Sisters’ Entrance

Title: Sisters' Entrance
Author: Emtithal Mahmoud
First Published: May 29, 2018
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Pages: 128
Genre: Non-Fiction, Poetry
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Rating:


Synopsis:

2015 World Poetry Slam Champion and Woman of the World co-Champion Emtithal "Emi" Mahmoud presents her hauntingly beautiful debut poetry collection.

Brimming with rage, sorrow, and resilience, this collection traverses an expansive terrain: genocide; diaspora; the guilt of surviving; racism and Islamophobia; the burdens of girlhood; the solace of sisterhood; the innocence of a first kiss. Heart-wrenching and raw, defiant and empowering, Sisters’ Entrance explores how to speak the unspeakable.

Review

I’ve struggled to gather my thoughts on this collection, I was just so blown away and overwhelmed by the emotions elicited by this book. The poetry collected here comes from a very personal place for the author, who is a Sudanese refugee that survived the war and genocide in Darfur. Some poems were heavy and spoke of her traumatic experiences such as in People Like Us and The Bride. Others, like Why I Haven’t Told You Yet, were more light-hearted but still carry a strong message. All of these poems pulled together gives readers a glimpse into the life of the author, her family, her experiences, and her outlook on life.

Emi is very mature and writes beautifully. She is truly a remarkable young woman and I hope that she has a long career in writing ahead of her. The author has done a TED Talk about her experience with genocide that is absolutely worth watching. This book is invaluable for the reflections and memory history within its pages, this is a harrowing but ultimately hopeful read that I want to scream I wish that this book was talked about more.

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