Giveth and Taketh by Rota

Some more poetry on the blog today. It's my stop on the tour for Giveth and Taketh, a short collection of poems by Rota. Thanks to Kelly at Love Books Tours for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy. 

The Blurb:

Was Donald Trump able to become President because God abandoned us? Are Jews white? Does Hell have better weather than Heaven?

In Giveth and Taketh, Rota addresses all of these questions, discussing his own experience and political theology as a Jewish person in the Trump-era while also exploring broader issues of race, mental health and grief. 

Giveth and Taketh was published by Wild Pressed Books on 17th May 2020 and you can purchase it here. 

My Review: 

This was such an interesting collection for me to read. As I'm a white, nominally Christian, middle aged woman living Britain I have no idea what it's like to be a young Jewish man living in the US just now. In fact, I am horribly ignorant about the Jewish faith generally so learned a lot from these poems. 

The poems - there are eleven on them - have Jewishness at their core. We read about traditions and rituals but also frustrations and anger. Whilst often humorous, at least in part, they all address serious issues - global warming features heavily, and so it should. And there is much anger at the current US president - 'this flailing hate crime of a president' (from 'We Again Go Unmentioned ') - again rightly so, in my opinion (I'm not even American and he makes me angry!). Ronald Reagan, in power when the poet was born, also gets an unflattering mention. All of these points are made eloquently and beautifully.

However, as I said, these are poems about being Jewish. About a young man finding his place in his family, with the burdens that tradition brings, whilst often struggling with his faith. A poet questioning God and asking where he's been in 'Midrash': 'It seems like You've been sleeping for a long time.' But mainly this work focuses on the invisibility of Jews, and their faith, historically and in the present day. This issue is presented particularly powerfully for me in 'We Again Go Ummentioned' and 'While Contemplating School Ties in a DC Airport without Air Conditioning' (once I had Googled School Ties!).

Yes, this is a slim volume but it has plenty to say. Rota has taken important subjects and presented them in an  articulate, accessible manner, with a touch of humour and irreverence whilst still managing to pack a passionate and powerful punch. A meaningful collection that it was a privilege to read. 

The Author: 

Rota is a poet and public interest lawyer living in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 

His work has been featured by Button Poetry, Entropy!, FreezeRay Poetry, Alternating Current (February 2020), Jet Fuel Review, and elsewhere. He is a proud member of the MMPR collective and the Assistant Executive Editor of Knights' Library Magazine. 

By day, he supervises law students who provide free legal services to veterans. You can't miss him. He's the tallest Jew for miles.