A review by meggiemercury
No One Cares about Crazy People: The Chaos and Heartbreak of Mental Health in America by Ron Powers

3.0

This book was a wonderful introduction to the history and treatment of mental health, primarily in the United States. So many fascinating, gut-wrenching facts that I feel very thankful to know. Powers writes about this history in a relatable, powerful way, enabling the reader to get a full grasp of the extremity of the topic at hand. To accompany the facts pertaining to mental health in this book, Powers weaves his own first-hand experience with familial mental illness via the upbringing of his two sons who have schizophrenia. Although I do feel that his personal experience was critical to the book, the personal storyline and the mental health history storyline did not seem to mesh well - it was like the book didn't know if it wanted to be a memoir or a textbook. That being said, I understand why he included his experience - it provided an opportunity to show the reader just how loving, deserving, and human someone with a mental health disorder is. This directly supports his claims throughout the book that our poor treatment, and fear, of mentally ill individuals is shameful and highly problematic. This book is bound to cause controversy, because of the intense subject matter, the jarring personal story, and any claims made about how best to help someone who is seeking (or not seeking) help with their mental health. I think it's important more personal stories related to mental health, like Powers', are put into the world, and that that people learn the history and current standing of mental healthcare in America. Because of this, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is considering reading it.