mrspenningalovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I gave this four stars because it’s the first of its kind and incredibly necessary. Authors, celebrities, and ordinary people sharing their experiences, memories, essays, and opinions about the treatment of Mental Heath in our country. I didn’t love all of the chapters or excerpts, but I found them all moving and thought-provoking in some way. Opening up the discussion for even the language and connotations surrounding mental illnesses was really interesting.
My favorites are “Dear 14 year old Milck”, “Rituals,” “Fighting the War on the Home Front”, “Black Hole by VE Schwab,” “I’m over staying silent about Depression” by Kristen Bell, Happiness Goes on” by Adam Silvera, “Survival Mode” by Hannah Bae and SE Smith’s “call me crazy.”
Lots to do with those excerpts in AP LANG, but also a great read for anyone who wants to understand the beauty, struggles, and journey with so many different mental illnesses. I liked the one except that said it isn’t my identity. It isn’t an illness. It’s something that is inherently part of me like an eye color or hair texture. But it doesn’t have to be looked at negatively.
“There’s nothing wrong with being crazy. There is something wrong with the way society thinks about madness.” —SE Smith
“Disability may present inconveniences and frustrations at times, but honestly, so does being alive.” —SE Smith
“Mental health check ins should be as routine as going to the doctor or dentist.” —Kristen bell
“I only wish someone would have told me I was not crazy, but sick, and there was a way to get better.”
—Sarah Gomez
My favorites are “Dear 14 year old Milck”, “Rituals,” “Fighting the War on the Home Front”, “Black Hole by VE Schwab,” “I’m over staying silent about Depression” by Kristen Bell, Happiness Goes on” by Adam Silvera, “Survival Mode” by Hannah Bae and SE Smith’s “call me crazy.”
Lots to do with those excerpts in AP LANG, but also a great read for anyone who wants to understand the beauty, struggles, and journey with so many different mental illnesses. I liked the one except that said it isn’t my identity. It isn’t an illness. It’s something that is inherently part of me like an eye color or hair texture. But it doesn’t have to be looked at negatively.
“There’s nothing wrong with being crazy. There is something wrong with the way society thinks about madness.” —SE Smith
“Disability may present inconveniences and frustrations at times, but honestly, so does being alive.” —SE Smith
“Mental health check ins should be as routine as going to the doctor or dentist.” —Kristen bell
“I only wish someone would have told me I was not crazy, but sick, and there was a way to get better.”
—Sarah Gomez
francisopal's review against another edition
5.0
Full review: https://bookpeopleteens.wordpress.com/2018/11/29/review-dont-call-me-crazy/
The diverse perspectives (Don’t) Call Me Crazy supplies are something I’ve never seen before, portraying mental illness from every possible angle. Also, it doesn’t focus on one kind of illness: it covers everything from anxiety to trichotillomania to bipolar disorder to everything outside and in-between. Mental illness is a spectrum, and it’s often hard to categorize feelings, but the higher diversity of labels we put out there, the more people can begin to understand what it’s like to be crazy. Rating: five crazy fives/five
For fans of: [b:More Happy Than Not|19542841|More Happy Than Not|Adam Silvera|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1437759419s/19542841.jpg|27669922] by Adam Silvera, [b:Turtles All the Way Down|35504431|Turtles All the Way Down|John Green|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1503002776s/35504431.jpg|21576687] by John Green, [b:Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens|35120779|Unbroken 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens|Marieke Nijkamp|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1529583627s/35120779.jpg|56436438]
Favorite quotes:
- “How much pain and devastation could we avoid by fixing the root of the problem instead of cowering away in fear?”
- “Paper has always listened. When I was young and full of shame and loneliness, I could write down my pain and the paper took it… But no matter what happened, I always had control over what I put on paper.”
- “Don’t let the Muggle-like thoughts dim your magic, dear!”
- “We all have things - and sometimes people - we are unable to look in the eye.”
The diverse perspectives (Don’t) Call Me Crazy supplies are something I’ve never seen before, portraying mental illness from every possible angle. Also, it doesn’t focus on one kind of illness: it covers everything from anxiety to trichotillomania to bipolar disorder to everything outside and in-between. Mental illness is a spectrum, and it’s often hard to categorize feelings, but the higher diversity of labels we put out there, the more people can begin to understand what it’s like to be crazy. Rating: five crazy fives/five
For fans of: [b:More Happy Than Not|19542841|More Happy Than Not|Adam Silvera|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1437759419s/19542841.jpg|27669922] by Adam Silvera, [b:Turtles All the Way Down|35504431|Turtles All the Way Down|John Green|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1503002776s/35504431.jpg|21576687] by John Green, [b:Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens|35120779|Unbroken 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens|Marieke Nijkamp|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1529583627s/35120779.jpg|56436438]
Favorite quotes:
- “How much pain and devastation could we avoid by fixing the root of the problem instead of cowering away in fear?”
- “Paper has always listened. When I was young and full of shame and loneliness, I could write down my pain and the paper took it… But no matter what happened, I always had control over what I put on paper.”
- “Don’t let the Muggle-like thoughts dim your magic, dear!”
- “We all have things - and sometimes people - we are unable to look in the eye.”
luna_bear's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Eating disorder, Addiction, and Transphobia
vera_michele's review against another edition
I have decided to not give rating on this book. I would just feel weird about rating someone's life, and mental health.
