Sue Holt"s Poems of Survival are a brilliant collection of Poems about surviving manic depression from someone who has found strength through their faith in God; The themes dealt with are tough; funerals, families, insanity and childhood abuse. Her marvellous collection of heartfelt poetry is written with an insight so cutting, it almost self-mutilates. But you get a sense her writing is freeing her by turning pain into poetry. Pain has a lot to say, and Sue says it eloquently. She shows that abuse can cause mental distress, and she articulates her dismay that the mental health system is adding to that suffering, not taking it away. Poetry takes it away.