Seeds Planted in Concrete Paperback – October 5, 2018

love your work. your truth. your waves of emotional potency and humanness being breath + rawness to life. Bianca, your writing heals. thank you. thank you.

This is a wonderful collection of love- and life-affirming poems for young and old alike. Some of the verses and prose poems may remind some readers of Thich Nhat Hanh's "You Are Here" or Pema Chodron's "fail fail again fail better"; other selections echo earlier writers such as Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Erica Jong and even a kind of synthesized Doris Lessing. And some of this poetry would make excellent lyrics for many of today's young singers/songwriters. With poems that read like an enchanting conversation with someone who has just come back from an incredible journey, the author celebrates and shares her experiences of the pain and joy of love, bringing the essence of her deep, personal growth into the realm of the universal; indeed, even to telling how the cosmos itself is part of the heart's journey. With some lines that will stay with you for a long time, she describes how long-treasured aspirations about herself and her relation to love crumbled and how she came to learn that this crumbling was necessary in order for a more enlightened self-understanding to take root. Her poignant poetry shows how she became aware of herself as a whole human being by pushing through that rubble and flourishing in a way that allows her to share the experience. Through her poetry, we see how the process of finding or creating good ways to face difficult times is an essential part of being real to yourself and to others, of being someone who continues to learn how to "love in the most enduring of ways" and of being someone who knows joy in the journey. This volume would also be an asset to a high school or college syllabus, though I can only guess at the number of differing interpretations that students would make of the picture on the cover!

I became familiar with the author on Thought Catalog. I think she has a beautiful perspective to share on love and humanity. If you are in need of some affirmation that the love you long for truly exists, you will enjoy this collection of essays.However, you'll have to be in the right mind frame to digest it, because it's quite sticky sweet and metaphorical, comically so at times. Like you get the sense that the author probably makes herself cry with her own beautiful sentiments. If you read it all in one sitting, which is easy to do, you'll find yourself rolling your eyes at her affinity for the words bones and cells and ribcages. Yet it somehow works, her voice is distinctive and if you're seeking out this book, you probably are in the mind frame to receive it, find it inspirational and comforting and be better off for having read it.

This authors writings are so thought provoking and expressive that I read one page and end up journaling for hours. Fantastic book. Very thankful for the author's creation.

I liked this poetry collection but I might not have been in the appropriate mood for it when I read it. I was quite angsty and in a wallowing headspace so it ended up being too peppy for me. That is to say, I think I would have appreciated this more if I needed a pick-me-up. It was definitely encouraging and affirmative, especially if you're in a bout of depression or demotivation. Unfortunately, I was kind of relishing feeling like a victim the time I read it so we didn't click. *hangs head in shame*Aside from the lack of connection with it, the latter parts were very repetitive that I found myself just going through them without feeling them because YOU JUST SAID THAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE. It felt like one of those speech videos meant to inspire or encourage you because I could predict what's going to be in the poem after a quite few kept on repeating not just the theme, but words and metaphors.I do think people suffering from depression and people who feel like no one loves them and no one would end up loving them should read this book. It is uplifting and I wish people the good vibes I got from this one.

Seeds Planted in Concrete is a very empowering read. It reminds you that you should love yourself first before anyone else. What I like in this book is that it's full of positivity. It's different compared to the other poetry books that I've read this year which were full of angst and will make you feel sad and depressed. But this book isn't like that. Yes, the author mentioned about loss and being broken but she wrote it in a way that will invigorate you.I urge everyone to read this book, even those who aren't inclined to poetry. Everyone should read this book. It's beautiful and will make you love yourself more.

Bianca Sparacino is a truly gifted, inspiring writer. This book is a wonderful gift

I "met" Bianca Sparacino on ThoughtCatalog.com and through her book, The Strength In Our Scars. This book and the aforementioned, are two of my favorite books, of thousands, ever! I can honestly say, two Authors, Naguib Mahfouz, Nobel Laureate for Literature, and Bianca Sparacino, make me feel like the proverbial fly on the wall, looking at my life, with such honesty, hope and joy.

Randomly I saw a poem on Facebook which I used in a recent order of service for my partners funeral.I bought the book, its beautiful. Just beautiful.

If you feel as though you've lost hope or sense of purpose then read this. This book is about love, loving yourself, loving others and loving this thing we call life. We all tend to feel 'blah' at times, and this is a genuinely uplifting read which can help place your sorrows into perspective.

The way this book made me feel is incredible. Every page gave me chills, and the accuracy is just scary. I could relate to everything and it made me feel okay with what I'm going through at the moment. I absolutely recommend this book for anyone going through a rough time and need reassurance and help

Well written

this resonated deeply with me and I will surely dip into it again and again.There are words here everyone must hear.