Holme Truths by HMP Holme House

Rating:

4 Stars

Themes:

Poetry

Thoughts:

I saw this in a local library and being a true crime fan and a Smoggie I thought this could be a fun read. I thought that there were some great poets contained here and that collecting and publishing the works like this is a great way to encourage creative writing exercises (especially with the benefits for inmates). I was pleasantly surprised by how heartfelt and touching many poems were and they were an interesting look behind the walls of a prison and the life of those in there.

Favourite Quote:

“Every day in the library I am rubbing shoulders with millions of words that have given inspiration to those who have suffered tragedy and to others who have risen above their own demons to demonstrate how the human spirit can triumph over adversity.”

Comments

Mint and Murder by Carly Winter

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Shame-Sex Attraction by Lucas Wilson

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, LGBTQ+ Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is definitely a difficult read and it took me quite a while to get through it for that very reason. It is split up into 17 different peoples experiences with a foreword and afterword. It’s definitely an important read for many as these practices are still legal in many countries, including my own, and without knowledge of the damage of the practices many may not join in the protests or sign the petitions to try to get laws in place. As a member of the community myself I found some of these stories such as the ‘Sniffing the Gay Away’ and ‘Convert’ especially difficult to read and reminded me just how lucky I was to have such a supportive and loving community around me. I appreciated that the afterword highlighted the limitations of the collection such as having little to no religious, geographical or racial diversity but that they did try to ga...

Broken Glass by Sarah Kay

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Poetry Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This collection is mixed for me, some of the poems were really good and all were definitely emotive but I think so many poems on the Hamas attack and subsequent war which is highly politically charged a little difficult to tackle. Favourite Quote: "What good is it to open my heart when in the end, you will stab it in the back?"

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