atrocity and there is nothing subtle about claiming geographical boundaries and punishing anyone who desires something better than what they have.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.