4 out of 4 stars
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A poetry book by Rana Bitar is a collection of dirge poems detailing how the author, Rana, lost her homeland, during the civil war that took place in Syria. She lost her family and her neighborhood. During the war Rana's house was bombed in the process, and she was left all alone, so she decided to find a way; and she joined the struggle for survival, hope and protection; so as other thousands of her kind, they all boarded rubber boats, and floated to the unknown, some got drowned in the process.
Her tragic experience led her to write this book A loaf of bread which she used to share every picture, every moment and every grasped memory from her hometown, in Syria. Rana got her master's degree in english and creative writing from southern new hampshire university in January 2017. She is a physician professionally and she is currently working on a collection of creative non - fiction stories about her journey as an oncologist. I love Rana's ability to convey her tragic experience into a fine piece of art writings.
From the settings of the poems, it's so obvious the author's experience was an unforgettable one. The book consists of 10 poems, detailing the author's tragic experiences in those times, using metaphors and innuendo to express them effectively. The poems keeps the readers, on a verge of crying. The poems were so complex, at a point it sounded more like a lullabe, when read loud and got to point it sounded more like, a sad and mournful poem. Each poem in Rana's collection is engaging and one would have to read them patiently to truly understand the meaning. The first poem "Where i am from" had a lot to say about her hometown, the first five lines of the poem reads "I am from cobblestones and seven gates"
"I am from cinder and grapes"
"I am from hushed steps to school and the Jasmines, white and cool"
"I am from the salt of the Mediterranean and the stones of Palmyra"
"I am from the first etched letter and the last cry of a war"
Her home was best described with those lines of her poem "where i am from"
Rana deserves an accolade on her versatility and her perspective regarding her devastating experience.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars the book has no typo nor errors in it's contents, the book is emotionally provoking. I recommend this book to readers who loves poetry, that are based on a true life story.
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A Loaf Of Bread
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