Moon without Craters or Shadows

by Catherine Cobb Morocco

This book is a little masterpiece on many levels. It is a remarkable documentation of the experience of and recovery from two brain surgeries. Using a combination of fragments from her journals and poems that came out of the experience, Catherine Morocco takes us inside her heart and mind. We share the poet's journey, from her remarkable first notes when in intensive care to the fragile blessing of recovery. Moon without Craters or Shadows sizzles with perception, imagery and vision; it is a life-changing book. Kathleen Spivack, author of Unspeakable Things (Alfred Knopf 2014), With Robert Lowell and His Circle (University Press of New England 2012) and many earlier works of poetry and prose. Catherine Morocco, by avoiding the cliches and self-indulgence of many contemporary poets, may have created a new poetic genre by combining the clarity and objectivity of the documentary with the craft of the poet in this book, her first, about physical and emotional survival. I recommend a slow and thoughtful reading, and the reader will be well rewarded. Sam Cornish, Poet Laureate of Boston and author of seven books of poetry. The most recent is Dead Beats (Ibbetson Street Press, 2011). These poems translate the experience of being a patient with a serious illness into words, images and metaphors that allow the reader to share the experience at both a cognitive and emotional level. Physicians, caregivers and fellow patients can all benefit from sharing the author's experience in such an intimate format. For members of the healthcare community, it is important to have a reminder that what seems commonplace to us is really a unique, sometimes terrifying, and always life-changing experience for our patients. Andrew James Cole, M.D.Director, Massachusetts General Hospital Epilepsy Service Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0692240810
• ISBN13: 9780692240816
• Release Date: September 2014
• Publisher: Aldrich Press
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.2" x 6.0"