Touched by Bipolar - Paperback

by Joss Smith Wesson (Author)

I find this book a beautiful piece of retrospective writing full of sensitive insight and tender descriptions. The introduction is quite breathtaking as an anticipation of the events that will come later and is also a glimpse into the author's thoughts and, especially, his character. The introduction is also important in the way that it starts the question about the arrogance of society in relation to the painful misfortune of a person enduring a so-called mental illness. Society lifts its shield of indifference in order to build its precarious opulence out of the pain of the mentally ill person. I became familiar with the way that events are communicated so powerfully and particularly enjoyed witnessing the journey through the hardships and wonders of the author's adolescence in Africa. I was taken by the miracle of his description of the mysterious landscapes and places that inhabit his many memories. His work in various farms, weekends with friends, the awakening of love, his impressions of the Zulu workers, and the motorbike-all early memories that have a mix of innocence and candid enthusiasm colored by tender sensuality. The episode with the girls in the bus leaves the impression of being at one with the author in being fully aware of the experience while being acutely conscious of his feelings and meanings. In another chapter I found myself dramatically touching his experiences as a schoolboy in England and the difficulties of learning and relearning the peculiarities of the culture and the feelings of vulnerability finding his place in a foreign country. The author shows a lot of courage enduring this moment in his life. Another one of my favorite chapters was the unforgettable journey across Australia as a hitchhiker. A journey colored by freedom and friendship. Everything in the book is an anticipation of the author's meeting with Belinda. All women (including Beauty) are only affinities that have led to the real essence of love, all preparations for it. It is not difficult to understand the author's good fortune at being capable of holding in his mind and dreams the power of love and to be loved by a woman. This is the heart of the book. The mix of styles and poetry is powerful strength of the book. Many great authors have tried these combinations (Goethe, Emerson, Flaubert, and even Shakespeare) with amazing aesthetical results. The poet knows the language of the spirit. Life and death; love and sadness, loneliness are all mystical reflections which are the nourishments of the poems. All elements of the author's reality are beautifully drawn in a rhythmic space. This book travels beyond the intentions of comprehension of a medical condition. The mental pain experienced during the outbreak of depression is the material which gives birth to a reflective piece of art. Beauty comes from unexpected sources and this book is about the beauty of life.