UK-based author Barns turns pain into purpose with double book launch in Harare

United Kingdom-based author Linda Barns has poured her pain and vulnerability into her two books, which were launched in Harare on Wednesday.

Barns launched Choosing Me and The View From Fifty, which coincided with her golden jubilee birthday celebrations.

Choosing Me chronicles the experiences Barns has gone through since she was diagnosed with a hearing problem, which became a turning point in her life.

In 2020, Barns’s world went silent, and the voices faded after she was diagnosed with tinnitus causing hearing loss.

The diagnosis changed Barns’s life; she had to contend with the new reality, which she has inked in the book Choosing Me.

In the book, Barns described how she navigated the challenges of hearing loss and rediscovered herself.

“For much of my life I didn’t know I had a hearing problem, and that sounds strange when I say it now,” said Barns.

A View From Fifty coincided with Barns turning 50 years old and gives readers a piece of herself that is circumventing challenges.

She also shares the lessons that have come from grieving, failure, and the ongoing journey of becoming.

“When I look at 50 now, I do not see all that. I don’t see a finish line; I see a view, a view that I could have reached because I climbed.

“When you reach a certain level of a mountain you naturally take a look around and look back, and suddenly things that once looked like disasters begin to look like stepping stones; the detours make sense; even the places where you stumbled begin to look like part of the route,” said Barns.

Wednesday’s double book launch was supported by Diaspora Insurance, which assisted Barns in fulfilling and celebrating her achievements.

“I want to say a heartfelt thank you to two companies which have helped to make this event possible.

“There’s Diaspora Insurance. When I started working in the UK, I used to worry so much when a family member didn’t come home on time.

“Diaspora Insurance gave me something I didn’t even realise I needed so much: peace of mind, knowing that if the inevitable happens, my loved ones and I will not be left stranded,” said Barns further.

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