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A review by caidyn
A Danger to Herself and Others by Alyssa Sheinmel
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
CW: mental illness, psychosis, eating disorders, and serious injury
While this was a good read, I had my issues with it. Perhaps that's because I'm coming at it as a person in the field. I work at a psych facility and some of the things in this didn't ring quite true. However, I don't work with kids and don't get how children's facilities work. I also am not a psychiatrist, nor am I working with those who are there for criminal cases.
For one, I wasn't a fan of the MC. I didn't like her comments on eating disorders. It pulled me straight out of the book because they were entirely unneeded for the story as a whole. It rubbed me entirely the wrong way to read someone making comments about how you can tell by looking at a girl who's anorexic or bulimic. It just was disgusting and pissed me off. The comments were unneeded to the extreme.
I also just didn't love the rep for mental health. Again, I work in the population and I just didn't like how Hannah wasn't told anything and how things didn't seem to be explained to her. I'd never do that as a professional. I'd want them to know what's going on and what's happening. I also didn't like how the psychiatrist had her own agenda rather than work with the patient and the patient's concerns. She's concerned about missing the start of school? Why brush that off? It's a valid thing to process and to help someone process.
Still, I enjoyed the book. I've met people like Hannah, people who have some psychosis but are able to recognize it in some ways. It's hard to see them recognize it fully and actually understand what they're experiencing. I liked how the book wasn't drawn out and ended as it did, although it's clear that this is only the start of her journey because it is a lifelong diagnosis and, usually, symptoms don't entirely go away.
Overall, a fine book, but not without its issues.
While this was a good read, I had my issues with it. Perhaps that's because I'm coming at it as a person in the field. I work at a psych facility and some of the things in this didn't ring quite true. However, I don't work with kids and don't get how children's facilities work. I also am not a psychiatrist, nor am I working with those who are there for criminal cases.
For one, I wasn't a fan of the MC. I didn't like her comments on eating disorders. It pulled me straight out of the book because they were entirely unneeded for the story as a whole. It rubbed me entirely the wrong way to read someone making comments about how you can tell by looking at a girl who's anorexic or bulimic. It just was disgusting and pissed me off. The comments were unneeded to the extreme.
I also just didn't love the rep for mental health. Again, I work in the population and I just didn't like how Hannah wasn't told anything and how things didn't seem to be explained to her. I'd never do that as a professional. I'd want them to know what's going on and what's happening. I also didn't like how the psychiatrist had her own agenda rather than work with the patient and the patient's concerns. She's concerned about missing the start of school? Why brush that off? It's a valid thing to process and to help someone process.
Still, I enjoyed the book. I've met people like Hannah, people who have some psychosis but are able to recognize it in some ways. It's hard to see them recognize it fully and actually understand what they're experiencing. I liked how the book wasn't drawn out and ended as it did, although it's clear that this is only the start of her journey because it is a lifelong diagnosis and, usually, symptoms don't entirely go away.
Overall, a fine book, but not without its issues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Medical content, Mental illness, and Violence