Very consumable collection of poetry. There are some really thought provoking insight into Judaism and the culture throughout the book. It was interwoven throughout. I enjoyed the poetry itself but the art was a bit sporadic and left something to be desired. It was so full of emotion and really hit be hard after reading Kristin Hannah's Nightingale.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Very beautiful poetry throughout the entire book. I had never heard of this author before and was very impressed by how thought provoking some of the poems were, while I was reading. Poetry isn’t my favorite genre to read, but I really enjoyed this. Being a new mom, the Mother to Child poem really resonated with me. I also loved the artwork while reading.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a love letter to Jews of the diaspora. An acknowledgment of those who have fought, died, and continue to exist. For the voices, cries, screams, and silences ignored.

Each poem is packed full of emotions and honors Jews from the past, present, and future. I appreciated how this touched on various parts of the diaspora - Indonesia, Lebanon, Keifeng, Iran, and Russia. It touches on seldom discussed topics like forced baptisms, Avera Mengistu, and antisemitism from the left and right.

My favorite poem says
"How can I cut that part off me? Attached are the veins of my people, the bones of the dead... the heart in Torah, Aggadah, Midrash, Talmud...... I will not be in the dark to deny that spark with me. To declare that part of me dead, I would rather be your enemy"

Content/Trigger Warnings:
Antisemitism
Colonization
Death
Genocide
Hate Crimes
Violence

A prosaic, brimming look into the life of a Jewish heritage. You can hear the authors voice so easily, as it shows the straightforward, simple pleasures of living and loving in the midst of a heritage that has forever marked the individual as 'other' in a world that does not know how to accept the diversity and weight of the jewish people and life. Good work

A stunning poetry collection that captures the essence of the Jewish experience. The writing is beautiful and lyrical, and her poems explore the themes of love, loss, and identity with sensitivity and depth.

Super quick read - enjoyable but not provoking! but did enjoy it

Thank you to Independently Published Audio & NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this book

"The Diaspora" by Sarah Key is a stunning poetry collection that explores the themes of love, Jewishness, and life. Through a range of languages and poetic forms, Key takes readers on a journey through the complex emotions and experiences of the Jewish diaspora. This collection is a beautiful and thought-provoking work that will resonate with readers of all backgrounds and beliefs.

Author Sarah Key has written a beautiful book full of poems about Jewish religions and customs, families, heartache, loss and love. This book would pair well with “The Barefoot Book of Jewish Tales” by S. Gelfand and for readers of author Kadya Molodowsky. More poetry books are needed like this one, to help[ diversify poetic themes in modern literature. My favorite poems were The Sabbath, The Survivors and Long Distance. The illustrations brought forth visuals that helped me identify with the poems. I feel the author’s emotions as she wrote this book. Five out of five stars and recommended for all readers of poetry and Jewish traditions/communities! Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are voluntary and my own. Posted as the publisher recommended.

This was more religious than I thought it would be so DNF'd at 20% as I don't think I was the intended audience for it and couldn't relate to the author.

I was given this book as a pre-publication edition by the publisher.

I’d never heard of Sarah Key before. The title and description grabbed my attention. I found some of the pieces especially evocative and thought-provoking. I will want to re-read many of these pieces and can see using some in teaching.

This book of poems is fine. There are a couple of really thought-provoking poems in there, some of them with a very clear Jewish message. I was confused that there were also a lot of poems which did not seem related to Judaism or Jewish culture, given the title of the book.

Editing: some of the photos used were formatted strangely, and the artwork was inconsistent (some photos, some b&w, some in colour).

I found the poem named for and about Avera Mengistu to be a little on the nose. He is still considered a missing person so to write a poem about this and throw it randomly into a book of poetry made me a little uncomfortable.

Some of the poems have a title, some don’t.

If you like poetry, or are Jewish and enjoy references to Judaism within art, then this may be for you.