Yes to All Things Me

EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT LIFE, I LEARNED FROM DEATH is Briana Beaver's reality. In "Yes to All Things Me" she shares with readers her collection of observations, muses, and reflections as she transversed an extended residence in the chasm between living and dying. Though the narratives are built on her experiences as she coped with illnesses, this is not a medical memoir and the writing is not about her illness or treatment. It is a personal journey, an uncovering of emotions, reactions, and relationships that define life. In the book, Briana's writing is coupled with beautiful and poignant illustrations and graphics. Briana explains, "I died on the day I was born, was brought back to life by the doctors, then for 32 years, calamity after catastrophe deposited me in a strange universe punctuated by details of demise. Having sustained cerebral palsy and an ever-growing list of undefined illnesses, my persistence surprises even me." Briana says, "After college graduation, a new trauma again put me in a deathly state. I lost the ability to eat, to see, to process any sensory input. I was in pulverizing pain and anticipated my inevitable demise. In a desperate attempt to purge emotional toxicity, I began to write. I literally put pen to paper while still unable to physically read. I struggled to control my pen across the blank page. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep. I could not escape indescribable agony, but I could write and that gave me a semblance of power." This book contains forty-three narrative vignettes carefully selected from the hundreds of blogs and diary entries that Briana wrote beginning when she was 23. These vignettes marry poetry and prose to explore Briana's life as a chronic survivor. From symbolic allegory to direct narratives, the observations reveal startling truths, explore relationships, and bemoan injustice. The vignettes are distinctly different in both style and mood, yet are unified by a writer's voice that is mature beyond her 32 years. Briana says, "Words pour from me in search of meaning, mourning and detoxification from the betrayal of body, mind and loved ones." The theme of connection and isolation weaves throughout the book. While the narratives shine a spotlight on some of the darkest corners of chronic illness, reading them brings enlightenment, not despair. "Yes to All Things Me" reverberates with universal topics inquiring about the full spectrum of what it means to be human.

Author: Briana Beaver

Publisher: Independently Published

Publication Date: May 26, 2024

Number of Pages: NA pages

Language: English

Binding: Paperback

ISBN-10: 1698187629

ISBN-13: 9781698187624