Author: Various (11 authors)
Publisher: Dreaming Big Publications
Reviewed By: Jessica
About the Book:
This collection of poetry, memoirs and stories of short fiction presents to the reader such themes as depression, suicide, hopelessness, grief, loss, love, mental illness, and abuse both emotional and physical experienced by the writers or someone close to them.
This collection serves to demonstrate that hiding behind shame or fear rather than sharing emotional pain as the authors in these works do is tantamount to “putting on a mask” or “wearing a person suit.” It is pretending. It is a state of existing but not truly living life to the fullest.
The 11 authors featured in this collection have taken off their “person suit,” exposed their true selves to the world so that others may find their own voice and the courage to speak about mental illness and abuse of any kind.
My Review:
4/5 Stars
Person Suit is a powerful, engaging poem and short story anthology collection that addresses mature topics such as abuse and mental illness. Eleven authors contribute material organized into six categories: sexual abuse, mental illness, love, grief/loss/death/aging, emotional and physical abuse, and the ups and downs of life. The poems and short stories capture the painful moments associated with theses topics, as they share their own stories. The lengths of each piece vary, but each is packed with emotional content.
The section that really spoke to me was Mental Illness. The theme of escaping reality, or finding a different reality was present in these pieces. I felt as if I were next to the individuals within the story, as the authors did a wonderful job capturing the personal side of mental illness and the different effects it can have on the mind. Although I cannot necessarily connect on a personal level, it was easy to connect with the emotion.
I have the upmost respect for these authors and their work, as well as others who find a way to share their stories or a version of their past. It takes a lot of courage to “take off their person suit,” and express their true nature and past to the world. It is reassuring that writing is becoming a way to help people find peace and deal with these issues. I hope others find the strength to express themselves in some way and be able to start to heal.
Amazon Link
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.