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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Under Rose-Tainted Skies in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Norah is a mentally ill teen struggling with agoraphobia and OCD. She lives with her mom and hasn't attended school in over four years -- in fact, she really hasn't had what society would deem a "normal" outing in that time. Her interactions are with her mom, her therapist, and the online world: watching her former friends live their lives via social media. When a new boy moves in next door, Norah doesn't expect much to change. But when Luke catches Norah trying to fish in groceries left outside on her porch, he helps her. The two slowly begin to interact, and a friendship blossoms. Still, despite the movie "dates" they have at Norah's house and their many chats, Norah is trapped in her own insecurities and fears: Luke deserves a "normal" girl, who can go outside to parties, and who isn't too scared of germs to kiss. What does the future hold in store for Norah and Luke?
This was a lyrical novel offering a rather unflinching portrait of mental illness. (I must point out up front that there's a self-harm/cutting trigger.) The writing is beautiful, almost falling over the line of too flowery at times. Norah is an engaging heroine: a real person living her life with mental illness. The novel truly tries to portray her OCD and agoraphobia in a real (yet humorous at times - it's not just as if you're reading a medical manual) manner. There are some incredibly important passages in this book about how, while Norah may not look sick or mentally ill, she is. I enjoyed her character immensely.
Unfortunately, some of my love of Norah was diminished by slightly unrealistic and odd plotlines. Maybe it's just me, but I was immensely bothered by little things - Luke's dad getting a job at the TSA for 8 weeks (unless that was a long time ago, basically impossible in the security clearance era). In turn, Norah's mom undergoes a hospital stay that seems oddly inserted; further, if the family has money, why is poor, scared Norah forced to stay alone for huge chunks of time without any assistance or company? Luke also comes across as too good to be true sometimes, making me question his character, even when I wanted to buy into the love story. Finally, the ending hinges on a weird twist and seemed to tie things up a little too easily for how strongly the book was presenting Norah's illness throughout.
The angsty teen love genre is certainly in full swing lately and adding in mental illness is popular as well (I think [b:Everything, Everything|18692431|Everything, Everything|Nicola Yoon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1450515891s/18692431.jpg|26540216] is my favorite, where it worked so beautifully). Still, I certainly wouldn't not recommend this novel. It's well-written, portrays its mental illnesses very well, and the character of Norah is worth the read alone. There are some flaws, yes, but I did enjoy the book overall. 3.5 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available as of 01/03/2017.
This was a lyrical novel offering a rather unflinching portrait of mental illness. (I must point out up front that there's a self-harm/cutting trigger.) The writing is beautiful, almost falling over the line of too flowery at times. Norah is an engaging heroine: a real person living her life with mental illness. The novel truly tries to portray her OCD and agoraphobia in a real (yet humorous at times - it's not just as if you're reading a medical manual) manner. There are some incredibly important passages in this book about how, while Norah may not look sick or mentally ill, she is. I enjoyed her character immensely.
Unfortunately, some of my love of Norah was diminished by slightly unrealistic and odd plotlines. Maybe it's just me, but I was immensely bothered by little things - Luke's dad getting a job at the TSA for 8 weeks (unless that was a long time ago, basically impossible in the security clearance era). In turn, Norah's mom undergoes a hospital stay that seems oddly inserted; further, if the family has money, why is poor, scared Norah forced to stay alone for huge chunks of time without any assistance or company? Luke also comes across as too good to be true sometimes, making me question his character, even when I wanted to buy into the love story. Finally, the ending hinges on a weird twist and seemed to tie things up a little too easily for how strongly the book was presenting Norah's illness throughout.
The angsty teen love genre is certainly in full swing lately and adding in mental illness is popular as well (I think [b:Everything, Everything|18692431|Everything, Everything|Nicola Yoon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1450515891s/18692431.jpg|26540216] is my favorite, where it worked so beautifully). Still, I certainly wouldn't not recommend this novel. It's well-written, portrays its mental illnesses very well, and the character of Norah is worth the read alone. There are some flaws, yes, but I did enjoy the book overall. 3.5 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available as of 01/03/2017.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The More you Ignore me in Books
Feb 20, 2022
31 of 230
Book
The more you ignore me
By Jo Brand
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Celebrity obsession, coming of age and cow shit - an hilarious, poignant and darkly comic novel by the Queen of Comedy.
