snazel's review against another edition
5.0
Very good anthology. As with many anthologies, this can be a pretty mixed bag. We have pieces that I'm super grateful for and were personally useful to me (didn't know bipolar could present like that! a useful way to look at anxieties), and things that I'm really confused as to why they're present (not sure about a piece about how you want your addicted brother to die is useful), and things that I'm not a huge personal fan of but I see why they're there (had to have the traditional piece about how medications are evil, I suppose). Overall one of the most solid anthologies I've read, however.
erinfrancis02's review against another edition
5.0
This was an amazing way to share and normalize stories about people living with mental health diagnoses. I have worked in the field for a long time and it was still such an eye opener for me. More people need to read this book.
I have 2 critics to help improve a future project:
1. I understand that mental illness is different for everyone but I would have liked a little more variety in the diagnoses. I feel like the majority revolved around anxiety and depression.
2. I did a quick google search on all of the contributors and there was not one person of color included in the list. One person identified as Latinx and one stated he was born in Mexico but that's it. This is a BIG missed opportunity.
I have 2 critics to help improve a future project:
1. I understand that mental illness is different for everyone but I would have liked a little more variety in the diagnoses. I feel like the majority revolved around anxiety and depression.
2. I did a quick google search on all of the contributors and there was not one person of color included in the list. One person identified as Latinx and one stated he was born in Mexico but that's it. This is a BIG missed opportunity.
julaliciousbookparadise's review against another edition
I bought this anthology a while ago and never got around to read before today. I have no idea why I decided that now was the time, but I’m glad that I did.
I’m not going to rate this because this isn’t a fictional story; these are real life experiences. I just don’t think that rating their writing is something that I should be doing with this kind of anthology.
I will just say that I think it’s an anthology that everyone should read.
I’m not going to rate this because this isn’t a fictional story; these are real life experiences. I just don’t think that rating their writing is something that I should be doing with this kind of anthology.
I will just say that I think it’s an anthology that everyone should read.
mhstories's review against another edition
4.0
This was a nice little collection of stories! I liked that they shared stories on so many things including things like addiction and Bipolar disorder, as I think collections like these often steer away from those particular types of stories.
library_brandy's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
I'm not familiar with all the authors in here, but I'm overly familiar with a lot of the struggles they're talking about in this collection, most notably the anxiety and depression. (I'm a little concerned at how much I identified with the essays talking about OCD, and that might be something to ask my therapist about....)
Worth a read even just to remember we're not alone. There's an element of "there but for the grace of god" in reading this, but overall this is a collection full of hope and support.
Worth a read even just to remember we're not alone. There's an element of "there but for the grace of god" in reading this, but overall this is a collection full of hope and support.
brandinh's review against another edition
4.0
This title does a beautiful job of illustrating how mental illness affects everyone differently and makes clear that there is no single treatment that will be right for all. These essays are raw and powerful, but might be triggering for readers who suffer from the illnesses presented. Yet, each author implores readers to get help (professional help) and ultimately presents an “it can get better” mentality. An excellent resource for high school libraries.
osoordinary's review against another edition
5.0
If you have EVER felt like you're alone, if you've ever felt like no one would understand what you're going through, please pick up this book! These authors share with you their own experiences with anxiety, depression, trauma, obsessive-compulsion, and so many other forms of mental health. I promise you, you're not alone. I saw my own experiences in several of the stories in this anthology. We need more books like this. We need to make talking about mental health OK. This does that. And well!
lucyjunee's review against another edition
4.0
This is an anthology of essays by various authors sharing their experience with mental health. This is a topic that I am extremely passionate about and is very close to me, so I was cautious about this book. It’s such a sensitive subject matter that it needs to be handled with extreme care.
And it was. This book was honest, raw and authentic and it didn’t in any shape or form glamourise mental Illness, but gave accurate portrayals of it.
What I especially loved about this book was that it demonstrates mental illness can take many forms and it particular to that one person. There is no one way it is presented and there is not one way to deal with it. It’s specific to that person and I think that’s an important message to send across.
This book discusses a myriad of mental health conditions (so trigger warnings) such as: eating disorders, ADHD, OCD, PTSD, bipolar, anxiety, depression, Alzheimer’s and addiction. Although I think these are as equally significant and deserving to have light and awareness brought to them, I wish there was more representation for eating disorders. They are extremely common and have the highest mortality rate of any other mental illness, so I wish there could have been more awareness of that.
What I think is phenomenal about this is it brings awareness to such a crucial topic. It stimulates conversation of the importance of it, instead of shying away from it and being ashamed. It shows that those with mental disorders are also stigmatised “a diabetic takes insulin, an epileptic takes anti-seizure medication...so why is a person stigmatised for taking a drug that corrects a chemical Imbalance in their brain?” Mental illness is all too common, and nobody, as Kati Morton said, “no one EVER deserves to feel ashamed for their mental health issues” it honestly baffles me that in 2018 we are still stereotyping and stigmatising those with something that affects 1 in 4 people globally. This book shows that it’s okay to talk about, okay to deal with and it’s okay to have a mental illness.
We shouldn’t be ashamed of that.
What I think is incredible is these are accounts from famous authors. Authors that we idolise. It illustrates that just like me or you, they’re people. They have baggage, they have issues and they struggle. To put this message across is very important and it adds to the idea that mental illness is common and it’s okay to talk about. I applaud every single person who shared their story in this anthology because it takes a lot to come out and tell your story. They deserve the world for that. I think they would have helped a lot of people, whether that’s having them feel comforted or validated, inspired recovery or just allowing the, to understand that they’re not alone. Whatever it is, it’s brilliant. I know that I definitely gained something from this book. It hit so close to home it brought tears to my eyes repeatedly, it’s absolutely incredible.
