My Challenge

About the Book

Barb Derrick lived the 1980's in periods of manic heights and depressive lows. Her journey through this time of changing mood swings, undiagnosed, gives the reader an idea of her Bi-Polar life in the 1980's. before and during this time, her disease raged unabated. One can identify with her struggle as she tried to climb out of her supposedly inherited disease. Barb challenges the reader to follow her through this difficult time of yelling fits at her family to "bath-robed" dealing with her children as they guessed which "mother" would greet them each day. Does she find peace at last?

About the Author

Since a teenager and throughout her life, Barbara J. Derrick (Barb Derrick) has written poetry. Dealing with the throes of Bi-Polar illness, she has put her thoughts in this book of poetry especially during the 1980’s. In 1950 she married Donald Derrick and joined him at the University of Illinois where she completed her first year of college. Together they have a son and two daughters. During one of her high energy times in the 1960’s, Barb established the first day care center in Clinton County and the 13th in the state of Ohio where she served as a volunteer chairman and member of the Board for 37 years. She taught 3rd and 4th grade Sunday School classes for 25 years. She also had a number of firsts: --taught the 1st year of Friends Nursery School --organized 1st summer reading program at Putman Elementary --organized the 1st Woman’s Ecumenical Retreat for Methodists and Catholics in the County --was the 1st woman appointed to the Clinton County Board of Appeals. Barb still lives a busy life, involved in many community activities along with her husband of 60 years. She published her 1st book of poetry, “Christmas Moods” in 2009, and received an Honorable Mention in the Ohio Poetry Contest of 2010 with entrants from all over the world.