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PHANTOM BULLET’S
![PHANTOM BULLET'S by [Andrew Avra]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/513nfBksKpL.jpg)
Phantom Bullets by Andrew Avra is a collection of paintings and journal extracts depicting the mental health issues faced by Lilly. Through the visual representations of her internal battle as well as images showing parts of her past, the reader is able to follow along and get an intimate understanding of Lilly’s mind. Interspersed throughout are short extracts from her journal which further helps the reader to keep track of how Lilly is feeling and follow the flow of the artwork.
Going through each stage of her life and her struggles, you can clearly see the changes that take place. One aspect which varies drastically is the colors used to paint the watercolor images, in the beginning, although you can tell there is a lot going through her mind, the colors used are quite vivid shades of pink, purple and blue. As you move through her life the colors gradually become duller and there are much darker shades used which may represent the different mental health problems she is dealing with. It is also done well as you get to see both her external reality beside what is happening internally.
Phantom Bullets is a fantastic representation of the wide variety of mental health problems a person can experience, and in many paintings, demons are depicted which makes it clear the journey you are following. I think it would work better as an art collection, both as a way of telling the story or as one-off pieces of work. I would’ve liked a little dialogue to get a better sense as to what Lilly was feeling in the moment. The images can be interpreted a different way then what the author intended. But I suppose this is also the point of art isn’t it? The reader does get a more in-depth insight into how someone can be struggling internally and the different ways they try to express their emotions.
Phantom Bullets is a unique graphic novel with interesting art pieces all throughout the book that tell a thought-provoking and impassioned story in vivid color.
Pages: 131 | ASIN: B09CN45D8N
Elmer & Virginia
Elmer & Virginia by John Odell is an emotional and illuminating memoir of two young people in love, but forever changed by World War II. Their personal story is told through a compilation of letters Elmer and Virginia sent to one another. These letters were handwritten with love between the years of 1939 and 1944. The letters are endearing and really capture the feel of the times. I also admire their determination to keep a strong connection in a long distance relationship. At one point in the collection of letters, Virginia gets upset when Elmer doesn’t write her back. These moments ensure readers understand that these were humans doing their best in tough times.
Virginia, or affectionately called by Elmer in the letters “Ginny”, was a college student at Syracuse University. She expressed her love through poems throughout her letters. I enjoyed the poems that involved addressing her inner self. One poem in particular addressed her love for another man by the name of George Hall. Though later as I read on, it was made clear that no one had her heart like Elmer Odell. Virginia also had a diary where she would journal her more personal stories. Some snippets were used to help better understand the connection between her and Elmer. Unlike today where people capture their life stories in videos on Instagram and Twitter, these letters and poems bring you back to a time when life was not necessarily simpler, but a whole world different, and John Odell is able to capture that in this emotionally resonant biography.
Pictures of Elmer & Virginia and the letters were included in this collection. This, for me, was critical in connecting with them both and I really enjoyed seeing them. The chemistry between the two was as organic as it can get. They shared a love of music and dancing that helped their love to become deeper. It was interesting to read the terms and phrases that were used during that time as well as follow Elmer’s enlistment in the air corps.
Elmer & Virginia is a beautiful reflection on love and war. This is a book that has the ability to transport you back to that time and let you inhabit the personal lives of two very intriguing people.
Pages: 488 | ASIN: B08ZL49728
Born Under The Gaslight – Book Trailer
A Memoir of My Descent Into Borderline Personality Disorder
“What will the neighbors think?” “Keep your voice down, or the neighbors will hear you screaming.” I never knew The Neighbors, but, more importantly, they never knew my family. Right next door was a house of horror, and they indeed never knew. This is the story that was carefully concealed from you. This is the story that can happen even if you do grow up with neighbors watching.
From author Cindy Collins comes an unblinkingly honest, poignant, and often heartbreaking firsthand account of what it’s like to live with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) . . . and the pervasive trauma she endured as a child that led to her descent into the dark world of BPD. Gaslighted by her mother—who cultivated an outward appearance of being the perfect wife and mother—Cindy suffered ongoing sexual abuse by multiple family members, abandonment, and cruelty at the hands of the one person who should have loved and protected her most. The resulting fits of rage, extreme thinking, difficulty maintaining relations, and depression would set Cindy on a path of destruction until she finally found the hope and courage to fight her demons.
Chronicling her childhood of abuse, her diagnosis of BPD in her twenties, and her ultimate road to recovery, Born Under the Gaslight is a memoir like none you have ever read before. Offering a rare and insightful glimpse into the inner struggles of someone who lives with BPD, Born Under the Gaslight is a must-read for therapists, others living with BPD, and anyone wanting to understand the complexities of BPD and how to offer practical and emotional support.
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