Inside a Tormented Young Mind is a deep, powerful, personal look at the struggles of emotional pain. The pain is set in the rhythm of poetry. The author conveys the battles that come from human suffering. The poetry goes to the heart for the fight for sanity amidst a cold and insane world. The author ponders questions of emotional death, and wonders why no one is able to help her. Her verse captures the need to live her own dreams and she exposes the illusions many of her fellow human beings put on for others. Salvatierra vividly portrays the temptation to fall into despair and commit suicide. She considers how a knife can erase the pain while alcohol and drugs could only numb it. Her final piece is a poem called Damned that captures the interior warfare within a person hearing voices and battling misunderstandings from those closest to them. Inside a Tormented Young Mind is a strong collection for those who suffer inside. Salvatierra communicates to others, especially teenagers, that they are not alone.

About the Author

Collette Salvatierra is currently in college, working her way toward an English major in her native southern California. She writes to express the feelings of many teenagers, on behalf of those who suffer bipolar disorder, and for the memory of her close friend.