"Goodman manages to pull together a vibrant canvas of project life, perfectly capturing the pain and magic of living despite narrow opportunities." -- Publisher's Weekly

"What a poignant book. The younger generation offers a wonderful writer!"  -- Nikki Giovanni, Poet

"The urgency of reading Matthew Aaron Goodman's work is that he complicates what is too often made unrealistically simple: our understanding of ourselves and our neighbors. That he does so with such profound beauty only makes the experience of Hold Love Strong ever more incredible. Everyone should pick up this book."  -- Asha bandele, author of Something Like Beautiful

"Matthew Aaron Goodman writes with tremendous heart and gorgeous lyricism....This story feels like a directive to its readers: Hold fast and true to the love you may know in this life. It takes an extraordinary writer to evoke such powerful emotion in a reader, and Matthew Aaron Goodman does it here with wisdom and grace."  -- Thisbe Nissen, author of The Good People of New York