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Melissa Burke (22) lives in Massachusetts with her parents, sister, grandmother and her pets (a dog, a hamster and six chickens). She is a shift captain at her local animal shelter and a volunteer at a local animal sanctuary (Winslow Farm). Melissa likes to watch TV shows and movies and also loves to knit, read and write.
She is the author of Poetry And Short Stories By A Bipolar Girl, It's Just One Of Those Days, The Darkness And The Light and 46.
Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite
The Darkness and the Light is Melissa Burke’s personal story of a life with Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar can be a terrifying condition but at the same time it can be amazing. Melissa Burke kept a journal of her journey with the condition and that is what this book is about. A few poems are included as well. The outcome of this is to give readers an idea of what mental illness means, of how it affects the people who have it and those around them. It is a reminder that those who suffer are in no way alone and also to show you that life is full of ups and downs, whether you suffer from a mental illness or not. Do things ever get any better? Yes, but they will never be perfect. But who needs perfection to enjoy life?
The Darkness and the Light by Melissa Burke struck a chord with me. I have a family member with Bipolar and never really understood what she was going through – until now. This is a real eye-opener and everybody should read it, whether they know someone with a mental illness or not. It helped me to understand life from a completely different perspective and made me realize how vulnerable we can all be at times. Excellent book, very well written and clearly from the heart. I hope that there is more where this came from – at the end of the day, this isn’t a condition that you recover from; it is with you for life.
