You may have lost the battle,

but you will win the war.

You are not falling apart,

you are falling together.

In her debut poetry collection, Jennifer Sara Widelitz guides us along the unpredictable path of living with chronic illness, through the front lines of wars waged within, and to the heart of human courage. Told in five parts, Battle Cry begins with the innocence-laced time before, halted by the sudden onset of illness—the momentous event in one’s life that changes everything. The journey continues with a soothing interlude of healing interrupted by pain-stained relapses, concluding with the strength and resilience accumulated through years of endurance. Accompanied by whimsical illustrations from Jennifer’s own hand, these poems reminisce on lost childhood innocence, teach gratefulness for the rain, cycle through the seasons, persevere through struggles, and rise from the flames even stronger.

Interweaving themes of fairy tales and myths, loss and grief, pain and suffering, love and hope, resilience, and more, Battle Cry is a testament to the warriors fighting unseen battles and any survivor of the human condition. Like its namesake, this collection is a battle cry—a call to arms—that is bound to echo through the generations.