Review of Hold Your Breath

[Elizabeth Humberstone]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Hold Your Breath" by Rana Bitar.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Hold Your Breath, An Oncologist's Diary, written by Rana Bitar, is an incredibly raw book of poetry.

Hold Your Breath is about an oncologist who works with cancer patients at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Bitar beautifully describes what it is like to work behind a mask. She writes of the difficulty of hiding the truth when people can only see your eyes. She works in a hospital, so she must self-quarantine and stay six feet away from her family while at home. Bitar writes of the wrenching heartache she felt when one of her cured cancer patients came back to the hospital. Someone who fought for her life and celebrated when she won the battle, only to end up on a ventilator and have to fight all over again.

I loved this book. Bitar has written these poems with incredible imagery that truly speaks to the reader. She has an incredible way of showing her emotions and her story through her words. She pulls at the readers' hearts because these stories clearly come straight from hers.

The only criticism I have for Hold Your Breath is that it is not long enough. It is an incredible read, and I would love to read more. I found no grammatical, typographical, or punctuation errors in this book. It was exceptionally well written and edited.

I rate Rana Bitar's book, Hold Your Breath, five out of five stars. It is a truly eye-opening book that I cannot fault.

I recommend this book to everyone, from teenagers to adults. It is a short book good for a quick read, whether you are interested in poetry or not. I had not read a lot of poetry books before this, but it has helped me discover a whole genre of books to read. Please be aware that this book contains COVID-related deaths, which may be difficult for some readers.

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Hold Your Breath
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