Over the last year I have really got into poetry, so was very happy to be given an ARC of this poetry anthology. I was drawn to the premise of this collection; exploring themes of everyday living, and kindness. Unfortunately this was not for me. I knew going into this that I was not going to love everything in here as it is an anthology and people's writing styles naturally differ. I struggled to connect to the poems, and I felt the collection was jumbled. I liked the idea of Journal prompts, and poetry analysis, but I felt this maybe could be at the end of the anthology, as it was jarring to read right after finishing a poem. Overall, this is not a bad collection of poems, It just lacked something for me.

I love poetry and kindness and was excited by the premise of this book. The dicreprancy in the quality of the poems made this read far less enjoyable than I expected. Some poems are definitely keepers, while many are just forgettable.

I hate giving poetry lower than 3 stars because it usually isn’t supposed to appeal to a wide audience, but a specific one. I’m giving this three stars, but I think it’s important to remember that poetry is a lot easier to criticize than novels, especially since one person can like something a lot more than another. On top of that, reviewing poetry anthologies can be complicated sometimes, because it is hard to judge an entire book by the content of so many different authors.

The cover is appealing and there are a few select poems that stand out from the rest, but overall a majority of these poems and essays fell flat for me. Plus, I’m not a big fan of the “reflective pause” sections and found them unnecessary.

Note: Thank you to Netgalley & publishers for allowing me access to this arc in exchange for an honest review! Please note that all opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I really liked the premise, the cover, and some of the poems, but overall the whole collection just fell flat for me.
I didn't connect with many of the poems and the subjects they were on were all over the place and very very fluffy.

It is very hard to review an anthology of poems. There are always going to be some of the poems that don’t appeal or that we don’t connect with. As the reader we are reliant on our tastes and preferences matching up with those of the editor of the anthology. If they do not it can be hard to enjoy the volume.

Unfortunately, in this instance, this is what happened to me. The poems in this anthology are, mostly, not to my taste. I felt many of them just ended, hanging in midair. I turned the page expecting more but no. I personally like my poems to conclude, to take me somewhere. I also felt the poems were very American in subject and context, which is fine if you like that sort of thing but I don’t.

There were some poems in the anthology that I did enjoy such as 'The Summer You Learned to Swim' by Michael Simms, 'My Father’s Hands' by Zeina Azzam, 'Vain Doubts' by Julia Alvarez and 'The Raincoat' by Ada Limon. I also enjoyed the reflective pauses and the invitations for writing and reflection. The foreword by Danusha Lameris and introduction by James Crews were a lovely read and perhaps set my expectations too high for the rest of the book.

With thanks to Netgalley and Storey Publishing for providing an advance review copy of the book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I love reading poetry, and the title (and cover) both piqued my interest. After all, the world needs a little more kindness and I looked forward to taking the journey along this 'path'.

However, too many of the works included in this collection were more like an assortment of reassembled or reformatted prose. Is this the ‘path’ down which we are headed? Heaven forbid.

There were some genuinely beautiful pieces but not enough to redeem it in my eyes.

My thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a collection of poetry by various authors, with a little reflection and writing prompt about one of the poems showing up throughout the book. I appreciated these pauses for reflection. The end also included discussion questions about the poems. For this reason it might be nice to read as a group (in a book club, for example) and talk about some of the poems liked or disliked. For me personally only a few of the many poems resonated with me; I found most of the poems forgettable. But while it didn't have a wow factor for me, it was otherwise a nice book of poems revolving around very calming themes such as gardening, nature, simplicity, or love.

The Path to Kindness is a collection of poems by James Crews on kindness.
I love the concept of this poetry and essays on kindness and having connections with other people

Truth is that I prefer poetry that has a bit of depth and covers larger themes, so this was a bit overly sweet and positive for me (which of course isn't a bad thing if that's the kind of poetry you enjoy.

The foreword was probably one of the best ones I've read recently with its personal tone that created an instant emotional connection. The chapter "The Practice of Connection" by James Crews that follows the foreword was also emotional and beautiful. In addition, I enjoyed the reflective pauses after some of the poems that also included an invitation for writing and reflection. Probably including a space in the end of the book for these writing reflections would be a great addition.

This collection includes a variety of poems from a lot of different poets; themes include family, parenting, loss, love, nature, love, dogs, etc. The poems that I loved the most were "My Father's Hands" by Zeina Azzam, "When you meet someone deep in grief" by Patricia McKernon Runkle, and "Ladder" by Phyllis Cole-Dai.

I loved the idea of all these short essays but I didn't think the execution was perfect. I do think it's worth the read if this is what you're into.

Thought provoking, meaningful poems. I really enjoyed most of them. I had a few moments of realisation while reading a few. Though with some of them I did not connect, but overall it was a good read.

Readers may be drawn to this collection by both its title and the book’s cover. Those who enjoyed the first collection curated by Mr. Crews, How to Love the World, will welcome this second compilation.

Many of the entries in this book are about every day life. For example, there is Angela Narciso Torres who writes about a Chore. A brief quote:

My friend turns everything into prayer. Sweeping the leaves, shaving his beard, washing dishes-

The editor reflects on this poem and how it “teaches us to transform ordinary tasks of our lives into generosity.” If a reader is drawn in by this perspective, they should give this book a look.

