This powerful poetry collection was full of emotion and grit. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book because there isn't even a blurb about it here on Goodreads, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I read and how much I enjoyed it. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

There are many resonances for me in this book, echoes of my own life. So perhaps I am more able to connect with its content, sentiment, intention, creation and meaning than I might otherwise. It spoke to a fundamental and deeper part of me, and I feel fortunate to have stumbled upon it and to be given the opportunity to read and review it. Almost as if I feel kinship with Kinship, which is pleasing.
However, the formatting on the Kindle edition made most of it into prose, which then read like stream of consciousness, and the REVIEW COPY in large letters on most pages proved quite off putting. It’s an intensely personal book, so I was more invited to enter one person’s world than to engage with a wider experience or view, to have a shared experience. The parts which did this I enjoyed, and since it was written in poetry style (though I have no idea how it is intended to appear) gave the words greater meaning and flow.

As a collection it's just okay; not particularly outstanding but has some good lines here and there. I think other people may like this collection more, but it just wasn't for me, which is fine as poetry is deeply subjective.

I don't know, I was hoping for a bit more, but as a brown person, white people crying about Ukraine but ignoring everything else in the world is a bit much and uncomfortable; I was hoping the author would surprise me.

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

Whether or not you agree with Shrayer, this collection of poetry offers a clear but emotional perspective on modern times. With real life experiences, Shrayer focuses on how world events affect him and what it's like for him to be Jewish right now.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this