Apr1

There was a Time by Andrew Reynolds

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There Was a Time

 

Long-time blog buddy, Andrew Reynolds has fulfilled his dream of publishing an anthology of poetry reflecting on his own cancer diagnosis and the illness and passing of his mother to the disease.

Andrew’s use of the written word makes you see what he sees and feel what he feels.

His writing is so beautiful it hurts. I recommend you buy his book today.

Here’s what a mutual (former blogging) friend, Carrie, wrote in her Amazon review:

I opened up this book with the intention of reading a few poems from it each day, which, as someone who doesn’t read much poetry, is often how I approach it, but once I started, I couldn’t stop. In this collection of poems, Reynolds chronicles the maelstrom of thoughts and emotions that accompany a diagnosis of cancer, its treatment and recovery, and its psychological toll. Part of my eagerness to devour these poems was my background as a physician–it’s always thought-provoking to read about a patient’s experiences–but most of it stemmed from the beauty and rawness of the author’s words.

In his opening poem, he writes:
“And listen to a song of a simple man
Thrown hard at sea and
Cast adrift in unknown lands–”

From there, the reader experiences what it was like to receive the diagnosis of prostate cancer, the fear and unknown that accompanies its treatment, recovery, and ultimately survival, which comes with its own set of complicated feelings. As the author writes:
“Sing a song
of gratitude
with just a bit of attitude.

To say I was moved by this collection is an understatement. The book would be well-placed in waiting rooms and hospital gift shops. Reynolds doesn’t sugarcoat the process, and I suspect cancer patients and their loved ones would appreciate his honesty.”

back cover

Here’s the back cover. The only thing I take issue with regarding Andrew’s bio is he forgot to mention that on his blog he also posts the occasional cat photo for his crazed fan, Betsy. Andrew, next volume, got it?

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15 responses »

  2. What a wonderful review, Betsy. You captured what I suspected–I haven’t yet read the book. I’m hoping it comes out in digital soon! Andrew’s blog is just like this, isn’t it? Witty but down to earth.

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    • Witty but down to earth is right. Please note, however, that most of that review is from Carrie, not me. She did a great job. I only said a couple things about his writing to start. Don’t want to take tooo much credit. A little, but not too much. 😉

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    • Ally, that’s a really astute way of summarizing what Andrew has done. Thanks for pointing that out. I’m glad to hear you’re interested. May we never have to experience what he went through first hand! (But if we do, we’ll at least be prepared.)

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