Restrict
a Poetic narrative
CAN ONE GIRL EVER EXPERIENCE SELF-LOVE IN A WORLD FOCUSED SOLELY ON HER APPEARANCE?
A powerful work of poetic narrative fiction, RESTRICT is the raw yet resonant story of a teenage girl's coming of age in a world that cares more about her weight than her mental health.
PRAISE FOR
Restrict: A Poetic Narrative by Sol Rivera
"In a time when we are seeing more and more of our children in mental health crisis, Sol Rivera's "Restrict," brilliantly uses the power of poetry to force us to hear the voice of the child, "the Little Girl" within each of us, and challenges us, through Rivera's courage, insight, and refreshing honesty, to become better for it. This book is a MUST-READ -- for parents, for educators, for clinicians, for young people. "
- MARJORIE R. LANDEVER,
Child Psychotherapist, ChildReachConsulting, LLC
"Sol Rivera has written a beautiful, painful poetic narrative from the lens of one who has lived as a 'mean girl' growing up to reconcile those aspects of self with more positive ways of connecting with the world. Sol artfully captures so much of the trauma and heartache of growing up feeling that you are not enough, bringing vivid detail to the toxic use of an eating disorder as a coping strategy. This poem is a must-read for all parents wishing to face the impact of their actions and words, and for every adolescent who, like Sol, needs to know “... that her body is not a competition to be won." In Restrict, Sol names herself Little Girl, encapsulating the goal of making herself "less" and also the smallness of her actions as an immature classroom bully. Sol brilliantly highlights the disconnect between her desires and the consequences of her eating disorder. Her message still holds hope, as evinced in the narrator's reclaiming of her full name, Esperanza, who shows grace, forgiveness, and understanding of both her mother and classmates, and gratitude for the ability to rewrite her own narrative. Well done, Sol Rivera! .'"
- ELLEN S. ROME, MD, MPH
Head, Center for Adolescent Medicine
Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital
Professor of Pediatrics
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case
"Everything we call fiction carries the scent of truth. Truth is sometimes so daunting, so painful, that it can be digested better perhaps, sweetened. Sol Rivera’s debut collection, Restrict, bravely navigates the way poetry can be our spoonful of sugar, when the realities of teen girlhood— the popularity and body image, the color and class, the growing uncomfortably but inevitably into adulthood— find resolution in a journal. Sol Rivera challenges this narrative about truth needing to be private through characters we already know, or imagine we do, and gives them bodies in the forms of stanza. These are full figured bodies for the ways that truth, beautiful and ugly, perfectly imperfect, reflect so much about our human experience. Invited to take it all in, the reader is also invited to exhale, like a breath, release a truth enabled by the empathy this work beckons. In small doses or in one single binge, the exhales invite us all to feel with; invite us to find our fears and anxieties in this poetic fiction, and exhale with the grace and truth necessary for healing."
- TIM’M T. WEST, Author of
“Red Dirt Revival: a poetic memoir in 6 Breaths”
"The revolutionary work of poet Sol Rivera is now shared in her new release of “Restrict: A Poetic Narrative”. Hatherleigh Press, Ltd. has published the book of poetry, which will be available in stores worldwide on July 25, 2023.
The young adult writer’s first published book takes readers of all ages on an eye-opening journey into the difficult realities that today’s youth are facing in an ever-shifting world full of unprecedented social pressures and norms.
With current alarming statistics in the media of historical high numbers of pre-adolescent and teens suffering due to a combination of social media and post-pandemic woos, the riveting words of Rivera stand out as much needed messages of hope."