A beautifully written and illustrated graphic novel that is touching in a very real life way, in a time in the world so full of dark news this is a little bit of tangable hope.
I'll defiently be buying a copy of this for a family member.

Just beautiful.

This book is about poems talking about global warming, the pictures are really interesting and the poems go with the images.

I really enjoyed this book. The illustrations are beautiful and the poems are meaningful. Really makes you think about global warming and climate change, and how we should join forces and work together to protect our only home.

"People are places
And you are
A sacred place"

You Are a Sacred Place is a beautiful combination of art and poetry. There is a sort of rhythm to be found in Saito's union of pictures and text. A lapping of waves, an ebb and flow, a symmetry and a cadence. Which makes this work feel like a wholly unique expression of artistry.

The narrow colour palate shows us Saito's vision. Soft pastels contrast, but also occasionally mix with black and grey tones. Giving us the impression that while some ideas might be at odds, we can unite as a people to work towards solving this problem together.

"Can you imagine all of us
Trusting each other
Working together
For our common home?"

Saito strikes a perfect balance between not shying away from the darker sides of climate change, while instilling a need for action and optimism for the future.

I would recommend You Are a Sacred Place to people who love art, poetry, and environmentalism or activism. Even people new to environmentalism, because I believe it has the power to create a whole new generation of activists. This book will make a great present and coffee table book.

"Enough of disruption and extraction -
How beautiful, the quiet work of maintenance"

I requested and received this book from NetGalley.
"You are a Sacred Place" is minimalistic yet powerful book of art and poetry. I wish I had the strong sense of hope for the future that the author, Madeleine Jubilee Saito, exhibits in her work. Honestly she's given me a bit more faith in humanity just by publishing this book.

"You are a sacred place" was such a nice and meaningful set of poems and illustrations that really makes you think about climate change and the world in general. I love how the illustrations are minimalist, but somehow pack such a punch when put together with the poems.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I've been suffering from the news about the climate for some time, and this work has really helped me - the book really makes you think that nothing is lost and that it really is up to us. I really hope we have the strength that Madeleine talks about in her beautiful poetry.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I have been trying to hold on to
That taut thread
Between past and future

I have been praying for
Relief

You are a sacred place is a graphic novel that seemlessly blends art and poetry together to convey a message of hope, loss, love and a need to help one another and the world around us. The main theme surrounds climate change and the hopelessness and despair people feel around their perceived inability to change things... Whilst instilling hope and optimism for the future.

People are places
And you are
A sacred place

The art style is truly beautiful. The dichotomy of the soft pastels contrasted against some of the harsher colours and illustrations, alongside the poetry evoked such raw emotions from me.

I am preparing for a future that stretches and tears
But trees with roots that knit together beneath the earth
Survive the biggest storms

I would truly recommend this book to anyone interested in enviromentalism and activism. Even those new to those worlds. Books like this are so important and make me have a little more faith in humanity.

I have followed Madeliene’s work on Instagram for a really long time and to be abel to read her book is truly a delight. I have loved their work so much (even signed up for their newsletter waaaay too early to get a free print) and genuinely loved that this book explores climate crisis through their stunning visuals.

Madeleine’s work at a glance seems simple but truly is the visual poetry the book says it is. The book's illustrations / visual poems talk about various aspects of the climate crisis. In a way, these simple but poignant illustrations make you focus on the book's message rather than getting lost in the illustrations.

I love how they talk about humans being together, how they draw different skies, and especially how a book has once again captivated me and will stay with me for a very long time.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an ARC!

This was an interesting if not sometimes depressing book of poems about the world we currently live in. Some poems had a lot more substance than others, but the art style is what really stood out.