Alice is a young girl growing up in a dysfunctional family in Herefordshire in the 1980s. Her mother is suffering a mental illness - she is on medication, is put away in an institution, but constantly escapes - while her father, Keith, very sweetly, tries to keep everything together. His in-laws, the Wildgooses, are a bunch of reckless, lawless country bumpkins and can offer very little help or sensible advice, preferring instead to remain in the pub or to use a shotgun to solve life's little problems. The only thing that gives meaning and hope to Alice as she makes her way through childhood, school and teenage trauma is her obsession with the singer Morrissey of The Smiths. She is desperate to see The Smiths at a live gig, but somehow her family always manages to derail her plans. Gradually her mother begins to share her fascination with the rock god and his presence in their lives goes someway to healing her and repairing her relationship with her long-suffering daughter.
This was really good! It was funny and darkly so. It follows the life of a young girl dealing with the effects her mothers mental illness has on her and her father. It’s has a dark underlay that as someone who struggles mentally I can relate too. So much better than I was expecting.
Book
The more you ignore me
By Jo Brand
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Celebrity obsession, coming of age and cow shit - an hilarious, poignant and darkly comic novel by the Queen of Comedy.
Alice is a young girl growing up in a dysfunctional family in Herefordshire in the 1980s. Her mother is suffering a mental illness - she is on medication, is put away in an institution, but constantly escapes - while her father, Keith, very sweetly, tries to keep everything together. His in-laws, the Wildgooses, are a bunch of reckless, lawless country bumpkins and can offer very little help or sensible advice, preferring instead to remain in the pub or to use a shotgun to solve life's little problems. The only thing that gives meaning and hope to Alice as she makes her way through childhood, school and teenage trauma is her obsession with the singer Morrissey of The Smiths. She is desperate to see The Smiths at a live gig, but somehow her family always manages to derail her plans. Gradually her mother begins to share her fascination with the rock god and his presence in their lives goes someway to healing her and repairing her relationship with her long-suffering daughter.
This was really good! It was funny and darkly so. It follows the life of a young girl dealing with the effects her mothers mental illness has on her and her father. It’s has a dark underlay that as someone who struggles mentally I can relate too. So much better than I was expecting.
Gareth von Kallenbach (968 KP) rated Touched With Fire (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Touched with Fire is a very depressing movie. As a person diagnoses with bipolar disorder, there are touches of reality in seeing the characters dealing with mania and depression. The problem with the movie is it shows the extreme of this mental illness. The characters in mania putting their lives in danger. The family only worried about the negative aspects of the disorder. This needs to be said..not everyone with bipolar disorder acts like this. The family treating them poorly says a lot about the misunderstanding of the illness.
The story is a snapshot of all of the aspects of being bipolar. There are not medications that always work. There are not routines that can sidestep mania or depression.
On a good note, this does bring awareness to some of the bipolar geniuses throughout history. The book by psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison’s (who make a cameo appearance) 1993 Touched with Fire, is the inspiration for this movie. She shows the connection to bipolar and creativity.
When you see this movie, keep in mind, we are all weird in our own special ways. Don’t judge someone on their diagnosis or their rough times. You may miss the spark.
The story is a snapshot of all of the aspects of being bipolar. There are not medications that always work. There are not routines that can sidestep mania or depression.
On a good note, this does bring awareness to some of the bipolar geniuses throughout history. The book by psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison’s (who make a cameo appearance) 1993 Touched with Fire, is the inspiration for this movie. She shows the connection to bipolar and creativity.
When you see this movie, keep in mind, we are all weird in our own special ways. Don’t judge someone on their diagnosis or their rough times. You may miss the spark.