Some of the more well-known contributors to this book include Julia Alvarez and Ross Gay. Most of the writers were not previously known to me however.

Along with the poems, there are sections called “Reflective Pauses.” These give context to some of the entries and invite a bit of contemplation on the reader’s part.

This book is a generous compendium. About 100 poems are included here.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Ever since discovering my love for reading, I have also discovered my love for poetry and how beautifully worded poems can be while still conveying a powerful message. I was drawn to this book because of the variety of voices it displayed, as well as the stunning cover. Upon opening the book and reading its contents, I felt the poems inside were structured differently, and that could be from the format of the ARC, and I am simply not receiving them in the correct form, but it takes away some of my enjoyment of reading them. However, I found the reflective pause sections to be interesting as I have not seen many poetry books give writing and reflection prompts.

The Path to Kindness: Poems of Connection and Joy is a positive little collection, and I found myself getting excited to go back to it, as I was making way through.

Sprinkled throughout are prompts and questions to allow the reader to reflect on the impact that the pieces are having, and is truly trying to help the reader on the Path to Kindness.

This anthology is exactly what the world needs right now, a path to kindness.

While i didn't love all of the poems in the anthology, there were many that stopped me in my tracks and moved me. I also enjoyed Crews' opening and reflections throughout the anthology.

This is a beautiful and uplifting anthology that reminds us to live consciously and to cherish people and I would definitely recommend it!

This collection of poetry put together was really good to read and gave me hope again. It was nice to read things about kindness and hope once again. Thank you!

What a wonderful collection of poems this was!! Heartfelt and with beautiful prose, I loved each and every one of them! The themes were great and it was all such a cute read!

The beautiful cover of this book was one of the things that attracted me to this anthology, however reading this collection, this book cover’s beauty is equal to the quality of the words contained in it.

A fantastic collection of poetry that connect together one by one, A Path To Kindness shares a diverse and thoughtful series of poems that touch on so many different moments in life and give you something to think about. Each section has a page for reflection where you’re given a moment to take in the words and be inspired to find your own, and those moments allow you to take the words in.

The breadth of talent collected here touch on so many thoughts and feelings, nature, grief, family, love and so much more and certainly could inspire a new writer, or just a way to get something off your mind in a journal as this book really gives you food for thought and a way to pick yourself up mentally if you need it.

An easy read and a delight to delve in to when you need a moment of optimism.

4*

(I received an ARC from Netgalley for honest review).

The Path to Kindness is a poetry collection curated and edited by James Crew. It contains poems which aim at inspiring you, delighting you, entertaining you, and being in your memories like a ray of sunshine. This year was a difficult time for everyone and all of us struggled in one sense or another. For some, it was physical, for some mental, for some financial, and for most of us, all of it together. Pandemic hit the world and everyone was struggling and hopeless, but this book really uplifts your mood and soul with the kind words written in there.

Apart from the positivity it spreads, it also leaves a trail of beautiful images and metaphors for the readers to enjoy. It really was a mood lifter for me. As it is a collection of several poems from different poets, its style varies from poem to poem, but what remains constant is the kindness and hope that emanate from it.

I loved this book and would recommend this to all of you who want to read something positive and good this year. You won't be disappointed.

•~Book Review~•
🌾Kindness.
/ˈkʌɪn(d)nəs/

noun -
• the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.
• a kind act

Earth. A planet. Home to millions of people. Sorry if I do not know the approximate number of people that inhabit the earth but while walking on the road, have you seen the faces of people that pass you by? What do you see? People with myriad faces. Smiling, talking, sad , happy and so much more. Can you see what goes on inside their hearts? Their minds? In their heads? So much hidden into this little body of ours, incomprehensible to others while everyone of us suffer from something inside.
A little act of kindness.
This. These little tiny acts of compassion is so much more, so much soothing, so much healing. Creating waves of joys and connections, these tiny acts have a huge transcendental power that changes your moments and infact your lives.

The Path To Kindness is collection of poems of Joys and kindness , edited by James Crew. This collection has a rich content endowed with beautiful soul touching poems of various writers like Julia Alvarez, Marie Howe, Ellen Bass, Naomi Shihab Nye, Alberto Ríos, Ross Gay, and Ada Limón, as well as new and emerging voices. Featured Black writers include January Gill O’Neil, Tracy K. Smith, and Cornelius Eady. Native American writers include Kimberly Blaeser, Joy Harjo (current U.S. Poet Laureate), and Linda Hogan. The collection also features international voices, including Canadian poets Lorna Crozier and Susan Musgrave celebrating the joys of kindness and mindfulness. This book of poems comes with journaling prompts, exploration of certain selected poems, book readers guide and introduction to all the contributing writers.
🌾
Each poem in the book has touched my soul. I can't even describe the peace it has given me in my times of heart ache and mental anguish. I am fortunate to discover this book and having read it, this book is going to be one of my favourites all time. I have read several poems twice and thrice and so on , and everytime I have read it, it has soothed my heart and my mind. I cannot thank James Crew, Storey Publishing and Netgalley enough for providing me with the the opportunity to read and review it.