Now, onto my thoughts:
I have a lot of struggles about Nonfiction. I just end up getting bored because real life is just not my favorite thing to read about. When I read I want go into another world, and have an adventure or a romance, so I was kind of scared to read this. I do feel like it took me way too long to read this because of that nonfiction aspect.
I will say, I enjoyed most of the stories in here. When I say most, I really just mean that maybe the writing style was not the best, but I still enjoyed the story. I felt like I could relate to most of the stories in her about mental health. There were some I couldn't relate to, but that's ok.
I don't know if this makes sense. It's currently like 11:00 at night, and I'm exhausted.
I'm gonna leave it here by saying that I did really love this book, but the nonfiction just gets to me because I don't normally read it and enjoy it.
Now, onto my thoughts:
I have a lot of struggles about Nonfiction. I just end up getting bored because real life is just not my favorite thing to read about. When I read I want go into another world, and have an adventure or a romance, so I was kind of scared to read this. I do feel like it took me way too long to read this because of that nonfiction aspect.
I will say, I enjoyed most of the stories in here. When I say most, I really just mean that maybe the writing style was not the best, but I still enjoyed the story. I felt like I could relate to most of the stories in her about mental health. There were some I couldn't relate to, but that's ok.
I don't know if this makes sense. It's currently like 11:00 at night, and I'm exhausted.
I'm gonna leave it here by saying that I did really love this book, but the nonfiction just gets to me because I don't normally read it and enjoy it.
southernbellebooks's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. I’m not sure what else to say. It was somewhat relatable and this would be great for people who want to learn about mental health in general but I wish there was more on generalized anxiety.
papercraftalex's review against another edition
2.0
I read this for the disability readathon and I really shouldn't have. Throughout multiple stories, it perpetuates the idea that physically disabled people have it easier than people with mental illness. Like many anthologies, the quality of the stories varied widely, but unfortunately the subjects did not. The stories were mostly about anxiety and depression, with a sprinkle of OCD, bipolar disorder, and eating disorders. The only story in this collection about schizophrenia was about someone's abusive mother, which perpetuates very harmful stereotypes. That's not the worst one though! The editor was reprehensible for including "The Alchemy of Healing" by Emily Mayberry. The story is about a school shooting survivor who blames school shootings on mental illness (I thought the point of this collection was to destigmatize mental illness) and then advertise her appropriated scam business. Another story was a veteran's narrative of living with PTSD, which would be great to include if the veteran telling the story wasn't racist. He said "My little blond-haired daughter deserves a father who lives in the present." So she only deserves that because she's blond? You took that opportunity away from other dads. "I will not let Iraq win." They didn't, thousands of people's lives are destroyed, because of you.
The only stories I feel are worth reading are CODA by Meredith Russo, What We're Born With and What We Pick Up Along the Way by Heidi Heilig, and Call Me Crazy by s.e. smith.
The only stories I feel are worth reading are CODA by Meredith Russo, What We're Born With and What We Pick Up Along the Way by Heidi Heilig, and Call Me Crazy by s.e. smith.
msgabbythelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
I am using this book in the Nonfiction Category of the Extreme Book Nerd Challenge.
This book is so important. I don't care that it is marketed predominantly for teens--anyone who battles with, works with, or seeks to understand mental illness should read this award winning book. (It was given an Printz honor last week at ALA Midwinter)
The 33 stories in this volume range in length and in illness. Some are written by celebrities like Nancy Kerrigan and Kristen Bell. Some are written by YA authors. In fact, my favorite stories were shared by Victoria Schwab and Libba Bray, two YA authors. Both of their stories shared their battles with anxiety, Libba's actually took place in an airplane (in a supposed conversation between herself, her anxiety, and her OCD). I felt like I could have written that. Victoria's story was about fearing loved ones dying.....and I wrestle with the same things.
The overwhelming thing in "(Don't) Call Me Crazy" was about being real with your story. It's nothing to be ashamed of at all. We never know who has these "demons" inside of us. It's why I try to be real with the anxiety I live with every single day. And some days are better than others. But we learn to live with it. And help others. And this is a great resource that does just that.
This book is so important. I don't care that it is marketed predominantly for teens--anyone who battles with, works with, or seeks to understand mental illness should read this award winning book. (It was given an Printz honor last week at ALA Midwinter)
The 33 stories in this volume range in length and in illness. Some are written by celebrities like Nancy Kerrigan and Kristen Bell. Some are written by YA authors. In fact, my favorite stories were shared by Victoria Schwab and Libba Bray, two YA authors. Both of their stories shared their battles with anxiety, Libba's actually took place in an airplane (in a supposed conversation between herself, her anxiety, and her OCD). I felt like I could have written that. Victoria's story was about fearing loved ones dying.....and I wrestle with the same things.
The overwhelming thing in "(Don't) Call Me Crazy" was about being real with your story. It's nothing to be ashamed of at all. We never know who has these "demons" inside of us. It's why I try to be real with the anxiety I live with every single day. And some days are better than others. But we learn to live with it. And help others. And this is a great resource that does just that.
bookcheshirecat's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Ableism, Mass/school shootings, Panic attacks/disorders, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
michbeatty's review against another edition
5.0
Easy to read collection highlighting many different facets of mental illness. I look forward to using this with my students!