Title: From the Heart and Mind: A Touch of Healing Written in Rhyme
Author: Jessica Crane
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-1-5320-6833-1
Pages: 112
Genre: Poetry
Reviewed By: Ella Vincent
Pacific Book Review
From the Heart and Mind: A Touch of Healing Written in Rhyme is a moving and inspiring book of poetry about faith and family. Jessica Crane has written a book that will inspire readers.
From the Heart and Mind has a series of poems about faith and how God can help people. The narrator of “Your Strength” demonstrates the importance of faith during turbulent times: “For when you pray, God will release His glory on to you/In Him you will find what it is you need to do.” There are also many poems about gratitude to God in poems such as “God, Thank You” with the narrator professing gratitude to God: “God thank you for the peace you give/And this joyous life you help me to live.” Poems about loss also permeate the text in poems such as “The Cost”: “Why does life seem so vulnerable after one is lost?/ Is it because up to this point we never viewed the cost?” From the Heart and Mind also expresses gratitude to soldiers who fight in wars in poems such as “The Soldier.” The narrator could possibly be referencing the controversy over football players kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality: “After all a pro football player makes more than he/But the price he pays, so many of us do not choose to see/ Please remember those soldiers each and every day/They are the one who gave you freedom/ and chance to play.” Crane also writes about the importance of mothers in “For You on Mother’s Day”: “So to you on this wonderful Mother’s Day/ Here is the thank you we didn’t know what to say.”
Crane’s writing is so eloquent and relatable that readers will identify with the text. The poems in From the Heart and Mind are a true mixture of emotional heartfelt faith and logical approaches to having to find a work/life balance. Her writing is evocative and conveys the true devotion to faith. The rhyme scheme of the poems gives them a melody that could even be turned into songs.
From the Heart and Mind would be best for readers who like religious or spiritual poetry from poets like C.S. Lewis or Maya Angelou. The book would also be ideal for church groups or to any readers who are looking for inspirational poems to read. Crane’s writing can motivate readers to find spiritual strength. From the Heart and Mind is a motivational and uplifting poetry collection that readers will love.
