Depression & Other Magic Tricks
is the debut book by Sabrina Benaim, one of the most-viewed performance
poets of all time, whose poem "Explaining My Depression to My Mother"
has become a cultural phenomenon with over 5,000,000 views.
Depression & Other Magic Tricks explores themes of mental health, love, and family. It is a documentation of struggle and triumph, a celebration of daily life and of living. Benaim's wit, empathy, and gift for language produce a work of endless wonder.
Oh how much I wanted to love this book. I mean, I absolutely adored her poem "Explaining My Depression to My Mother" and the way she preformed it in that clip. I really felt understood whilst listening to it. I could completely relate to her feelings and how she was experiencing depression. So, having some high hopes of finding someone that understands what it's like and making that pain beautiful with words, I really wanted to love this book.
There were a couple of poems that lived up to that expectation or hope I had, but most didn't. Some I even couldn't fully get through and most I didn't feel connected to. I'm not saying that Sabrina's poetry sucks or is bad, it's just that I couldn't connect with them, feel them, or understand most of them. To me, that is a very important part of poetry. It has to be memorable, and this collection of poetry just wasn't for me.
Most of the poems (the ones I understood) were about a failing or a failed relationship. She starts to talk about how much it hurts, that she misses him incredibly much and that she is nothing without it. That's not a great message to send. It felt a bit like complaining (trust me, I know heartbreak and I get the feeling she was expressing and I understand the need to do that, but it was just so much complaining in my opinion).
Overall I didn't really like this collection of poetry, but I do respect it. I'm not saying it was terrible, maybe it just wasn't my kind of poetry. I can, however, understand if people are able to get a lot out of it. It's not 'worthless' or anything, it just wasn't for me.
Depression & Other Magic Tricks explores themes of mental health, love, and family. It is a documentation of struggle and triumph, a celebration of daily life and of living. Benaim's wit, empathy, and gift for language produce a work of endless wonder.
Oh how much I wanted to love this book. I mean, I absolutely adored her poem "Explaining My Depression to My Mother" and the way she preformed it in that clip. I really felt understood whilst listening to it. I could completely relate to her feelings and how she was experiencing depression. So, having some high hopes of finding someone that understands what it's like and making that pain beautiful with words, I really wanted to love this book.
There were a couple of poems that lived up to that expectation or hope I had, but most didn't. Some I even couldn't fully get through and most I didn't feel connected to. I'm not saying that Sabrina's poetry sucks or is bad, it's just that I couldn't connect with them, feel them, or understand most of them. To me, that is a very important part of poetry. It has to be memorable, and this collection of poetry just wasn't for me.
“insomnia has this romantic way of making the moon feel like perfect company.”
Most of the poems (the ones I understood) were about a failing or a failed relationship. She starts to talk about how much it hurts, that she misses him incredibly much and that she is nothing without it. That's not a great message to send. It felt a bit like complaining (trust me, I know heartbreak and I get the feeling she was expressing and I understand the need to do that, but it was just so much complaining in my opinion).
“my heart has developed a kind of amnesia, where it remembers everything but itself.”
Overall I didn't really like this collection of poetry, but I do respect it. I'm not saying it was terrible, maybe it just wasn't my kind of poetry. I can, however, understand if people are able to get a lot out of it. It's not 'worthless' or anything, it just wasn't for me.
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