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zapkode's review against another edition
5.0
{My thoughts} – I just picked a random book out of my review pile for Scholastic and started reading it. Most of the books I have an idea of what they are about, but a majority of the time it’s a nice little mystery until I start reading. This book was definitely a nice little mystery.
Vicky lost her mother at a young age and her father remarried not long after. Her older sister Becca moved on in much the same way as their father. This left Vicky in the dark alone, sad and missing her mother, no one seemed to share or display the sane feelings she had which was causing a kind of rift between the members of the family without them actually realizing it was happening.
Vicky decided that since she felt so empty and alone that she’d take her own life. She attempted but her cat and her Nana saved her life. It’s a lucky thing that she was able to live through what she’d done and that she’d been given a second chance.
The book covers suicide awareness as well as depression awareness. Vicky’s main issue is a depression that had been ignored and not treated. When that happens it has the potential to escalate into suicide tendencies.
I know about both topics all to well. They have both effected my life in one way or another. Making people aware that they aren’t alone and that there is real hope at the end of the long dark tunnel is the only thing that can be honestly done. Hope is essential and important to assist with the desire to move forward.
Once Vicky started to hope and understand that there was a real future for her is when she started to accept her illness as just that an illness. It’s not something that defines an individual it just has the potential to make life a little more complicated for those suffering from it.
I highly recommend this book for anyone that’s ever felt depressed or suicidal. It’s incredibly well written and helps to show that no matter how alone you may feel in the terrible dark times, that your never truly alone.
Vicky lost her mother at a young age and her father remarried not long after. Her older sister Becca moved on in much the same way as their father. This left Vicky in the dark alone, sad and missing her mother, no one seemed to share or display the sane feelings she had which was causing a kind of rift between the members of the family without them actually realizing it was happening.
Vicky decided that since she felt so empty and alone that she’d take her own life. She attempted but her cat and her Nana saved her life. It’s a lucky thing that she was able to live through what she’d done and that she’d been given a second chance.
The book covers suicide awareness as well as depression awareness. Vicky’s main issue is a depression that had been ignored and not treated. When that happens it has the potential to escalate into suicide tendencies.
I know about both topics all to well. They have both effected my life in one way or another. Making people aware that they aren’t alone and that there is real hope at the end of the long dark tunnel is the only thing that can be honestly done. Hope is essential and important to assist with the desire to move forward.
Once Vicky started to hope and understand that there was a real future for her is when she started to accept her illness as just that an illness. It’s not something that defines an individual it just has the potential to make life a little more complicated for those suffering from it.
I highly recommend this book for anyone that’s ever felt depressed or suicidal. It’s incredibly well written and helps to show that no matter how alone you may feel in the terrible dark times, that your never truly alone.
mco123's review against another edition
5.0
Very well written. Based on the author’s personal experiences. Middle to high school readers, not an elementary level read. Themes of suicide, mental illness, stereotypes, identity, and finding purpose.
carlisajc's review against another edition
So now let’s talk about this book. This past semester in my YA lit class, we read Marcelo in the Real World by Fransisco X. Stork (the author of this book), and I and most of my classmates all really enjoyed it. So, when the opportunity arose for me to get an ARC of this one by the same author, I leaped at it.
The cover of Marcelo in the Real World is super beautiful (go look it up). And it’s even better in the person. The stars are just wondrous (pssst, I love stars). And that’s just the cover. It’s actually really kind of a quiet story, but it’s of Marcelo, who is somewhere on the autistic spectrum, as he tries to navigate his life and where exactly he fits in in the real world. It was a good story, with a latino family (where being latino isn’t the primary focus of the story). So, after enjoying that one, I really wanted to see what else Stork had in store.
So let's talk about The Memory of Light. I liked this book. It’s about a girl named Vicky who tries to commit suicide and is thus placed in the Lakeview Hospital Mental Disorders ward. The book is kind of about her journey to overcome…or maybe that’s not the right word…to learn to bear her depression. It’s interesting having read Marcelo because they’re both about two teenagers who have to learn to live in the world and life that they have. They both see the world differently than the majority of people and the books are the stories of these two figuring out their own personal lens.
The book actually opens with her suicide note, which she writes to Nana, a sweet Mexican lady who basically raised Vicky and her sister after their mother died. It was kind of shocking to start the story this way. I knew literally nothing about Vicky, only that she’s attempting to take her own life. And I think this shocking prologue was definitely effective. Reading the words that she thought were going to be her last, words to someone she trusted absolutely, let me see a small side of Vicky that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.
