Roberta Writes – Poetry book review: One Petal at a Time by Joni Karen Caggiano #poetrycommunity #readingcommunity #bookreview

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I was introduced to Joni Caggiano’s beautiful and powerful poetry through Barbara Harris Leonhard from Masticadores USA and Michelle Ayon Navajas from Hotel by Masticadores.

If you follow this link, you will find another powerful review of this book on Masticadores USA: https://masticadoresusa.wordpress.com/2024/07/20/a-book-review-of-joni-karen-caggianos-one-petal-at-a-time-by-selma-martin/

If you follow this link, you will find a compelling poem by Joni Caggiano on Hotel by Masticadores: https://hotelmasticadoreshouse.wordpress.com/2024/07/15/stranger-by-joni-caggiano/

Both Barbara and Michelle work incredibly hard to promote poets and poetry. You can find out about their submission process for publication on their respective sites.

Picture caption: Book cover of One Petal at a Time in black and white

What Amazon says

One Petal at a Time is A Journey of Healing and Resilience

In “One Petal at a Time,” Joni Caggiano invites readers into the raw and poignant landscape of her journey as an Adult Child of Alcoholics. From a childhood fraught with unpredictability and fear, Joni’s story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of hope in the face of adversity.

Growing up in an environment marked by mental and physical abuse, Joni learned early on to navigate the treacherous waters of uncertainty. With dangers lurking around every corner, she turned to humor as a survival tactic, using laughter as a shield against the darkness that threatened to engulf her.

But beneath the facade of laughter lies a soul burdened by fear and self-doubt. Trapped in a cycle of dogmatism and low self-esteem, Joni struggles to find her footing in a world that seems intent on tearing her down.

As she grapples with the demons of her past, Joni learns to embrace vulnerability as a path to healing. Through introspection and self-discovery, she untangles the knots of her trauma, one petal at a time.

“One Petal at a Time” is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of self-love. Readers are reminded, through Joni’s journey, that healing is possible, even in the darkest of times, and that every step forward is a victory worth celebrating.

Endorsed by Claudia Black, PhD – Pioneer in the study of dysfunctional family systems shaped by alcohol and addictive disorders.

Expressed with such raw emotion and honesty, this is an incredibly powerful book for any reader, but if you grew up in a family impacted by substance addiction, you will identify with the pain in childhood and the joy that comes with the author’s healing and recovery.

Claudia Black Ph.D., author of It Will Never Happen to Me, and Unspoken Legacy

My review

This collection of emotional poems documents the poet’s journey from a childhood with two alcoholic parents and filled with abuse, to personal fulfilment. It is a staged journey from pain, confusion, and the destruction of innocence to acceptance and the achievement of happiness. This is not an easy read, as the poems are raw and very vivid so it took me a month to read and digest it. The book is divided into three sections, each dealing with different stages in the poet’s life, and each section is introduced with an essay giving colour to the poems that lie ahead.

This is an extract form the introduction to Part 1 about the poet’s childhood:

“I am the watcher of monsters slumbering with lit cigarettes, abandoning hot iron, stove, and oven. Emotionally exhausting, my allegiance is, with great care, to keep the two imitators unscathed. My fledgling face holds a lingering crimson path, where tears fall incessantly carving my saga.”

My favourite three poems in part one are Cleansing, Southern Rising, and Silent Cry.

“phantom of shame circles
disgrace like fireflies
without flames”
From Cleansing

Part 2 is about the teenage and young woman years. A short extract from the introduction entitled Seedling is as follows:

“Love felt like a wonderment, and my shield melting like chocolate in my youthful mouth in front of your gazing eyes.”

My favourite poems from part 2 are Counting Clouds, Forced Submission, and Blood Orange.

“beautiful oranges surrounding me
blood drips from internal wounds
shuddering in the shadow of dusk
dying bit by bit without any trust”

Part 3 is introduced with an essay entitled Blooming and this is the final paragraph:

“When I succumb, dear husband, please do not shed a tear for me! I will be that child I never got to be, dancing, and rejoicing without even the knowledge of sadness. I came from a seed, I grew into a seedling and God shined on my bloom and His Breath took me Home.”

My favourite poems from Part 3 are Open Casket, Bedtime, and Sunflower, A New Page.

“I am a sunflower, golden, proud, and tall
dancing playfully towards the bright sun
no longer living in the land of the small”

A beautiful book of poems that I highly recommend.

