'wrong winds' by ahmad almallah is a lyrical treasure trove of poetry by a man who had to witness the destruction of his homeland. it was such a beautiful collection to read, and i say that as a person who avoid poetry like the plague. i will definitely be revisiting certain poems, as some deeply deeply resonated with me. while not every poem did not strike the same chord, they were all over-all pretty lovely to read. i feel like a few of them slipped through my mind, but if you appreciate intriguing spatial arrangements in poetry (if that's the right term) and well written poetry, this book might be just what you're looking for!

This is a beautiful collection by Palestinian-American poet Ahmad Almallah, written during the early months of Israel's genocidal assault on Gaza. It is a short but impactful work that is both well-written and thought-provoking. I read the entire book aloud, only pausing occasionally to wipe away my tears. While it did sometimes lose its rhythm, I didn’t mind stumbling through those sections. There wasn’t a clear divide between the first and second halves, but I found a noticeable difference in style and found myself more deeply affected by the first half.

"where do they find pawns
to sacrifice themselves, one square
at a time, to accept the smaller fates,
while kinds and queens huddle
backstage, twirling their fingers,
expecting glory to meet them halfway?"

almallah's poetry collection is a raw experience of a palestinian man, forced to see his homeland destroyed and slaughtered from afar. it's a rumination of the influence that western colonialism had on the modern-day world, on the very genocide in play.

the works seem to be split into two halves—some more personal, emotional, speaking of palestine and gaza overtly. of the shared pain and grief, of a life lost and life that cannot be recovered. the other half feels more of a meditation on the work of almallah's peers and authors whose works he's admired over the years. i was particularly drawn to the poems discussing the arabic influence in spain, "some verses for the depressed rebel" and "poet in andalusia/andalusia in the poet", and they've piqued my interest to look more into this chapter of history that i've only superficially learned of.

"wrong winds" is a beautiful play of words and languages, deeply loving and grieving in equal parts.

This was so beautiful. I have reread some of the poems on a daily basis because they bring so much and gives me a peace of mind. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The book was lovely. If you are a spatially aware person who doesn’t mind a clever usage of space in poems, this collection may be for you. I enjoyed quite a bit of if and highlighted large swathes of the poems but as the collection continued, it collapsed in on itself just a touch. Would recommend!

I want it to be known that the subject matter presented by Almallah is not just worthy of attention and a voice, but deeply important in the name of sharing awareness to anyone and everyone. The Palestinian genocide is a heavy weight on the hearts of many, and I cannot fathom having the experiences that the author has in life. that being said, the writing style has a lot of things such as numerous line breaks and flowery words that I tend to not prefer, but this is not a comment on the skill of the writer. I think it just isn't my favorite format, but there WILL absolutely be those that connect with these poems.

Numbers, numbers, numbers: What the Gazans have been reduced to for years. This poetry collection is hauntingly beautiful and musical, somber but brave. Read the poems aloud, and you will appreciate them even more. Now and then, it loses its rhythm; nevertheless, those poems are not meant to be read once but carried with you for some time after you finish reading... and, I must add: This is such a beautiful, thought-out cover.

5/5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley, Fonograf Editions, & Ahmad Almallah for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a beautiful collection of poems. It’s always interesting to read poetry from people who are living such different lives than you are because it’s such a deeply personal medium. Even something as simple as the way a poem is formatted says so much about the emotions the author was feeling when they wrote it. Line breaks and white space add to the sense of emptiness and helplessness. Is it chaotic? Yes, that’s the point.

This collection was poignant and painful.


Thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.


Ok, I nearly had to take a break from this collection before I realized how Almallah was using language. The first half or so of the collection, I was a little worried that the text had gotten scrambled, but it is actually Almallah manipulating language as he works through the poems’ topics. The second half has much clearer text. I have to admit, the latter half did resonate more with me simply because I could follow along. The first half felt like puzzle pieces more than a conversation.
The poems cover many topics and influences from Lorca and Granada to Berlin to Palestine to T.S. Eliot. I liked the poems in conversation with other artists a good deal.
This is quite a sad-toned collection as Almallah writes on difficult, sad topics, but he does some interesting work with language and the meanings of words

"How can summer be in a place
that knows so much ash"

I was fairly excited to read this one, and I appreciate the topic.
It certainly left me with a lot of thoughts.

There are many both beautiful and heartbreaking sentiments and a great number of poems worth rereading.
I think one can appreciate the feeling of a poem, even if they don't necessarily understand everything that is happening.

This being said, this just didn't completely click for me - I love line breaks and formatting to be smartly placed, and with this one, I got a feeling that it was very chaotic, almost like the author just wanted to look artistic. I am sad that I feel like the emotions didn't completely transfer to me through these poems. I was constantly waiting for something deeper to hit me, and it never did, unfortunately.

However, there are still many beautiful motives throughout, and I appreciate the author's skill. I think this one just wasn't for me.

Thanks to the NetGalley, author, and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A solid collection and a quick read. However, to me it somewhat lacked the depth I was expecting. I was also a bit thrown off by the constant use of exclamation marks and ‘etc’, but perhaps that’s just me.

Poems worth contemplating, with rich and relevant subject matter. I found the longer-lined poems more compelling; poems with unnecessary/frequent enjambment and line breaks are not necessarily my taste. I wished for something deeper in the content of the poems since much of the time the structure did not make a meaningful impact on me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Fonograf Editions for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I sometimes struggle with poetry, but I was pleasantly surprised at how I was able to follow the poems in this collection about the Palestinian experience and Palestine. I was deeply moved by what I read. That said, I did struggle at times to follow and understand what was being said, but I can acknowledge that it is probably due to my own shortcomings when it comes to poetry.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves poetry and is looking to get to know more about Palestine and Palestinians via a different medium.

I spaced out my reading of these poems and was glad to have time to sit with each. Almallah references and plays on other poets work while relaying a powerful message. The grief is balanced by moments of introspection and reflection on smaller details and moments. The writing is beautiful and I found myself reading many of the poems out loud. Overall a very worthwhile read.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in March. A beautiful collection of poetry about Palestine and the experience of being Palestinian. I read it in one breath.

El poemario Wrong Winds de Ahmad Almallah parte de una intención clara y noble: explorar temas universales como el desarraigo, la identidad y el peso emocional de las transiciones. Sin embargo, aunque la premisa es prometedora, la obra no termina de alcanzar la profundidad esperada.
La escritura, aunque cuidadosamente construida, a menudo parece atrapada en un vaivén entre imágenes sugerentes y reflexiones que no logran desarrollarse del todo. Los poemas insinúan emociones y conceptos que podrían resonar profundamente, pero en lugar de profundizar en ellos, se quedan en la superficie. Esto deja la sensación de que Almallah quiere transmitir algo significativo, pero no termina de decirlo con claridad o contundencia.
Si bien el libro tiene momentos de belleza y honestidad, la narrativa general resulta algo etérea, dejando al lector con la impresión de que algo importante quedó por decir. La intención es loable, pero el resultado no logra consolidar un mensaje que perdure más allá de su lectura inmediata.
En definitiva, Wrong Winds es una obra que promete más de lo que entrega, quedándose en un limbo entre lo sugerente y lo inespecífico. Una lectura que, aunque tiene buenas intenciones, carece de la profundidad necesaria para marcar al lector de forma duradera.

With apologies, I am unable to read and review this title as it is not available for kindle viewing.