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Paperback One Red Eye Book

ISBN: 093010059X

ISBN13: 9780930100599

One Red Eye

In reading these poems, we experience beauty-paradoxically-as well as come to understand the complexity of the crime, its aftermath, and the relief and joy of recovery.--Roseann Lloyd

Perhaps the first full-length work of its kind, One Red Eye is an unexpected book, an intimate story of violence and survival, rape and re-birth, told in verse. In concise, candid, and understated poems, Dierking shares the brutal truth of her own rape experience, while at the same time, demonstrating the possibility of spiritual recovery from sexual assault. This is the story of a life brought to a disasterous standstill, and the subsequent acts of common kindness that allow the author to recapture hope, and move into a changed, but salvageable future. Tough and articulate, One Red Eye defies the silence and guilt that so often surrounds the crime of rape.

I Might Have Dreamed This

For a short time after
the rape, I found I could move things. Energy birds
swarmed from my brain. With a witch's sense
of abandoned physics, I set dolls rolling.
Back and forth. Like a breathing sound. Using only my night-powered
eyes, I pushed the lamp to the dresser's edge.
I buried the mirrors in avalanches of freshly
laundered underpants. I never slept. I did all these things
lying down.

Kirsten Dierking received a bachelor's degree in International Affairs and History from the University of Colorado, and a Master's degree in Creative Writing from Hamline University. Her writing has appeared in Sing Heavenly Muse, ArtWord Quarterly, Water-Stone, and Xanadu. She lives with her husband in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This is her first published collection.

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Format: Paperback

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Customer Reviews

3 ratings

An Intensely Eloquent Narrative of the Aftereffects of Rape

The power of poetry in the recovery of rape trauma is evident in Kirsten's book, "One Red Eye". She so beautifully constructs each sentence, flowing each one seamlessly through the ensuing years following her rape. We are privy, in an intriguing way, to her struggles, her challenges, and ultimately her triumph over this intrusive act that changed the course of her life. I enthusiastically recommend this book to those who are working with therapists as well as those who are walking the path of recovery on their own. Kirsten's experience in achieving a comfortable, safe place within herself will assure rape victims that recovery is achievable, in one's own time and at one's own pace. I am pleased to be able to add ?One Red Eye? as a resource for my clients.

Important Reading - Stunning Poetry

The poems in the book tell of the author's journey toward recovery following a violent sexaual assault. Don't let the fact that this poignant story is told with poetry keep you from reading this book. It's beautifully written, with vivid imagery, and easily understandable by every reader - women, men, teens. It has the power to change attitudes and to change lives. This may be the most imporant book you buy this year.

Important Reading - Stunning Poetry

The poems in the book tell of the author's journey toward recovery following a violent assault. Don't let the fact that this poignant story is told with poetry keep you from reading this book. It's beautifully written, with vivid imagery, and easily understandable by every reader - women, men, teens. It has the power to change attitudes and to change lives. This may be the most important book you buy this year.
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