Miguel Covarrubias (143 KP) rated Turtles All The Way Down in Books
Apr 30, 2019
I really enjoy John Green's novels, however, this one was only just okay. I think because I struggle with an Anxiety disorder myself, I couldn't fully engage with this novel. I did like the accurate representation of the struggle with a mental illness, though I also felt like there were way too many moments where I wanted to shake the protagonist and say, "TAKE THE HELP OFFERED TO YOU!!!! YOU HAVE SO MUCH HELP!!!!!" Again, this is a personal issue for me, and has no bearing objectively on how the book is. I did appreciate the quotes and how Mr. Green views modern adolescents as being smart and well read. I just didn't connect as much as I would have liked to.
I was not as impressed with You as I'd hoped I would be. At first, I thought it was extremely unique, the perspective, and I still think that, but after about 20 chapters it was starting to wear down on me. I kept second guessing Joe's knowledge, because what if he had an actual mental illness and only saw things the way he wanted to see them? I was interested to find out what would happen in the end between Joe and Beck; it was an interesting story, to say the least. I just didn't feel like all the hype was absolutely necessary. I will say that Caroline wrote something completely different and that, at least before it grated on me, was refreshing.
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: a Novel in Books
May 25, 2018
Read this book, and have also watched the movie - the movie has NOTHING on this book, so, please do yourself a favor and read the book even if you've seen it on the big screen. Don't get me wrong, the movie is great - if you've already read the book, it's amazing to see it come to life. And, yes, I know Jack Nicholson is pretty, but STILL! Read the book, too!
The book crafts these incredibly vivid images of despair, torture, and sadness that you FEEL as if you are watching a film. It's an incredible story of mental illness, friendship and the camaraderie between these patients and the strength of the human spirit. I laughed out loud several times, and I cried even more.
Set in a mental asylum in the ’60s, McMurphy, our "anti-hero" is sent to stay, because he wants to avoid prison. He is not "crazy" - and it becomes a power struggle between him and "the system" (and in particular, an extremely power hungry nurse). There are so many layers to this story, and I hungrily peeled through them all and am sure if I read this again, I'd find many more layers.
The book crafts these incredibly vivid images of despair, torture, and sadness that you FEEL as if you are watching a film. It's an incredible story of mental illness, friendship and the camaraderie between these patients and the strength of the human spirit. I laughed out loud several times, and I cried even more.
Set in a mental asylum in the ’60s, McMurphy, our "anti-hero" is sent to stay, because he wants to avoid prison. He is not "crazy" - and it becomes a power struggle between him and "the system" (and in particular, an extremely power hungry nurse). There are so many layers to this story, and I hungrily peeled through them all and am sure if I read this again, I'd find many more layers.
MrsR (11 KP) rated Broken Child in Books
Aug 16, 2018
Based on a true stort
Contains spoilers, click to show
This powerful tale takes readers on a harrowing, unforgettable journey into the nightmare of parental abuse and the darkness of mental illness. Written by a woman who endured horrendous abuse from her mother and became a split personality by the age of five, here is the story of her agonizing childhood, the conflicting personalties, and struggle back to sanity.
Marcia was a toddler when she first recalls the abuse. Her mother a devoted Hitler youth , who moved to America. Didnt love her daughter because she was half Jewish and looked so. This book is not for the weak of heart. You will be moved and emotional at how a mother can do this and the struggle Marcia faced to get to "normal" life.
Marcia was a toddler when she first recalls the abuse. Her mother a devoted Hitler youth , who moved to America. Didnt love her daughter because she was half Jewish and looked so. This book is not for the weak of heart. You will be moved and emotional at how a mother can do this and the struggle Marcia faced to get to "normal" life.
LaBMaC (116 KP) rated Brain on Fire (2016) in Movies
Aug 3, 2019
Highlights the real life presentation of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis (2 more)
Engaging and emotive plot
Highlights issues surrounding misdiagnosis and psychiatric incarceration
Contains spoilers, click to show
This movie is unsettling as it is based on a true story, told in the book of the same name by Suzannah Cahalan.
A healthy young woman in her early 20's suddenly and inexplicably withdraws from life. As her personality is destroyed as is much of her life. The illness begins with sensory sensitivity and confusion and ends in catatonia.
