I found the common theme, Rifqa, the author's grandmother who was a symbol of Palestinian resistance since she was forcibly removed from her home during the Nakba, to be incredibly compelling. Because of this common thread, Mohammed El-Kurd's poems are filled with a sense of tenderness even in their most hard-hitting moments. I can tell he put a lot of thought into showing the subjects of his poems as they are; completely, wholly, imperfectly. It made it impossible not to connect with the poems' subjects, and humanized them in a way that I think is missing in a lot of current media. 

I also admired the author's weaving of his experience living under occupation with his experience as a student in Atlanta. The Black liberation and Palestinian liberation movements are so intertwined, and it was interesting to read about that connection from his point of view. 

The 3 star rating is definitely 100% a "it's not you, it's me" situation; these poems are beautiful, impactful, and left me with an ache in my heart, but I am honestly too inexperienced, so many of the author's clever metaphors, wordplay, and references went way over my head. I definitely recommend this collection.