To the Monsters of My Past
by Cameron Crews
Xlibris


"I do not necessarily understand
Where all of life’s time goes"

In this collection of poems, a Coraline-like narrator tackles the stresses, difficulties, upsets, downturns, and happy moments of everyday life. Amid the chaos of growing up and recognizing that youth swiftly passes, bullies receive their reckoning, friends come and go, and families experience happiness and decline. Other poems depict a fierce self-awareness that the direction of one's life is in one's own hands. So often the happiness one wants is obtainable with a simple change of outlook: "No matter what it takes, I will have a beautiful / life that I will enjoy and be proud of." As the collection progresses forward, mimicking life's rhythms and beats, one philosophical insight from the narrator reigns supreme: "Each person you cross has a purpose / Their stay either temporary or permanent."

Part confessional diary, part graphic expression, this collection lays open a bleeding soul. The beauty is in the work's openness, its brutal honesty. Described as "a young girl's heartbreak diary," the collection contains poems that stand out as unique individuals, inspiring those experiencing loss, grief, confusion, and recovery. Their central message is that despite the hurtful melee, hope is the one constant, the one refuge, and self-determination is the solid path that many must choose in order to survive. With Rupi Kaur's frankness and Billy Collins' levity, these poems make readers laugh, cry, and empathize. Meanwhile, the artwork interspersed throughout the book gives readers a unique interpretation of the feelings so many are reluctant to express. This collection will likely become an inspiring favorite that young readers, in particular, will return to again and again.

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