Purchase One Petal at a Time from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CYR9VJQP

About the poet

Picture caption: Joni Karen Caggiano’s author picture

Joni Karen Caggiano is an internationally published author, poet, and photographer. She is a 2022 Pushcart Nominee for her poem, “Old News is Not Old News,” published by “The Short of It Publishing.” She was privileged to write the Forward for the Best Seller, “I Am In Itself Poetry In The Dark,” by the five-time Amazon Best Selling Author Michelle Ayon Navajas. On SpillWords Press NYC, Joni won Publication of the Month in November 2022 and Co-Winner of Socialite of the Year 2023. Joni was a Co-Author of both # 1 Amazon Bestselling books, Hidden In Childhood and Wounds I Healed. She is also in five additional Poetry Anthologies. Her first book of poetry, “One Petal at a Time,” will be released by Prolific Pulse Press, LLC in 2024, featuring Valencian artist Francisco Bravo Cabrera. Joni is also proud to be included in the upcoming Poetry Anthology, “A Safe and Brave Space,” published by, “Garden of Neuro Publishing, to be released in the Spring of 2024. She is currently a writer for Hotel Masticadores. Joni formerly contributed four combined pieces a month for one year to Masticadores India and Masticadores USA.

You can learn more about Joni on her website here: https://the-inner-child.com/

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Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

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51 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – Poetry book review: One Petal at a Time by Joni Karen Caggiano #poetrycommunity #readingcommunity #bookreview”

  2. Exceptionally beautiful dear Robbie. I see it took you a while to process. It did the same to me. But your review is spectacular. I’m sure Joni will be so happy to see this. Congratulations to Joni hugs. And to you too Robbie. Bless you.
    Oh and thanks for the kind mention. Bless you again. 🤗

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  13. Pingback: Roberta Writes – Poetry book review: One Petal at a Time by Joni Karen Caggiano #poetrycommunity #readingcommunity #bookreview – Patty's Worlds

  14. Congratulations to Joni!

    I can relate to her life and the catharsis she experienced by writing OnePetal at a Time.

    Thank you for this excellent review, Robbie!

    Cheers to both!

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  16. I particularly like this quote: “When I succumb, dear husband, please do not shed a tear for me! I will be that child I never got to be, dancing, and rejoicing without even the knowledge of sadness. I came from a seed, I grew into a seedling and God shined on my bloom and His Breath took me Home.” What a testament to love and strength!

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  21. Dearest Robbie, Your review was a gift and beautifully written. I was very touched by what you have written. I understood how painful reading this book can be and am grateful that you continue to read it and in the end found it to be worth going through, and especially that very difficult first section.

    It is an honor that you and many others that have so much to offer the community have taken time to read my book, like yourself, who were not abused by their family members and had a relatively healthy family. No family is perfect because we are not perfect, as we alI make mistakes. Being a mother, I believe, is the hardest job in the world.

    I really am grateful that you enjoyed the prose before each section. I truly wrote from a deep space to try and sum up those periods of my life. It was touching for me to know that you enjoyed them. Robbie’s quote below:

    “The book is divided into three sections, each dealing with different stages in the poet’s life, and each section is introduced with an essay giving colour to the poems that lie ahead.”

    You picked some of my favorite pieces as well. Thank you Robbie for doing this. It is strange but understandable that when I read Dr. Claudia Black’s book, It Will Never Happen to Me, many decades ago, and she released her third edition of that book recently. I absorbed it like a sponge, for me I finally understood why I was so terrified all the time. Why I trusted no one and especially authority figures. I don’t know how my life would have been had I never read her book. The several years of intense therapy with a therapist that specialized in the treatment of Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA) made it possible for me to make sure early in my life, (in my twenties) that I did not repeat that horrible third generation cycle.

    I will forever be grateful for Dr. Claudia Black’s endorsement of my book and her book, It Will Never Happen to Me. I can not stress enough how anyone that has never received treatment, her book will enlighten you, educate you, but most importantly for me at the time, I knew after reading the book in a weekend, that I was not crazy. That other people existed just like me, as the internet was not out there yet. All my feelings of fear, loss, needing to be in control, afraid to trust anyone, the constant need to prove myself, and my lack of self-esteem could in-fact be healed. I loved this quote of yours as well Robbie and appreciate your seeing this in my book.

    ““One Petal at a Time” is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of self-love. Readers are reminded, through Joni’s journey, that healing is possible, even in the darkest of times, and that every step forward is a victory worth celebrating.”

    Thank you so much Robbie for this lovely and comprehensive review of “One Petal At a Time.” This was a gift and a blessing. I am so very glad that you mentioned it in your comment on HotelMasticadores today.

    Love, gratitude and blessings to you from my blessed heart. Love Joni ❤️

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    1. Hi Joni, your book is very beautiful, I would describe it as a frozen rose and I am pleased I met you via Hotel and learned of your book. I am pleased you appreciated my review and I am glad you found it. I have two blogs and try to match the book to the blog audience as best I can. Hugs.

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