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Thom Kudla’s latest book, HOW I AM DIFFERENT, was named a finalist in the Poetry Category of the 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The ebook version won multiple medals in the 2017 Global Ebook Awards. HOW WE ARE DIFFERENT (HWAD), an Apple app based on that book, earned two gold medals in the 2018 eLit Book Awards and was recognized by the IBPA as a Benjamin Franklin Digital Award Silver Honoree.
Thom’s books of poetry COMMENCEMENT and OUT OF CONTEXT won the 2017 IndieReader Discovery Award for Poetry. Thom's book WHAT MY BRAIN TOLD ME was selected as a finalist in the short story non-fiction category of the 2009 National Indie Excellence Awards. His writing has been anthologized in a number of books, including CHICAGO AFTER DARK and SILVER: AN ECLECTIC ANTHOLOGY OF POETRY & PROSE.
Thom was awarded a Master of Arts in Writing and Publishing from DePaul University. He earned a bachelor's from Indiana University, Bloomington, where he received a grant to write his first novel.
Reviewed by Jessyca Garcia for Readers' Favorite
What My Brain Told Me by Thom Kudla was an interesting read. The book is made up of a collection of short stories and poetry. All of the stories are about the author’s life growing up. The stories relate Kudla’s complex thoughts with humor and sometimes sadness mixed in. All of his stories are interesting and some will make the reader see things in a new light.
When I first started reading What My Brain Told Me, I was not sure I would like the book. As I continued reading, Kudla’s stories began to grow on me. Kudla touched on something I could relate to in the chapter The Gift of Tears. That is teenage depression and thoughts of suicide. He is so lucky to have had a mother that understood and watched out for him. So many teenagers go through this without having support. I actually forgot how it felt till I read Kudla’s words. My favorite thing in this book that made me think the most was in the chapter The Summer’s Maddest of Loves. Kudla writes, “I was in bed with my past.” He then proceeds to explain why the girl he is with in the present is actually in the past. Kudla’s way of thinking is something I have never considered, but now has been permanently burned into my brain.
Overall, I enjoyed Kudla’s stories. I liked that each chapter in What My Brain Told Me starts off with a quote. At times the writing failed to hold my attention, but other times I did not want to look away. If you enjoy short stories, then this is a book for you!