I didn't know Madeleine before getting this ARC, so I don't have the attachment to her that people following her for a while have. I went into this book practically blind, not knowing what to expect. The illustrations were very beautiful, I specially liked the ones about smoke because I lived in a burning city for a while and I hadn't seen anything being able to capture what taking in smoke with every breath feels like. I read this in one go, and I think maybe it isn't the ideal way to do so. Maybe having a physical copy as a coffee table book is more appropriate than reading it by the pool in twenty minutes.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was so visually stunning. The illustrations perfectly reflected the themes of the meaningful poems that accompanied them. They are minimalist but the colours used just complement the vibes of the book so well. Scrolling through the e-Arc just made me feel so calm. I really enjoyed my reading experience. I would definitely get a copy of this for a coffee table or something to flip through.

Written as a response to a loved one's suicidal thoughts, this book is a mesmerizing testament to how beautiful the world is, with us in it.

While the motives of God are mentioned a few times, which might not personally align with my view of the world, I really enjoyed the sentiment of the poems and the stunning illustrations that followed them.

I could relate to the themes being discussed and the poetic approach gave me hope and felt like a big hug in a sorrowful world.

This book is highly artistic and the paintings are a crucial part of it. I thoroughly enjoyed the art style, which was formatted in two-by-two boxes. The use of watercolor was top-notch, and I love how the artist manipulated different panels to make effects of smoke, light, and drops.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who needs a ray of love and hope regarding the state of the environmental crisis.

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

The illustrations in this book are gorgeously rendered, simple yet heartbreakingly real and honest. Many people will relate to the anxiety, anger, and grief expressed in these pages, but also the hope, and the gratitude. I am not religious myself so I personally didn't connect with the mentions of God, but that was a minor factor and I'm sure other readers will appreciate how faith is explored here. Overall I thought this was beautiful, sad but incredibly poignant and prescient for our times. Reading this on my small phone screen I knew I wasn't getting the full experience, so I will definitely be checking out the published version as well once it comes out.

An extremely soothing read culminating in a peaceful start to 2025. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

"You Are a Sacred Place" is such an interesting and powerful read. It really makes you think about our relationship with the Earth and how important sustainability is—something a lot of us didn’t grow up focusing on. It’s sobering but also super inspiring, reminding us how special and connected everything really is.

"You Are A Sacred Space" is a reminder to breathe, a love letter to abundance mindset, an understanding of the importance of maintenance work, and a meditation on grief. Shades of umber and grey guide us through these thoughts with accents of foliate greens. Madeleine Jubilee Saito asks us to imagine trusting each other, working together, and surviving together; if we can imagine we can make it reality. "We are living things in the family of living things. The place we belong is here." If we are going to care at all, we must relearn how to care about place. We are sacred spaces. This work is an absolutely exquisite visual representation of the world's interconnectedness and I highly recommend it.

You Are a Sacred Place is an emotional read that criticizes the oil industry and reflects on climate change. It is as hopeful as it is heartbreaking.

This book is like a bedtime story for adults. The sparse use of words makes a book that’s so cozy and comforting, while also offering political commentary. This would be a great book to have around and reread any time you feel particularly alone or struggle to envision a world that isn’t being drained of life by corporate greed.

I love the visuals that go along with the poetry. There are numerous topics about life and the world we live in that give perspective to everything and everyone around us. The societal struggles and the personal demons we all share and can relate to, are given as art in both pictures and words.

Stunning work. I enjoyed this one.

#NetGalley #YouAreaSacredPlace

This was a beautiful collection of illustrated poetry. I never seen poetry in this form before so I was quite pleased to be able to read it. The poetry book is a love letter to ourselves, the people we share this world with and the earth, the sun and the sky. While also being a letter of heartbreak and hurt. Heartbroken that we, the people have hurt the earth that gives us a home.

First of all, I cried during the entire duration of reading this, and I’m still crying while reviewing it.

This book is an absolute gift to everyone who has sat in despair over the state of the world in any recent years. The poetry cuts deeply to the biggest points on my mind: the hopeless despair of being alive through tragedy, pulling hope back in through nature and community, and the resilient determination of imagining a future where things heal. Believing unendingly that things can be healed.

The artwork was also a masterpiece. I loved the intentional usages of color, iconography (and how they transitioned between things showing the interconnectedness even more), and the gentle frames of nature and daily life.