When watching it I found myself trying to figure out what exactly what could make someone act like this. Epilepsy, stress, schizophrenia, mental breakdown. The diagnosis was none of these and it reminds the viewer that the brain is a complex and vulnerable entity that could fail in numerous ways.
A healthy young woman in her early 20's suddenly and inexplicably withdraws from life. As her personality is destroyed as is much of her life. The illness begins with sensory sensitivity and confusion and ends in catatonia.
When watching it I found myself trying to figure out what exactly what could make someone act like this. Epilepsy, stress, schizophrenia, mental breakdown. The diagnosis was none of these and it reminds the viewer that the brain is a complex and vulnerable entity that could fail in numerous ways.
Larry Eisner (2082 KP) rated Maniac in TV
Oct 3, 2018
Realistic views of mental illness (4 more)
So much vision in the palette and visual storytelling
The acting is top-notch!
Retro-Futurism!!!
Such creativity!
A beautiful, creative series about mental illness
Absurdism at its finest. Full stop.
Maniac is a beautifully written, beautifully shot and masterfully acted work of art. Taking a 70s-80s retro idea of future technology, and making it real, making it believable and all the while throwing crazy funny oddity at the same time is an insane balancing act and it works! My god, it works!
It is episodic and works as such, but it could also very well have been an excellent 5-6 hour film. Every scene is necessary. Every frame is intentional. The jokes hit, the visual universe is consistent, and the whole thing tugs on you like very little film does these days. In fact I hesitate to call it TV. Because while it is indeed episodic, it’s not serialized. It’s one long and perfectly crafted story. It winds and twists and it jumps at the sky but it always has a reason to do so.
And all I can say is that every damn time I forget how great Sally Field is, she kills it. She absolutely kills it. I wouldn’t have cast her or Jonah Hill, but they are PERFECT. I can not recommend this show enough. Honestly it’s the best original content I’ve seen this year. Hands down.
It’s funny, it’s bizarre, and it’s emotional. It gets, via sideways and transverse angles, what it means to be a broken and fragile human, when everyone around you seems to have it together but you.
Please watch it. You won’t regret it.
Maniac is a beautifully written, beautifully shot and masterfully acted work of art. Taking a 70s-80s retro idea of future technology, and making it real, making it believable and all the while throwing crazy funny oddity at the same time is an insane balancing act and it works! My god, it works!
It is episodic and works as such, but it could also very well have been an excellent 5-6 hour film. Every scene is necessary. Every frame is intentional. The jokes hit, the visual universe is consistent, and the whole thing tugs on you like very little film does these days. In fact I hesitate to call it TV. Because while it is indeed episodic, it’s not serialized. It’s one long and perfectly crafted story. It winds and twists and it jumps at the sky but it always has a reason to do so.
And all I can say is that every damn time I forget how great Sally Field is, she kills it. She absolutely kills it. I wouldn’t have cast her or Jonah Hill, but they are PERFECT. I can not recommend this show enough. Honestly it’s the best original content I’ve seen this year. Hands down.
It’s funny, it’s bizarre, and it’s emotional. It gets, via sideways and transverse angles, what it means to be a broken and fragile human, when everyone around you seems to have it together but you.
Please watch it. You won’t regret it.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Engleby in Books
Aug 20, 2017
Disappointing new book from Sebastian Faulks
I usually admire author Sebastian Faulks, who is a literary hero, especially for his lyrical and beautiful prose so I was definitely disappointed with the plot of this story. No doubt, it is well written, but the protagonist is so odious that I wanted to stop reading this. He is a pretentious, arrogant snob, and as you'll read, he also has a fair few demons. And I understand why he has been written as such because you'll hate him even more in the end. But it's borderline between having to read to the end and just wanting it to stop. So I'm not completely convinced.
There is an element of exploring mental illness and what makes a psychopath, but it is covered up by the self-serving first person narrative. Very cringe-worthy indeed.
There is an element of exploring mental illness and what makes a psychopath, but it is covered up by the self-serving first person narrative. Very cringe-worthy indeed.