Book Reviews
Eclipse to Sunrise
This inspiring book is written by a woman of courage and great faith. Though only 80 pages, it is a powerful devotional that will help readers cope with mental and physical illnesses as well as the everyday challenges of life. Mrs. Pinkham instructs individuals to face the past, forgive their offenders, and live in the present. Let’s explore how she does this so effectively.
As a person who has had to deal with many health-stealing maladies, I’ve learned that I can minister to others who are going through the same thing. Because I’ve been there and am a person of faith, people listen and know that I truly understand. This, too, is why readers will relate to the author. Lynn Pinkham is much more than a survivor of abuse, addiction, troubled relationships and mental illness; she is a child of God who learned that she was not in total darkness, but in an eclipse from which she could emerge to sunrise. The author did this by trusting in the Giver of Life. Though darkness tried to cover her mind, she could see her Savior through spiritual eyes.
Every chapter of the book begins with Scripture that provides encouragement and peace to readers. I was moved by the honesty of the author as she discusses her mental illness, describing the condition and her symptoms. Just as I did with my physical illnesses, Mrs. Pinkham admitted that at times she felt defective, especially when others told her that she didn’t have enough faith. Sadly, well-meaning but misguided Christians often make this mistake, obviously forgetting about the Apostle Paul who suffered a thorn in the flesh that was never healed during his life on this earth. The author, just like Paul, learned that God’s grace is sufficient when going through difficult times.
This is a devotional that readers will keep close by and read over and over again. It contains elevating “word portraits” of life. I am there with the author as she enjoys nature—the handiwork of God—using her faith and surroundings to give messages of hope. Whether sharing from the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, a point on the coast thirty miles from her home where a lighthouse sits, her computer room as she looks down at her grandchild, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone National Park, the circus ring, or from the depths of her mind; readers will gain insight into life and what is truly important. Hopefully, they will learn to trust God in every situation as the author is doing. Lynn acknowledges that her faith is ever-growing and that her journey isn’t easy; however, she has assurance that, one day, she will face God, knowing she is perfect in Jesus Christ.
This book is a wonderful read that I do not hesitate to recommend. Yes, it will inspire those who are mentally ill, but it will also help non-sufferers understand that their relatives, friends and neighbors who have a mental illness need the same support as those who are afflicted by physical problems. The author, using God’s word and her gift of writing, demonstrates that it is possible to emerge from Eclipse to Sunrise, regardless of the circumstances.
Bettie Corbin Tucker
For IP Book Reviewers
"Love, hope, fear, faith,- these make humanity, these are its sign, and note and character." Robert Browning
Robert Browning's famous quote best describes, author Lynn Pinkham's, "Eclipse to Sunrise". Lynn Pinkham's life has been wrought with abuse, addiction and later mental illness. How she overcame these horrendous trials accounts for her love, hope, fear and most of all her faith in the Almighty to bring her through.
Written like a daily inspirational, this little book will be one that readers will want to keep close and refer to often. Each tiny two or three page chapter takes readers into the inner workings of the author's mind and heart. Scripture is quoted at the beginning of each to reconnect the reader with the word of God Almighty.
Descriptions of the Maine coast with its lighthouses, craggy shores and crashing waves are a soothing calm inspired by nature. Tiny fawns appear like magic on the lawn, deer graze in peaceful tranquility. They will ease the reader's burden as they did the author's.
The author lives in Maine with her husband enjoying what we hope are many un-eclipsed sunrises.
Reviewer: Shirley Roe, Allbooks Reviews.
March 1, 2005 Kennebec Journal Sunday January 30, 2005
"Woman finds light in eclipse of mental illness" By Lynn Ascrizzi Staff Editor-Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine In 1998, Lynn Pinkham of Whitefield suffered a nervous breakdown. "I was under a whole lot of stress. There was sexual harrassment at the small company
I worked at. My grandmother died. The day of the funeral, the doctor called to say my
husband might have liver cancer. My son lost custody of his children....I just snapped." In her recent book, "Eclipse to Sunrise",(Publish America, 2004), she describes the
devastating breakdown: "I felt as thought I had shattered into a zillion tiny pieces. Seemingly, there was no
possibility of repair....Death toyed with my mind, taunting and teasing with an appeal of
release from this pain." She was admitted to the Seton Unit at Maine General Hospital in Waterville. Later, she
and her husband, Henry Pinkham, 62, a Palermo native, pastor and retired Long Island,
N.Y. Sheriff's Department, as Lieutenant, found out that he didn't have cancer. She, however, was
diagnosed with mental illness. "They ran tests and found out I was bipolar (a manic-depressive illness) and had
schizo-affective disorder, she said. People with the latter disorder she explained, have
hallucinations but still have the time sense of reality. I have been bipolar a long trime. I
would go into deep depression and do dangerous behavior, like spending money and
putting us into debt. One time, I went to Sam's Club and spent $1,500 on groceries. Most
of that was food. Just for two of us. 'I thought we had to have it.'", she said. She was also diagnosed with post-traumatic-stress disorder. Addiction was part of the
pattern. Today, she has found stability through medications, a far deeper faith and a new
vocation as a religious writer. She is also confronting childhood sexual-abuse issues, she
said. "After I was diagnosed, I joined the Encouragement Well Group, a private, email
group. As I opened my heart to some of these women, I shared with them how I was
dealing with this illness and how I saw God. And they, along with my best friend, Wilma
Myers of Casper, Wyo., told me I needed to share this with the world and not keep it to 10
or 15 people." Her 80 page paperback is written in diary-style. Organized like a devotional, each
essay begins with a brief, scriptural quote. Chapter headings are inspirational, such as
No Longer a Victim and Who carries Me? Real life anecdotes are used as
springboards for insightful homilies. For instance, she describes her sleeping grandchild
and recalls holding her on the first day of her life. Cherish your moments. Wouldn't it be sad to live a lifetime and not have moments
that are full of God? she wrote. "The book was written for people suffering the chronic pain of illness. But my friends
tell me that it will help anybody interested in finding faith in their life, no matter what you
are going through."” "Hope can be found even in the most hopeless times", she said.
Lynn Pinkham
Publish America
ISBN: 1-4137-4836-8
80 pages
At some point in every life, there are dark times. Whether, like the author, you are facing a mental illness, a physical one, or just depressing circumstances, those times come. The question is, what do you do? The author's answer, which is the wisest answer that can be given, is to seek God in these times, to seek Him in all instances. Her ability to see Christ in every circumstance of life, even the most mundane, is beautiful and touching, capable of both lightening the reader's heart and moving them to tears. There are a plethora of devotionals and self-help books on the market, often purporting to be Christian that achieve the best seller lists with happy-clappy promises that if you just BELIEVE hard enough, God will work magic for you. If you want a book that will actually be helpful, unlike the aforementioned, choose this one.
Amanda Killgore
If you too would like to write a review of my book and have it placed here please email
that review to me and I will include it on this page. Thank you.
This page was last updated on April-30-2008