Review of Hold Your Breath
Posted: 03 May 2023, 15:36
[Following is a volunteer review of "Hold Your Breath" by Rana Bitar.]
Hold Your Breath is a collection of poems, all penned down by Rana Bitar, who is a poet and an oncologist. This poetry book was written during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. She writes about herself as an oncologist behind the mask, her feelings, like where she would rather be when the world ends, her family, and the loss of her brother. Some poems are sad, and some are happy.
The book contains a total of sixteen poems, my favorite being Warning. It deduced fierceness and a protectiveness toward her patient. It was obvious that she really cares about her patients, and she feels their pain, worries, and finally, hope. I've always gone with the notion that poems should have rhyming lines. How wrong that notion was. Rana Bitar did not have to follow that stereotype to create this beautiful book.
I recall vividly that in the year 2020, during the COVID-19 outbreak, a friend joked that if we wore our nose masks and covered our noses and mouths long enough, future generations would believe our noses and mouths were private parts of our bodies. Her poem titled Evolution talks about something similar: "Are we going to evolve over the years? Masks becoming a part of the skin." I must say that I was smitten by the author's style of writing.
There is nothing to dislike about this book. The author writes in a manner that leaves a calming effect on her readers. She did not hold back in describing her emotions about certain situations.
The book was impeccably and flawlessly edited. I did not find a single error. I enthusiastically rate Hold Your Breath 5 out of 5 stars. I hope to read more poetry from the author. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone who loves and enjoys poetry.
******
Hold Your Breath
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Hold Your Breath is a collection of poems, all penned down by Rana Bitar, who is a poet and an oncologist. This poetry book was written during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. She writes about herself as an oncologist behind the mask, her feelings, like where she would rather be when the world ends, her family, and the loss of her brother. Some poems are sad, and some are happy.
The book contains a total of sixteen poems, my favorite being Warning. It deduced fierceness and a protectiveness toward her patient. It was obvious that she really cares about her patients, and she feels their pain, worries, and finally, hope. I've always gone with the notion that poems should have rhyming lines. How wrong that notion was. Rana Bitar did not have to follow that stereotype to create this beautiful book.
I recall vividly that in the year 2020, during the COVID-19 outbreak, a friend joked that if we wore our nose masks and covered our noses and mouths long enough, future generations would believe our noses and mouths were private parts of our bodies. Her poem titled Evolution talks about something similar: "Are we going to evolve over the years? Masks becoming a part of the skin." I must say that I was smitten by the author's style of writing.
There is nothing to dislike about this book. The author writes in a manner that leaves a calming effect on her readers. She did not hold back in describing her emotions about certain situations.
The book was impeccably and flawlessly edited. I did not find a single error. I enthusiastically rate Hold Your Breath 5 out of 5 stars. I hope to read more poetry from the author. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone who loves and enjoys poetry.
******
Hold Your Breath
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon