A review by missmansanas
It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

4.0

"Life is not cured, Mr. Gilner." Dr. Mahmoud leans in. "Life is managed."

Originality: 4/5
Content: 5/5
Language, style & readability: 4/5
Impact: 4.5/5

Overall rating: 4.5


Easily one of the most important YA novels that tackle mental illness, because they go through the whole medical healing process, the psychiatric insights and all: the triggers, the diagnosis, the symptoms, the therapy, the suicidal ideations, and the healing. As a person with a diagnosis myself, I was very comfortable with the portrayal of the whole thing. He neither exaggerated nor underplayed the hope of healing.

Not an easy read for me because of the casual, first-person teen language (I'm used to contemporary lit and non-fiction lately), but I'd argue that that's an important element to it. I picked this up while struggling with my own mental illness journey and it mirrored my situation back to me with all the dirt and hope that comes with it.

Not a perfect read but very, very tastefully handled.