I already have so many people in mind that I want to read this book, to feel its cathartic release and also comfort.

We are all lucky to have this piece by Madeleine Jubilee Saito.

You are a sacred place by madeleine jubilee saito is a heart wrenching collection of drawings that almost act as poetry. The words and the images go hand in hand, they need to be read together to make sense. The genius combination creates a piece of art.

This is the first time I have read a book of visual poetry like this, which truly enhanced each poem's depth. Some didn't even need words to be impactful. The sentiment was beautiful, and this is a comforting, almost optimistic look at the climate crisis, which can be overwhelming to so many. I will be looking for more poetry from this author in the future.

An absolutely breathtaking collection of visual poetry. The use of the soft watercolor medium with contrasting dark dense textures adds a unique layer that feels so immersive. A little piece of hope and exactly what I needed in our current social and physical climate.

Thank you Andrews McMeel publishing & NetGalley for the ARC!

You are a sacred place. 4/5.

Review in english & avis en français plus bas.

Where do I even start ? One thing is for sure : that book has something special in it. Something different. It's impactful. So simple yet so essential. We need to talk about it. More. As human beings.

It's a really nice touch to have the trigger warnings at the beginning. Maybe don't read it when you're in deep dark place. Pay attention to the trigger warnings.

Also, it's a good thing I didn't read it during summer time or I would have, for sure, mentally broken down seriously.

You are a sacred place is a collection of such simple drawings and a few words splattered here and there, yet it is so so so impactful.
I love how that book is made. I love the graphic style, the chart, the rhythm of it. Soft, smooth colors. The wording. The layout of it. It's really simple. It clashes with the contrast of the strong message behind it.

I don't know how a book managed to make me feel that touched, and stirred something deep within me, with just a few words and colors. So simple, very effective.
It's sad. It's beautiful. It's honestly gut wrenching. Light and dark, pretty selection of words

There's silence. Heavy but important, crucial subjects. For humanity. And a glimpse of hope. Necessary hope.
Really loved the experience of reading it.

(I'll probably add more about it when the book is out)

--

L'avis en français sera peut être répétitif mais aussi complémentaire sur certains points et aspects de ma découverte de cet ouvrage.

Ça a été une expérience de lecture vraiment hors du commun pour moi. Dès le début ça m'a impactée. C'est tellement vrai, profond, déchirant et humain. On apprécie les TW mentionnés au début. Ça a été vraiment touchant, et dur. Et ça va chercher quelque chose en nous.

J'ai vraiment adoré la pâte graphique. Le style si minimaliste mais qui dit et exprime beaucoup. La palette de couleurs : douces mais accueillantes, tristes et nostalgiques presque. Le choix des mots. C'est très simple. Le contraste avec la force du message.

J'adore comment le format de la page est organisé avec le découpage et le concept des quatre -- quatre parties, quatre saisons, quatre étapes d'un jour, la terre la mer le ciel et les étoiles. Comme les quatre vitres de verre d'une fenêtre qui a vue sur le monde, sur l'extérieur et sur soi ?

J'ai adoré comment le dessin joue avec ce format coupé en quatre, quand les mots et les dessins, coulent d'un cadre à l'autre, passe à travers et par dessus, par dessous. On a vraiment un fond et une forme.

Le seul bémol, qui fait que ce n'est pas un 5 étoiles, c'est le côté un peu trop ramené à la religion, pour moi. Car ça reste un message universel, avec ou sans cet aspect.


#YouAreaSacredPlace #NetGalley #bookmeawayreviews

This book resonated very deeply with me. I have had a lot of climate related anxiety for a while now and while I have done a lot of work towards managing it, it is always present and often flares up during the next climate related disaster.

The illustrations are beautiful and resonant and the poetry itself is clear, commanding, and empathetic. There were a few different spreads where I found myself getting a little emotional. I will be purchasing this one to come back to during times when I need some reminding that yes, things are very bad, but as the author says "we are not the beginning and we will not be the end."