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Book Review | Boys Don't Cry: A Story of Love, Depression and Men by Tim Grayburn
Blurb
I have chronic depression and acute anxiety.

This means that sometimes without medication I can sink very deep and think about killing myself.

But it also means that most of the time I cam perfectly happy and I forgot it even exists.

I have recently begun to become proud of it.

Review
I haven't read much non-fiction books I'm always stuck in a fiction world. But when I saw this book I thought I want to read more about Mental Health with Mental Health Awareness Week coming up next week I thought why not.

This book is about Tim Grayburn a 'real man' who opens up and publish this book it about love, being diagnose with depression and acute anxiety. I feel this man is brave for sharing is struggles with mental illness.

It shows through hes life how he kept the secret for 8 years because he felt ashamed that he didn't feel like a man, so it got so worst that when he was aged 23 he had a nervous breakdown.He hide all this from hes work mates, family and friends for so long he put on a happy face to show people he was coping okay. But he kept having thoughts of his existence like who am I? Why am I here? What is life for? they kept repeating and playing over and over.

But I was happy that he found someone to settle down with and understand what he his going through and not run away. Now Tim is a father to his son Frank.

I love that he and Bryony made hes life into a award-winning show Fake it 'Til You Make It after he quit working in advertising what he was doing for 10 years.

Thank Tim for showing people who suffer with depression and anxiety that you can achieve amazing things like this show and your book.

*Thanks Hodder & Stoughton for sending me out this ARC copy of Boy's Don't Cry.
  
Reasons to Stay Alive
Reasons to Stay Alive
Matt Haig | 2016 | Essays
8
8.3 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
Refreshingly frank
Considering the subject matter of this book, I came away from it feeling a lot better than I thought I would. This is a rather honest and frank insight into depression and anxiety, told around Matt Haig’s personal struggles and I found it absolutely fascinating. It isn’t a pleasant read at times especially when he starts to talk about suicidal and the very dark sides of depression, but it was still interesting to read about something that I’ve never experienced myself and there were a lot of lighter chapters in which Haig depicts his periods of recovery and the things that helped him get better.

This isn’t a long book, but it’s still one that I found hugely informative and interesting and it helps that Haig has such an engaging style of writing. Considering the rather strange times we’re all in at the moment with Coronavirus and lockdowns, I don’t doubt that we’re all feeling a little low right now and whilst this book isn’t an instant fix all pick me up, it might really help.
  
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Barry Newman (204 KP) Apr 10, 2020

Notes On A Nervous Planet is also good. Very relevant in the current climate as well.

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Sarah (7800 KP) Apr 10, 2020

Ooh thanks I was going to try and get that one next.

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Louise (64 KP) rated Panther in Books

Jul 2, 2018  
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Panther
David Owen | 2015
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am finding it really difficult to review this book, as I am really not sure about it to be honest.. I think I saw one booktuber haul this a few months ago but havent seen much of this going around. I saw this at my local library and due to the striking red cover I remembered watching it being hauled. I didn't pick it up though for weeks, it was sitting in the same spot with no one reading it. So in the end i thought i would give it a go as it's quite short and I felt this book was calling out to me to be read. Plus I read it for #YASHOT which was hosted by fluttering butterflies but posting it way too late sorry!

It took me to the end of the book to realise that there is also a boy on the front cover aswell as a Panther.

Derrick is a very unhappy young man, since the sighting of a Panther in the area it seems everything has been going wrong for him, his older sister charlotte is suffering from depression and attempts to commit suicide, he has started eating to the extreme where he is literally eating out of a rubbish bin (this really made me cringe) and becomes severely overweight. To make matters worse his best friend dumps him and he becomes a target for bullies.

Derrick starts to become obsessed with catching this Panther. He believes that if he succeeds everything will return to normal, his sister will get better and attend university, he will lose the weight and his dad will return home and the fog that is looming of their household will clear.

Depression and Mental health issues can be a tricky subject to tackle and David Owen has done a great job. Depression is often termed as the black dog but I thought the way he used a panther/beast as the metaphor was perfect.

This book shows that it's not just the person with depression suffers, everyone around them also gets sucked in, home feels like a thick fog where everyone feels uneasy, conversations are being avoided and coping mechanisms are being exhibited, such as Derricks food obsession to remain in control and his mother's spending and buying stuff for Charlotte's move to University.

The panther/beast describes depression very well. At times this was difficult to read and Derrick wasnt the most likeable character but the book was interesting, well written and thought-provoking.

The only thing I wasn't sure about is that throughout the book, it's not really clear if the Panther is real or not and the ending just didn't satisfy me enough - I wanted more closure.

This is David Owens first Young Adult novel.

Overall I rate this 3.5 out 5 stars