By: Carole Lonsdale
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These poems are the author’s way of expressing her feelings and thoughts, and a way of coping with mental illness experienced by herself and her family. By putting her thoughts into poems, some sad and some funny, it gives her a sense of belief.
She hopes this experiment of hers will help others out there, knowing there is a way to relieve the pressure of anxiety by putting pen to paper and writing about those pent-up thoughts.
Born in Solihull, West Midlands, to a Scottish mother and English father, the author recalls being taken to Scotland to stay with her nana as a child. Her father was captured at Arnhem and taken to a prisoner-of-war camp where he was held for nine months. When he was released, he made his way back to England and was sent to recoup in a hospital in Wales. The author was brought back to England to start school at five years of age.
In her later years, she trained as a hairdresser, got married, had two children, both with a very rare condition that has no cure. Her son passed away after experiencing years of mental health issues through panic and anxiety attacks.
This is why mental health, to her, is so important!
Mental health is very important to Carole Lonsdale because her son passed away after experiencing years of mental health issues through panic and anxiety attacks. Black Clouds to Sunshine is a compilation of different poems. Having lost her son to a mental disorder, the author has mirrored her thoughts about life and mental health issues in this book. As the title of the book implies, there are some joyful thoughts noted in this book; this is done through humor.
The book starts with a dedication to her late son, Darren. It makes a lot of sense that the first poem is dedicated to him. "He never should have died" is the title of the poem that tells readers of the death of a promising, young boy. It's clear that these are the deep thoughts of the author. I instantly connected with this book. It was heartwarming to read about the mental health issues described in this book. No one really understands. The doctors try, but the solutions they proffer are always temporary. Time and time again, people who suffer from mental health, anxiety, and panic attacks carry their burdens all alone. Reading this book made me think about how difficult it must have been for Darren and Carole.
The structure of this book is commendable. The rhyme schemes made the poems even more intriguing. How could words be played with so meaningfully? There were poems about almost everything. One thing I liked about this book was how the author was able to explain seemingly little things in the most relatable manner. Carole made me understand that short sentences could have lengthy and deep meanings. She proved herself to be a master of words. I found myself smiling at the creativity of the author. She mirrored pain in such a way that I felt it. However, this book was not entirely a sad piece. There were humorous poems in this book.
I liked the themes that were explored in this book. One interesting and insightful poem talked about marriage. With a piece of paper marriage starts, and with a piece of paper, it could end. There wasn't anything that I disliked about this book. This book has it all: both black clouds and sunshine. With all pleasure, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. This book reminds me of the reason poetry is both a path to and through the soul. I only found an error, so this book was professionally edited.
I recommend this book to lovers of poetry. If you have a loved one who suffers from mental health or anxiety attacks, I recommend this book to you. If you just want to read Carole's beautifully written thoughts, this is definitely a book for you.
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