Out there, it’s tagged bane of geniuses,
Cross of the consummate, price for peculiar flairs.
Folks jump as judges on the reckless wagon driven
By this accomplished fellow, who should wear
The robe of model- that, his indispensable scourge;
Perpetual pressure to act nice and right, day and night,
Beaming pearly whites: no plaque, no crack, but hello
This is reality not Broadway! He contends crushing guilt
In solitary cell whose innards scream, “Turkey!” at dignitary.

He walks his pain alone, oscillating to find the fulcrum
Of misery lodged in the cleft of his heart, out of sight,
At the root of his boom, at the tip of his bloom: to regulate
His confusion because no one hears his soul, nails his ache.
Drained of due delight for sterling feats, this global champion
Is whipped and junked, a wimp in his own universe.
Unknown to an all-knowing world, the remote control
Is beyond his reach: he can’t predict how his channels switch;
No idea when dark days descend or duration of his sentence
In that gloomy jail where struggle and strive all he may,
It seems he never can wear out that awfully unwanted skin . . . .
(Odemene, G. C. Fighting Monsters, 2015)

At last, with irrepressible excitement, the SoarwithGlory team announces the release of my latest book Fighting Monsters come Monday, June 1, 2015. Electronic copies can be procured on Amazon.com. We are still working on publishing our own products so the hard copies will follow much later. It has been an uphill task juggling our full time jobs along with ministry, family, and social commitments that demand no less than the best of each of us. At last, we have crossed another major milestone which we hope will continue to build the faith of our generation and those to come, in the one and only ever living God.

Fighting Monsters is about my dark struggles with depression, the battles I lost, my final triumph over it, the intermittent and subtle attacks which exploit unpleasant situations that emerge every now and then, and how I have managed to live away from that sinking hole these past 14 years. Written in series of poems and proses, the book is my reflections of what takes place inside the mind of someone battling depression and the likes. The poems are allegories; the proses are real.

My goal in writing Fighting Monsters is to demystify depression and the likes, so that people can recognize them, understand that they are real and common dilemmas, and learn ways to fight back. No holds barred, I share my experiences and discoveries, my pains and embarrassments, so that others can learn that they are not alone in their struggles, and that it is possible to overcome it. If my stories will comfort the troubled and light up the torch of hope in every reader, even just enough to make it for another day, to finally overcome, to live free like I have, then our mission is accomplished.

The book uncovers my constant and consistent contentions with monsters which ignorance and denial cannot suppress. Dark details of irrational thoughts, fears, addictions, and intense battles, detonating inside a mind besieged by depression are painted on canvases of uplifting psalms and proses – you only have to read them to discover your own stories, the triggers and wisdom to arrest them, hope through crises, help in loving relationships, courage, confidence, and strength to stand and victoriously beat these destructive forces.

I have been deeply moved by the tragedies of those whose lives were and are still being affected by depression and the likes. I am not the only one who feels sad each time a life is lost, or chains of lives are taken down. Bearing in mind the traumas of such conditions, and the immeasurable and indescribable relief I found living free in the past decade, compels me to share my stories to help those directly affected to rise up and repel these monsters. It will also equip the society at large with insight so as to show relevant support. I am confident this book will begin the healing process for everyone impacted as they realize the manifestations. It will also turn tides as superstitions are replaced by understanding.

I am hopeful that this book will dispel common myths that depression and the likes are only a Western civilization problem. People all over the world are battling these monsters in one form or another. Growing up in Africa, I heard stories and witnessed derogatory treatments of those considered demon possessed or cursed; some are blamed, attacked, and abandoned in harm’s way. Unfortunately their cries are misinterpreted, condemned, and silenced by cultures. The sad reality is that these people may have been battling monsters.

Despite the seeming popularity, most people are not aware of what the subject is all about and how they work. My prayer is that Fighting Monsters will educate and empower people to know that irrespective of race, age, gender, and culture, depression and the likes are not stigma or curse. They have become one of the most critical challenges individuals and communities everywhere must learn to face and beat rather than condemn and avoid. This battle is real, and so also the victory.

Kindly go online and order your copy. Buy also as gifts for families, friends, and colleagues. This book is a must read for everyone who deals with depression and the likes, or knows someone who is. Thank you for your continual support and encouragements – Blessings on your day.

Glory!