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A review by mariahistryingtoread
The Dark Matter of Mona Starr by Laura Lee Gulledge
4.0
*I'm reading all the 2022 FL Teen Reads. This is Book #10 out of 15 read. If you want to see a complete list altogether in one place in order of best to worst check out my tag florida-teen-reads-2022 to see the star ratings*
The Dark Matter of Mona Starr details the progression and impact of depression.
Mona has struggled with depression most of her life, but she’s largely managed to cope until recently. Her childhood best friend, Nash, moving out of state has triggered a spiral unlike anything she’s ever had before.
Over the course of the graphic novel, she learns how to navigate her ‘matter’ - her name for her depression - and weather the worst of its effects as best she can. She comes to find that while her struggles are more aggravated, everybody has something that ails them and that reaching out is how we fight back.
It reads a lot like a guide on depression for teens rather than a story most of the time; like those girls manuals put out by American Girl. The Care and Keeping of You, A Smart Girls’ Guide to Body Image, Is This Normal? Etc but it’s about depression instead of puberty or self-esteem. It uses Mona to explore in a fun yet educational way. The plot is loose and secondary to getting out the necessary information.
It could get a little corny at times, but I think the message supersedes the cheesiness. Plus I think we need more cheesiness in the world anyways. I’ll take an earnest attempt at putting something positive out in the world over a grimdark ‘realistic’ depiction literally any day of the week.
I could see this being very helpful to a kid first starting out on their mental health journey. This is the top pick on the list so far. Considering how long it took to get a genuinely good read on the list I expect it to stay there.
The Dark Matter of Mona Starr details the progression and impact of depression.
Mona has struggled with depression most of her life, but she’s largely managed to cope until recently. Her childhood best friend, Nash, moving out of state has triggered a spiral unlike anything she’s ever had before.
Over the course of the graphic novel, she learns how to navigate her ‘matter’ - her name for her depression - and weather the worst of its effects as best she can. She comes to find that while her struggles are more aggravated, everybody has something that ails them and that reaching out is how we fight back.
It reads a lot like a guide on depression for teens rather than a story most of the time; like those girls manuals put out by American Girl. The Care and Keeping of You, A Smart Girls’ Guide to Body Image, Is This Normal? Etc but it’s about depression instead of puberty or self-esteem. It uses Mona to explore in a fun yet educational way. The plot is loose and secondary to getting out the necessary information.
It could get a little corny at times, but I think the message supersedes the cheesiness. Plus I think we need more cheesiness in the world anyways. I’ll take an earnest attempt at putting something positive out in the world over a grimdark ‘realistic’ depiction literally any day of the week.
I could see this being very helpful to a kid first starting out on their mental health journey. This is the top pick on the list so far. Considering how long it took to get a genuinely good read on the list I expect it to stay there.