After the note, Vicky wakes up in the mental hospital because her suicide attempt failed. And from here on, the book is not only Vicky’s story, but also the story of her three closest friends in the ward: Mona, Gabriel, E.M.. I like the inclusion of these characters because they all weren’t depressed and suicidal like Vicky was. They were each trying to deal with something different in their lives, like the beginning stages of schizophrenia or anger management problems or severe bipolar disorder. And as Vicky, and as a result we the readers, learn about the people around her, she becomes stronger because of it.
I’ve never personally suffered from depression or suicidal thoughts or attempts, so I can’t really fully understand what Vicky is going through. Or what her friends are going through either. But this book helps me gain empathy and understanding for people who have or are working through these things. And this book was heavily based on Stork’s own experiences with depression, which gives it real legitimacy and helped me to feel as this was an authentic experience.
And in this book, there was no quick and easy answer. It wasn’t like, Oh, you spent two weeks in a mental ward. Now you’re cured and will be happy forever. Stork obviously knew that that’s not how it works. Depression isn’t something that can just magically go away. It’s a daily process, and it’s one that requires constant support from friends and family.
This book was a good one, one that will help you empathize and understand something that is vital to empathize with and understand. Even if you personally don’t suffer from a mental illness, it’s so important to know and understand them…because there are so many stereotypes or false stigmas that make situations harder than they need to be. If that paragraph just made any sense (it did in my head).
Anyways, I recommend reading this book. It’s not a fast-paced book, by any means. It’s definitely more introspective than exciting. But I think books like this are really important for people, especially young adults, to read.
rereader33's review against another edition
3.0
This book was good. I am thrilled that the author talked about many different mental illnesses (depression, suicide, bipolar, and schizophrenia) and demonstrated not only the problems that can arise from them but that people can still love and accept you at your worst. The writing was simple and it was a quick read. I am thrilled that this is a primarily Hispanic cast; despite all the progress that has been made in diversity, sometimes diverse reads can get swamped in a primarily white cast. The addition of poetry was also wonderful, and the fact that the author included Emily Dickenson (my personal favorite) made it even better. I also appreciated how Vicky's depression is handled by her family. Her family seems determined to make her 'get back on track' and 'get back into the swing of things' right after she is brought home, which is common for people who don't understand depression. There is much more to say, but I don't want to spoil anymore, so I'll leave the positives at that.
Unfortunately, what made the novel fall flat for me was the characters. We are told in the summary that one of the characters, E.M., is in Lakeview because of his anger. And yet, he only displays incredible anger in the last thirty pages. Considering he's billed to be a guy with anger issues, he never loses his cool until the very end. The other problem was Mona. Mona is in Lakeview for help with her bipolar, but she doesn't have much of a personality outside of her condition. Granted, her character is a good example of bipolar and I applaud the author for doing her research, but she didn't have much of a personality which was a little disappointing.
I would recommend this book for those looking for more insight into suicide and depression. This was a good, solid read.
Unfortunately, what made the novel fall flat for me was the characters. We are told in the summary that one of the characters, E.M., is in Lakeview because of his anger. And yet, he only displays incredible anger in the last thirty pages. Considering he's billed to be a guy with anger issues, he never loses his cool until the very end. The other problem was Mona. Mona is in Lakeview for help with her bipolar, but she doesn't have much of a personality outside of her condition. Granted, her character is a good example of bipolar and I applaud the author for doing her research, but she didn't have much of a personality which was a little disappointing.
I would recommend this book for those looking for more insight into suicide and depression. This was a good, solid read.
amy_j18's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
micco_reads's review against another edition
5.0
A review on the front of this book says "this book just might save your life". I agree.
Depression, and mental illness isn't sugarcoated in this book. It isn't romanticized. It's genuine. For this, i thank Stork.
It's been a while since i've thought this, but : "i'm not killing myself soon. I won't."
Thank you.
Depression, and mental illness isn't sugarcoated in this book. It isn't romanticized. It's genuine. For this, i thank Stork.
It's been a while since i've thought this, but : "i'm not killing myself soon. I won't."
Thank you.
lydiastorytime's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
livid_by_any_other_name's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0