On The Move: Poems About Migration (paperback)

Description

‘On The Move: Poems About Migration’ by Michael Rosen

“On The Move: Poems About Migration” is a book that has been skilfully written and compiled by Michael Rosen. Using his own personal experiences and insightful observations of the struggles of refugees, the book is divided into four sections. The first section details Michael’s early experiences of being brought up in a Jewish family with origins mostly in Poland. The second and third sections explores the impact of the Second World War on Michael’s family. The final section is Michael’s observations of the wider world. Despite being aimed at an older audience, the book includes some poems that could be carefully shared with younger readers, such as “On the Move Again”, which features delightful rhymes like “take the train, catch a plane, make a trip, on a ship”. One of the most moving poems in the book is “Dear Oscar and Rachel”, which recounts their proximity to freedom during the Second World War and the potential alternate life they could have had. Michael’s personal family history intertwines powerfully with his outlook on the refugee crisis, making it impossible to not be moved by his words. Perhaps if more of us shared in Michael’s perspective, the world would already be a better place. As Michael eloquently puts it in his opening, “…Home shouldn’t be decided by country borders. Home is where you find it.’

Reviewed by VIP Team: Rob McCann