In addition to this, it also allows understanding. As someone who is very passionate about mental health and hopes to work in that field when I’m older, I have a decent understanding of most conditions. However, I am not familiar with issues such as ADHD or PTSD, so to read this, I gained so much knowledge and now I can understand people around me who suffer from this. I think that’s amazing and it would really allow people to understand this condition better.
I believe that if you’re in the right mindset and feel like it’s appropriate for you, I think you should read this book. It’s absolutely phenomenal and the fact that it’s discussing something so crucial deserves more recognition. I recommend if you’re ready.
Love Lucy x
And it was. This book was honest, raw and authentic and it didn’t in any shape or form glamourise mental Illness, but gave accurate portrayals of it.
What I especially loved about this book was that it demonstrates mental illness can take many forms and it particular to that one person. There is no one way it is presented and there is not one way to deal with it. It’s specific to that person and I think that’s an important message to send across.
This book discusses a myriad of mental health conditions (so trigger warnings) such as: eating disorders, ADHD, OCD, PTSD, bipolar, anxiety, depression, Alzheimer’s and addiction. Although I think these are as equally significant and deserving to have light and awareness brought to them, I wish there was more representation for eating disorders. They are extremely common and have the highest mortality rate of any other mental illness, so I wish there could have been more awareness of that.
What I think is phenomenal about this is it brings awareness to such a crucial topic. It stimulates conversation of the importance of it, instead of shying away from it and being ashamed. It shows that those with mental disorders are also stigmatised “a diabetic takes insulin, an epileptic takes anti-seizure medication...so why is a person stigmatised for taking a drug that corrects a chemical Imbalance in their brain?” Mental illness is all too common, and nobody, as Kati Morton said, “no one EVER deserves to feel ashamed for their mental health issues” it honestly baffles me that in 2018 we are still stereotyping and stigmatising those with something that affects 1 in 4 people globally. This book shows that it’s okay to talk about, okay to deal with and it’s okay to have a mental illness.
We shouldn’t be ashamed of that.
What I think is incredible is these are accounts from famous authors. Authors that we idolise. It illustrates that just like me or you, they’re people. They have baggage, they have issues and they struggle. To put this message across is very important and it adds to the idea that mental illness is common and it’s okay to talk about. I applaud every single person who shared their story in this anthology because it takes a lot to come out and tell your story. They deserve the world for that. I think they would have helped a lot of people, whether that’s having them feel comforted or validated, inspired recovery or just allowing the, to understand that they’re not alone. Whatever it is, it’s brilliant. I know that I definitely gained something from this book. It hit so close to home it brought tears to my eyes repeatedly, it’s absolutely incredible.
In addition to this, it also allows understanding. As someone who is very passionate about mental health and hopes to work in that field when I’m older, I have a decent understanding of most conditions. However, I am not familiar with issues such as ADHD or PTSD, so to read this, I gained so much knowledge and now I can understand people around me who suffer from this. I think that’s amazing and it would really allow people to understand this condition better.
I believe that if you’re in the right mindset and feel like it’s appropriate for you, I think you should read this book. It’s absolutely phenomenal and the fact that it’s discussing something so crucial deserves more recognition. I recommend if you’re ready.
Love Lucy x
steelepath's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting view on people’s struggles of mental health. Very honest and enlightening. They give advice how they have changed or become empowered through their mental health. I enjoyed reading it and being challenged.
heykellyjensen's review against another edition
Weird that the description on Goodreads mentions Kami Garcia; she's not actually in the collection.
That said: a solid collection of essays about living with mental illness, either as a sufferer or someone who has lived with another struggling. The bulk are about anxiety and depression, though a few essays on addition and an essay on Alzheimers and ADHD are included. Some essays are more compelling than others, as in any collection. My only real qualm was the bizarre essay by Francesca Lia Block, which seemed to make a number of logical leaps, lacked information, and ended with her blaming herself for leaving an abusive friendship when that friend ultimately was dealing with a mental illness (a thing that isn't uncommon, but the writing in this piece lacks a lot of necessary further details to make the takeaway NOT be "if you ignore a friend, they might be sick and then you'll feel bad about it" -- it was clear her friend was abusive toward her and she'd finally found the backbone to protect herself from it).
I wish there'd been more framing and insight from the editor of the collection, as there's none (no introduction, no section breakups, no overarching way to structure the anthology). I also wish we saw the words mental health on the cover, as many teen readers will find this collection powerful and necessary...but they might not know what it's about since the title doesn't really explain it.
Some of the pieces which resonated most with me included Lauren Oliver's, Francisco X. Stork's, and Cindy L. Rodriguez's (I want her to write another book, dammit!).
That said: a solid collection of essays about living with mental illness, either as a sufferer or someone who has lived with another struggling. The bulk are about anxiety and depression, though a few essays on addition and an essay on Alzheimers and ADHD are included. Some essays are more compelling than others, as in any collection. My only real qualm was the bizarre essay by Francesca Lia Block, which seemed to make a number of logical leaps, lacked information, and ended with her blaming herself for leaving an abusive friendship when that friend ultimately was dealing with a mental illness (a thing that isn't uncommon, but the writing in this piece lacks a lot of necessary further details to make the takeaway NOT be "if you ignore a friend, they might be sick and then you'll feel bad about it" -- it was clear her friend was abusive toward her and she'd finally found the backbone to protect herself from it).
I wish there'd been more framing and insight from the editor of the collection, as there's none (no introduction, no section breakups, no overarching way to structure the anthology). I also wish we saw the words mental health on the cover, as many teen readers will find this collection powerful and necessary...but they might not know what it's about since the title doesn't really explain it.
Some of the pieces which resonated most with me included Lauren Oliver's, Francisco X. Stork's, and Cindy L. Rodriguez's (I want her to write another book, dammit!).