My Goodreads and Amazon reviews of Chomp Press Pull by Elaina Battista-Parsons (Rated 5) – A Sensational World. Chomp Press Pull: Stories of a Sensory Self by Elaina Battista-Parsons is an open invitation to explore the world through our senses. Her spirited memoir takes readers on an immersive tour not only through sights and sounds, but also smells, tastes, and textures rarely explored in literature. Each sensory memory conjures a person or experience that shaped who she is today. Likewise, readers will be drawn back to the sensory worlds that defined them. As a writer myself (see my Amazon author page and Goodreads author page ), I know the English language has a dearth of adjectives and metaphors for describing sensations other than sight and sound. Battista-Parsons supplies her own vocabulary by detailing how her brain and body respond — nerves, muscles, bones. In welcome doses, sensory input evokes her delight. Too much causes distress until she masters techniques to manage the overload. And while not a “how to” or “self-help” book, Chomp Press Pull lets us better understand, support, even envy, children and adults who experience the environment in ways that may seem foreign but comprise the spectrum of human sensory wiring. Battista-Parson has learned to feast on her senses; her memoir will help readers relish theirs.
Understanding and appreciating sensory overload
Why writers read: “Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks.” – Theodor Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss
