A review by terangbulan
GILA: A Journey Through Moods & Madness by Hanna Alkaf
4.0
My book club had the pleasure of having Hanna Alkaf as one of our speakers for our first writing workshop. Initially, I wasn't familiar with the concept of creative non-fiction , but as the author explained further during the talk, I become more interested, especially it involves a taboo topic.
What I Liked: The short stories that are told by patients in the book gives us a whole new perspective on how mental illness is handled by society and the government, also the challenges faced by the patient. With these stories, the author includes some facts and figures about the current situation that is happening in Malaysia so that the reader can learn more. The additional information provided sometimes scares me, because it really shows the lack of treatment and lack of investment by government towards mental illness patients.
What I disliked: I feel that this book did not give more stories where mental illness patient has a happy ending..some of them has an OK ending. I guess the author did it to emphasise that mental illness patient is still being mistreated nowadays... sigh
What I Liked: The short stories that are told by patients in the book gives us a whole new perspective on how mental illness is handled by society and the government, also the challenges faced by the patient. With these stories, the author includes some facts and figures about the current situation that is happening in Malaysia so that the reader can learn more. The additional information provided sometimes scares me, because it really shows the lack of treatment and lack of investment by government towards mental illness patients.
What I disliked: I feel that this book did not give more stories where mental illness patient has a happy ending..some of them has an OK ending. I guess the author did it to emphasise that mental illness patient is still being mistreated nowadays... sigh