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A review by emmm626
Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna Marie Tendler
5.0
This was the first memoir I’ve ever read by choice, and I really truly loved it. Anna has a powerful voice and reading how she recounts the experiences and relationships that have formed her was eye-opening. If you’re picking up her book for a drama-filled account of her divorce, you’ve come to the wrong place. It’s mentioned in only general terms, and the rest of her story is FAR more impactful. She’d be annoyed to know that people sought out her book for dirt on her ex-husband and are basing their interest in her off her relation to a man.
That said, major content warnings for mental illness, the discussion of power imbalance in relationships, and misogyny.
Anna was honest but kind in her descriptions of her hospital stay and those around her. I loved how she dug into her admiration of and love for the girls she got to know. The recounting of her past to her healthcare providers created a good structure for the “flashback” type chapters.
In addition to her hospital stay, most of the book focuses on the men in Anna’s life and how their actions, combined with societal pressures, impacted her self-esteem and overall psyche. She doesn’t pull punches in describing what happens—not in romantic relationships, friendships, or when discussing her relationship with herself. Her inner monologue was, at times, really hard to read. But the growth seen from her earlier descriptions to the progress she’d made by the end of the book was astounding.
While Anna isn’t afraid to call out her own flaws or shortcomings, I did sometimes feel that her points were a tad narrow-minded. That’s not to say I disagree with her, but I did find some of her views to err on the extreme. However, I can understand why due to her experiences and she was good at recognizing her bias in these passages.
I found a lot of her experience with mental health relatable and felt very seen when she discussed anxiety, depression, and general hopelessness. The book focuses *heavily* on mental illness (anxiety, depression, self harm, disordered eating, suicidal ideation, grief, anger, trauma) and the patriarchy (questionable but consensual age gaps in relationships, breakups, arguments, divorce, etc). However Anna’s voice was both sincere and funny throughout—there were many moments where I laughed out loud! Can’t wait to get my signed copy and see Anna on her tour!❤️
This was a real treat! Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
That said, major content warnings for mental illness, the discussion of power imbalance in relationships, and misogyny.
Anna was honest but kind in her descriptions of her hospital stay and those around her. I loved how she dug into her admiration of and love for the girls she got to know. The recounting of her past to her healthcare providers created a good structure for the “flashback” type chapters.
In addition to her hospital stay, most of the book focuses on the men in Anna’s life and how their actions, combined with societal pressures, impacted her self-esteem and overall psyche. She doesn’t pull punches in describing what happens—not in romantic relationships, friendships, or when discussing her relationship with herself. Her inner monologue was, at times, really hard to read. But the growth seen from her earlier descriptions to the progress she’d made by the end of the book was astounding.
While Anna isn’t afraid to call out her own flaws or shortcomings, I did sometimes feel that her points were a tad narrow-minded. That’s not to say I disagree with her, but I did find some of her views to err on the extreme. However, I can understand why due to her experiences and she was good at recognizing her bias in these passages.
I found a lot of her experience with mental health relatable and felt very seen when she discussed anxiety, depression, and general hopelessness. The book focuses *heavily* on mental illness (anxiety, depression, self harm, disordered eating, suicidal ideation, grief, anger, trauma) and the patriarchy (questionable but consensual age gaps in relationships, breakups, arguments, divorce, etc). However Anna’s voice was both sincere and funny throughout—there were many moments where I laughed out loud! Can’t wait to get my signed copy and see Anna on her tour!❤️
This was a real treat! Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.