Cover Image: Incomplete Maps

Incomplete Maps

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Member Reviews

NetGalley and Ashoka Tree Publishing provided me an ARC copy of Incomplete Maps by Judy R. Sebastian.

I liked the idea of travel personas. Though the book has poems about the lives of different people, I noticed how the imagery didn't have a single person in it. That was cleverly done. I was drawn to the illustrations just as much as the poems. Some of them stuck like glue, some of them faded in the background. She delivered what was promised; an experience like a phone call from an old friend. Reading the book felt just like that. There's a little something in there for everyone, especially for those coping with loss.

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This is the first time I'm hearing of third culture individuals, and I wish more people spoke about it. This isn't your typical poetry book. The illustrations that go with the poems make for a whole different experience. I tried rereading a few poems and noticed how the emotions changed there.

This book portrays many people from different age groups and cultures. I love how subtly she shares the journey of a trans person, of a lesbian, and of a man in the park, of refugees caught in between a war, and of a person rising to become a leader (that one hit me hard because of something I'm currently experiencing at work).

Vilomah made me cry a little. She has a point there. I don't want to spoil it too much but I will share that she raised an important question about parents who have lost their children.

Thank you Net Galley, Ashoka Tree, and Judy R. Sebastian for introducing me to Incomplete Maps.

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*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review from the publisher and Netgalley.*

This will be a short review.

I appreciated the message behind every poem but, unfortunately, not always the way it was delivered. The pages have beautiful illustrations to go along with the words so I enjoyed looking at those. The style is not my cup of tea, however I did like the variety of topics included such as identity, trauma, inclusion, and human rights. When reading a book I look for myself throughout the pages and I just didn’t find much that I could relate to, or feel. I would still recommend this to others who might read poetry for other reasons.

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"What makes a compass trustworthy
is not its engraving, but its ability,
to magnetically align itself with the Earth.

The same can be said about our purpose.
It takes an alignment of two elements.
If the heart does not accept what the hand does,
then the head will continue to spin aimlessly,

like a broken compass."

I appreciated the message behind every poem collected here but, unfortunately, not always the way it was delivered. This poet's style might not be for me but the exploration of important social themes - such as identity, trauma, inclusion, and human rights - made this an important collection. I hope others get to enjoy the power of these words.

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Thanks to Netgalley & Ashoka Tree Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book! ♥

5 / 5 Stars

Ah yes, there isn't quite a feeling like finishing a good book, that managed to make you feel both emotional and heartbroken, as well as warm and hopeful at the same time.

What I mean to say by that is, that I felt very understood and seen while reading some of these. They hit you right in the gut, forcing you to fake a smile, because yeah, been there, seen that. Same.

There is also a lot of hopeful, uplifting and inspireing poetry to be found in this. Both sections were sprenkled all over the books and the different parts of the book. And both of them were made up of really strong poetry.

I think I fell in love today. The way these poems were written, the style and the craftmanship, was just really amazing.
So congrats. This didn't just inspire my soul, it also inspired my inner writer.

I don't have anything more to say besides: A really stunning debut-collection!

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I really enjoyed this poetry book. It was such a lovely, hopeful one
There were such a good range of poems, so I feel like there will definitely be some for everybody. I definitely had my favourites and ones I loved, and also ones I didn't really relate too but that's why I loved this one because I feel like there will always be some poems in here that you can relate to!!

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