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miss_majuu's review against another edition
3.0
Overall I am quite disappointed because this was not the important and impactful collection I imagined it to be.
Most of the essays I found interesting and insightful but there were so incredibly many piece where I did not understand why they're part of this collection. Multiple pieces do not mention mental health at all and even more do not "start a conversation about mental health".
I also was very confused on what the intend and the target audience of this collection were: this is advertised as primarily for young adults but there are so many pieces about adult experiences no teenager has experienced yet.
I didn't get what some parts were trying to do because they were more autobiographical than advise or conversation starters.
Furthermore I do not think this was a well edited collection: there were five chapters with an introduction but no pieces in that chapter related or had anything to do with the set topic of the chapter.
There were also a lot of different pieces of media but the same kind was always grouped together, e.g. there are around five illustrations but they're all in the same chapter, never anywhere else just all in one bulk, which made for quite a jarring reading experience.
My favorite essay was Coda by Meredith Russo
My overall average rating is 2.8⭐️
Most of the essays I found interesting and insightful but there were so incredibly many piece where I did not understand why they're part of this collection. Multiple pieces do not mention mental health at all and even more do not "start a conversation about mental health".
I also was very confused on what the intend and the target audience of this collection were: this is advertised as primarily for young adults but there are so many pieces about adult experiences no teenager has experienced yet.
I didn't get what some parts were trying to do because they were more autobiographical than advise or conversation starters.
Furthermore I do not think this was a well edited collection: there were five chapters with an introduction but no pieces in that chapter related or had anything to do with the set topic of the chapter.
There were also a lot of different pieces of media but the same kind was always grouped together, e.g. there are around five illustrations but they're all in the same chapter, never anywhere else just all in one bulk, which made for quite a jarring reading experience.
My favorite essay was Coda by Meredith Russo
My overall average rating is 2.8⭐️
noragrace89's review
4.0
“I was trying to be brave. I was trying to let people in. I was trying. I am who I am today because of my messes. Because I’ve survived them. Because I’ve written about them. Because I’ve learned from them, because I keep searching for new tools to clean them up, because I keep trying to heal.”
finalgirlfall's review against another edition
3.0
there weren't a great deal of essays regarding more stigmatized disorders or symptoms, such as psychosis. i found that disappointing.
alex_s_113's review
I liked a few entries, but a lot of what I read made me physically squirm or itch. Would prefer more anecdotes over stream-of-consciousness.
Still a good book to acknowledge all the mental struggles and conditions many people feel they’re the only ones going through. Just not my jam.
Still a good book to acknowledge all the mental struggles and conditions many people feel they’re the only ones going through. Just not my jam.
whatsmacksaid's review against another edition
3.0
Honestly this is a very hard read. The essays are wide-ranging enough that I can't imagine a reader who wouldn't be triggered in one way or another, so it's a good thing the essays are so short. Some were better than others.
This isn't a book that should be read all at once. However, it does complete its purported goal in that it is a good starting place for discussions about mental health and various mental illnesses.
This isn't a book that should be read all at once. However, it does complete its purported goal in that it is a good starting place for discussions about mental health and various mental illnesses.
matiel72's review
5.0
I really loved this anthology of 33 voices of all types speaking about mental health and it's impact on both themselves and society.
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
I've been waiting for this book for a while, and I'm so glad to have found an ARC of it! This book comprises essays written by authors, illustrators, actors, and more. This offers so many varying looks at mental health, as well as mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, OCD, dysphoria, and bipolar. It takes into account different ages, genders, mental illnesses, races, and more to truly create a dialogue surrounding how mental health affects individuals.
This was a truly intriguing compilation discussing how disorders affect individuals, how institutions worsen or relieve symptoms, how different situations exasperate symptoms. There were moments of levity, moments of seriousness, and to make it complete, many lists of resources in terms of hot lines, movies, books, and more on the topic of mental health.
I think that this book should be in every library, every teen collection, every bookstore. It's so incredibly important, especially in today's day and age. It's informative, truthful, and above all else, honest.
Review cross-listed here!
This was a truly intriguing compilation discussing how disorders affect individuals, how institutions worsen or relieve symptoms, how different situations exasperate symptoms. There were moments of levity, moments of seriousness, and to make it complete, many lists of resources in terms of hot lines, movies, books, and more on the topic of mental health.
I think that this book should be in every library, every teen collection, every bookstore. It's so incredibly important, especially in today's day and age. It's informative, truthful, and above all else, honest.
Review cross-listed here!
librarystax's review against another edition
4.0
keep talking
Trying to open the door and my mind to better understand and this book was a great step in the right direction.
Trying to open the door and my mind to better understand and this book was a great step in the right direction.