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409 reviews for:
What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen
Kate Fagan
4.2 AVERAGE
409 reviews for:
What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen
Kate Fagan
4.2 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Such an important book to read. Devastating and important.
As a suicide attempt survivor and perfectionist, this book made me feel seen. I am currently working on becoming a therapist to help others like me who battle their own darkness.
4 stars for reading "enjoyment", the 5 for overall benefit.
I was given this book by the school district for all employees to read. I'm not sure why this one in particular, but it did give me perspective from a young person growing up and going to college in our current age of social media and social pressures. The focus for the district is mental health but I was concerned with how it all goes hand in hand.
This is an important book and I am glad I got the opportunity to read it--and keep it!
I was given this book by the school district for all employees to read. I'm not sure why this one in particular, but it did give me perspective from a young person growing up and going to college in our current age of social media and social pressures. The focus for the district is mental health but I was concerned with how it all goes hand in hand.
This is an important book and I am glad I got the opportunity to read it--and keep it!
I really enjoyed this book. Despite it being a generally heavy topic, it was a relatively quick read while still being very educational both in terms of understandnig Maddy's individual story as well as how her story reflects and fits into the broader context around depression and suicide and where our society currently stands with how we view social media, achievement, college, adolescence, and mental health. The book did a really good job of showing the reader the complexities around depression and suicide, making it clear that it's more than just "sadness," that no one thing led Maddy to make her final decision, and the obsession with being able to change one thing to fix all of your problems and the struggle when that inevitably doesn't happen. I also really liked how the author went back and forth each chapter between Maddy's story and her own experiences as well as discussions of mental health in general. It helped make the story not quite as heavy, add in additional context to Maddy's story, and provide more insight into mental health particularly for college students and college athletes and why things are the way they are. I really liked this book--I thought it caused a lot of necessary reflection about myself and the state of society, told an important story, and contributed to destigmatizing depression, suicide, and conversations around mental health.
This was a heartbreaking and eye-opening story of a "typical" American student-athlete who seems to have it all. Yet she struggles mightily with the transition from happy high school student to college student. All the life lessons she learned in athletics failed her - tough it out, work through the pain, you can be anything you want if you put your mind to it. She struggled and didn't want to let anyone down by admitting her fears and feelings. Even when she did try to voice her unhappiness she couldn't quite admit how overwhelming it was to those who could help her.
This book gave great insight on how these "digital natives" process the world around them and how they communicate. It also shed a lot of light on how common these struggles are for today's college students. They go from being the "It kid" in high school to just like everyone else in college. College is so competitive (and expensive) today and is set as such a high goal for these kids. That's a lot of pressure.
I would have given this book 5 stars but I didn't enjoy how the author injected herself and her own life into alternating chapters. Honestly, that story, while relevant, could have been part of the author's notes or a reader's guide. But too often the narrative stopped to be more about Kate than Maddy.
I did enjoy the subchapters that referenced mental health professionals, college students and other experts who helped add nuance and details to what Maddy (and other kids) must have felt like and how helpless and hopeless she felt. I also thought based on the interview with Dese'Rae Stage, the photographer who shared insight to Kate as a suicide surivor, that there would be more focus on the after. What happens to the friends and family who have to live with the questions longer than just in the immediate aftermath? How do they makes sense of this?
Maddy's story will stay with me for a long time. It also gave me perspective on what cenntenials could be facing as they transition to college.
This book gave great insight on how these "digital natives" process the world around them and how they communicate. It also shed a lot of light on how common these struggles are for today's college students. They go from being the "It kid" in high school to just like everyone else in college. College is so competitive (and expensive) today and is set as such a high goal for these kids. That's a lot of pressure.
I would have given this book 5 stars but I didn't enjoy how the author injected herself and her own life into alternating chapters. Honestly, that story, while relevant, could have been part of the author's notes or a reader's guide. But too often the narrative stopped to be more about Kate than Maddy.
I did enjoy the subchapters that referenced mental health professionals, college students and other experts who helped add nuance and details to what Maddy (and other kids) must have felt like and how helpless and hopeless she felt. I also thought based on the interview with Dese'Rae Stage, the photographer who shared insight to Kate as a suicide surivor, that there would be more focus on the after. What happens to the friends and family who have to live with the questions longer than just in the immediate aftermath? How do they makes sense of this?
Maddy's story will stay with me for a long time. It also gave me perspective on what cenntenials could be facing as they transition to college.
I really loved this book. Madison’s story is so heartbreaking and Kate Fagan tells it honestly and thoroughly. The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars is I thought she added too much of her own story. I’m sure she can relate to elements of Madison’s story, but if I wanted to know the author’s story, I would have read her own memoir.
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced