Wave Rider: A Poetic Journey from Abuse to Wholeness

by Rebecca Pott Fitton

Wave Rider is a poetic reflection of author Rebecca Fitton's long journey to heal from sexual abuse, abandonment, and neglect, building a new world based on wholeness of body, mind, and spirit. Her journey has taken a lifetime. To use the metaphor of waves, sometimes the undertow nearly drowned her--but she survived. Now her beautiful and profound book offers inspiration to others who have also suffered greatly from abuse.

Genres: Poetry

72 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2017

Reviews

[Keep Calm Novel On · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author provided a copy of the eBook in exchange for an honest review.

Wave Rider: A Poetic Journey from Abuse to Wholeness by Rebecca Pott Fitton is a truly inspiring collection of poetry and short essays. Her use of ‘waves’ as a metaphor is simply brilliant. The honest and raw emotions will draw the reader into her challenging world. This page-turner reveals her abuse and her determination to heal. The journey and growth of character are never over.

[Deborah Blanchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

"To use the metaphor of waves, sometimes the undertow nearly drowned me; but I survived."
This is a very short book of poems with an essay at the beginning of each stage of the authors journey to finding herself and her voice. She found her voice through poetry, which I can relate to. I can also relate to being a survivor of sexual abuse. These poems tell her story. She may have started the journey as a victim of PTSD but she finally chose to not let that define who she infinitely was as a person. I understand PTSD, as I was diagnosed as well. There are triggers and I hope that she never again experiences them. This is a heart wrenching thing to happen and yet she , as an adult, chose to become a survivor and no longer be a victim of early childhood abuse. That role had defined her. She no longer lets it. The poems are wonderfully written and though not your typical way of telling a story, these poems do tell that story. The story of , as she says, becoming whole again.
"So if we desire to live in a world of peace, we must create that within. Then peaceful energy will attract others who are and intend to be peaceful. It is time to create who we want to be. To change the world, we must change ourselves. The time is now."

[Anna Dimitrova · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually read the book twice before submitting as a read one. I am not keen on poetry usually, but finding myself in a difficult period of my life, the title stuck with me - it sounded like what I was experiencing - with all the ups and downs following one after the other. Having no experience with any kind of sexual abuse I can't claim I get the book fully, but I did find things that stuck with me, things like "The hurt comes from an expectation of kindness too much to hope for in this lifetime". I have experience this. And continuing with the reading I suddenly realised it's not about the sexual abuse, it's about the hurt and the healing of it.
The stories between the poetry sounded like poetry to me too, and gave me the pespective, made me feel like I am the one experiencing all this. I could relate with all of them. One thing I didn't like is how litteral was the healing process described. I had a feeling I'm reading "Women Who Run With the Wolves" of Clarissa Pinkola Estés again. I myself find relief in these healing concepts but the text suddenly changed from a personal confession to a kind of preaching.
I also didn't understand the linear costruction of the book - it starts with problems and goes slowly to healing from them which is not what happens in the real world and certantly don't relate to the waves as a metaphor.
Overall, I find this book a great read and I would recommend it to all my female friends. It will stuck with everyone who ever had big struggles in her life.

[Blogging Mama101 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written, honest, sometimes brutally so, but uplifting, hopeful, inspiring.

I can't claim to know if this book would be helpful to victims of sexual abuse but the author's eloquent narrative, brave openness and affirmative prose were a privilege to read. Her poems take us over the waves with her, each new realization, each peeling back of another layer, each coming in to touch with another emotion are the waves she invites us to ride with her.

Whether you are a fan of poetry, autobiography or seeking inspiration through adversity, this book has something for you.

[Shannon Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I am not a poetry person. However, the journey mentioned intrigued me. The poems were a wave of emotions. I could feel the pain of the beginning and the healing of the end. The poems were very authentic to the journey. Ms. Fitton tells a journey that can inspire anyone who had been through pain and need healing. It hurt my heart to even imagine the pain she endured, but it provides hope that one can heal from it.

[Jennifer Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wave Rider is an emotional poetry collection. It is enjoyable from start to finish. The layout of each section is intriguing. I enjoy the backstory that is written at the beginning of each section. The feeling left behind from reading this collection is empowering and I would love to read more work by Rebecca Pott Fitton.
To see my full review https://www.boundtowriting.com/poetry...

[Sheri Prielipp-Falzone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was eager to read this poetic journey because the author and I have several things in common - abuse as a child, coming to terms with our abuse in our near or our 50's, Michigan, and being poets. Writing any book, but particularly a book with this content takes tremendous courage. I applaud Rebecca Pott Fitton. I know as she continues on her writing and life journey, her poetry will undoubtedly speak for itself rather than the necessity of the written narrative beforehand.