I wrote Brightwood Street Chronicles as a means of giving myself permission to speak the truth about my traumatic childhood. I’d come to a place in my healing where I knew it was time to rediscover the voice I’d been robbed of as a child. I’ve been a writer since the age of seven and have always expressed myself best in the written word.
Also, I longed to be a voice for those who are suffering from what I went through (sexual abuse). I don’t want the darkness to win. The poems in this collection are one way to bring light to the darkness, to call things by their proper names. I hope they will encourage those who are stuck in the misery of their past to begin to seek healing so they too can find their unique voice in this world.
Each poem in Brightwood Street Chronicles is a different facet of my experiences of abuse. In Steady Hands, I express the awareness I had that I was the abused, red-headed stepchild of the family. I knew I was different and there was nothing I could do about it. In this poem, I explore how that awareness drove me to turn to the act of writing as a source of comfort, and of not losing my unique self. In Holy Ground, I explore the cognitive dissonance of attending church with my outwardly upright mother while knowing of the evils she condoned behind closed doors. King of the Mountain is a lamentation of the intrusive nature of sexual abuse. Even alone in my bed there was no guaranteed privacy or safety. Each poem highlights a different way in which the abuse affected and changed me.
I’m currently working on my memoir where my childhood experiences will be fleshed out in more detail. My purpose with my memoir is to give a rounded view of what my life was like before the abuse, and how it changed me over the years to become the woman I am today. It’s my hope that anyone who has suffered any kind of abuse and trauma in childhood will be able to relate to my story, and be inspired by my words.
Brightwood Street Chronicles is a poetry book I was desperate to read ever since discovering it. I love poetry but only if the poems that are written are poignant, moving and will provoke my thoughts about life and Brightwood Street Chronicles holds many poems that do just this. I love poetry, but sadly these days some poetry books are lackluster and forgettable and lack emotional importance. However, Brightwood Street Chronicles does not fall into this category as each poem is incredibly moving and has a lesson behind it as well as a message to survivors and that to me is admirable, important and memorable. That is why I already have to recommend that you lovely readers have a read of Brightwood Street Chronicles, however, if you need more convincing then continue to read to learn more about this gem!
Brightwood Street Chronicles is an incredibly poignant poetry book which has memoir themes. Deb Rhodes is the author of Brightwood Street Chronicles and in her book, she poignantly shares her story, and she does this by sharing her thoughts, feelings, and experiences through her poetry and the result is a raw and exceptional book that should not be missed. The reader in Brightwood Street Chronicles will learn about Rhodes’s life and the sexual abuse she sadly suffered. Deb Rhodes is an incredible writer and the reader in Brightwood Street Chronicles will learn of the abuse she experienced throughout her childhood and she pours her heart and soul into poems surrounding this. There are many poems laced throughout Brightwood Street Chronicles, which are all a way of Deb Rhodes expressing herself, being a voice for other survivors and a way for her to speak her truth and heal.
There are many poems in Brightwood Street Chronicles which I loved, however, it is hard to pick just one as they were all so special and poignant. The reader as they read a host of different poems will notice that they are incredibly moving and although a lot of them are emotional, they should still be read because it would be near impossible for somebody to not fall in love with the poems written in Brightwood Street Chronicles and be moved from start to finish. The poems laced throughout Brightwood Street Chronicles are so brilliantly written and unique that I have not been able to stop thinking about them. As soon as I would finish one I would end up re-reading it because I wanted to immerse myself in it again.
I have read a lot of poems in my time, especially since a young age but never have I ever been so provoked by the ones in Brightwood Street Chronicles emotionally and mentally. Deb Rhodes does this with her mesmerizing prose and well developed and structured poems. The poems truly will keep readers turning the pages from beginning to end.
Overall Brightwood Street Chronicles is a sensational, moving, and beautiful poetry book that should not be missed, I, of course, have to award this stellar book five stars! So please, have a read of Brightwood Street Chronicles and get lost in the captivating words of Deb Rhodes and be compelled to read from the very beginning to the very end… you will not regret it!
Thank you so much for reading book lovers! I appreciate it so much. Here is a preview of the book for all of you lovely readers to enjoy! Please have a read of the preview and if you find that you have loved what you have read then all you need to do is follow the links below!
Goodbye for now book lovers,
P.S. Below I have attached some links about the author and this wonderful book so if you would like to learn more about the author and the book then please have a browse. Thank you so much again for reading book lovers!
