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alessandralee's review
5.0
This is an amazing book and it should be in every public library. The essays present a wide spectrum of mental illness experience, covering many different illnesses, the different relationships a person might have with their illness, and more. I made liberal use of my highlighter while reading, as I often found the authors eloquently expressing things that I have struggled to put into words. If there had been a book like this when I was a teen, I would have benefitted greatly (and I am still benefitting greatly from this book as an adult). I cannot say enough positive things about this wonderful book.
The following essays resonated particularly strongly with me:
"Defying Definition" by Shaun David Hutchinson
"Defining the Thing is the Trick" by Ashley Holstrom
"What I Know and What I Don't Know" by Dior Vargas
"What's, Well, "Crazy?"" by Sarah Hannah Gomez
"The Lightbulb, the Broom, and the Work They Didn't Tell You About" by Kelly Jensen
The following essays resonated particularly strongly with me:
"Defying Definition" by Shaun David Hutchinson
"Defining the Thing is the Trick" by Ashley Holstrom
"What I Know and What I Don't Know" by Dior Vargas
"What's, Well, "Crazy?"" by Sarah Hannah Gomez
"The Lightbulb, the Broom, and the Work They Didn't Tell You About" by Kelly Jensen
ashleyholstrom's review
5.0
Incredible. I cannot wait for the world to get to read this collection. I’m so honored to have been included in it.
Mental health is just as important as physical health, kiddos. Let’s end the stigma.
January 2017:
It's not done yet, but I'm writing an essay for this bomb-ass anthology of essays about mental health for young adults. It'll be about my life with trichotillomania, and, I hope, all the words I needed to read when I was 13 and pulling out my eyebrows without knowing why.
Mental health is just as important as physical health, kiddos. Let’s end the stigma.
January 2017:
It's not done yet, but I'm writing an essay for this bomb-ass anthology of essays about mental health for young adults. It'll be about my life with trichotillomania, and, I hope, all the words I needed to read when I was 13 and pulling out my eyebrows without knowing why.
paragraphsandpages's review
4.0
“I was trying to be brave. I was trying to let people in. I was trying. I am who I am today because of my messes. Because I’ve survived them. Because I’ve written about them. Because I’ve learned from them, because I keep searching for new tools to clean them up, because I keep trying to heal.”
(Don’t) Call Me Crazy is a collection of essays and stories discussing mental illness, from the perception of it to personal stories of living with it. It dives into many aspects of this tough topic, from how individuals perceive it to how society does, to the definition of mental illness and how it differs for each person. It works to start/continue the conversation on mental health.
(Don’t) Call Me Crazy is an extremely personal set of essays and the experience of reading will therefore differ drastically for each person. Some will see themselves in these stories, some will disagree entirely with others, and some even might be entirely disaffected. I still don’t know the extent of this collection’s impact on me, as it’s something I am still actively thinking on/exploring, but I will admit it was an extremely hard read for me and I put off continuing it at several stages.
Mental health, even with its prevalence in modern media today, is still something surrounded with layers of stigma. This collection tackles that using pure honesty and openness, starting the conversation by showing that many authors we look up to and admire struggle with the same things we do. It validates readers by showing that illnesses should not have to manifest physically in order to be taken seriously. It also shows that dealing with mental illness and society’s reactions is not easy and that it’s okay to ask for help.
It’s a hard collection to critique, because on the grading scale of standard collections and anthologies it would score fairly moderately. There’s a lot of repetition in the stories, some feel way too long and others way too short, and it often feels like the categories that the stories are assigned to are meaningless. However, there is a positive side to almost all of these downsides to the people who are reading it. Repetition is often very important, the more you see yourself in media and published stories the more your feelings feel validated. Imperfections in stories breath the honesty of those same stories, as hiding these discussions behind a facade of perfection would feel faked. It puts me in a weird position, writing this review, because I don’t know how to rate it at all.
In the end, I settled on four stars, because I feel this collection can be important for many of the reasons listed above. However, even so, this wasn’t a perfect collection, as few ever are. It had flaws, and I will be honest that there are some stories I ended up skimming or skipping altogether. But the majority of this collection was powerful and wonderful and I definitely recommend it if you're looking either to find validation in others like you, learn more about a subject you may not know more about, or simply to support the authors putting themselves out there in these stories.
(Don’t) Call Me Crazy is a collection of essays and stories discussing mental illness, from the perception of it to personal stories of living with it. It dives into many aspects of this tough topic, from how individuals perceive it to how society does, to the definition of mental illness and how it differs for each person. It works to start/continue the conversation on mental health.
(Don’t) Call Me Crazy is an extremely personal set of essays and the experience of reading will therefore differ drastically for each person. Some will see themselves in these stories, some will disagree entirely with others, and some even might be entirely disaffected. I still don’t know the extent of this collection’s impact on me, as it’s something I am still actively thinking on/exploring, but I will admit it was an extremely hard read for me and I put off continuing it at several stages.
Mental health, even with its prevalence in modern media today, is still something surrounded with layers of stigma. This collection tackles that using pure honesty and openness, starting the conversation by showing that many authors we look up to and admire struggle with the same things we do. It validates readers by showing that illnesses should not have to manifest physically in order to be taken seriously. It also shows that dealing with mental illness and society’s reactions is not easy and that it’s okay to ask for help.
It’s a hard collection to critique, because on the grading scale of standard collections and anthologies it would score fairly moderately. There’s a lot of repetition in the stories, some feel way too long and others way too short, and it often feels like the categories that the stories are assigned to are meaningless. However, there is a positive side to almost all of these downsides to the people who are reading it. Repetition is often very important, the more you see yourself in media and published stories the more your feelings feel validated. Imperfections in stories breath the honesty of those same stories, as hiding these discussions behind a facade of perfection would feel faked. It puts me in a weird position, writing this review, because I don’t know how to rate it at all.
In the end, I settled on four stars, because I feel this collection can be important for many of the reasons listed above. However, even so, this wasn’t a perfect collection, as few ever are. It had flaws, and I will be honest that there are some stories I ended up skimming or skipping altogether. But the majority of this collection was powerful and wonderful and I definitely recommend it if you're looking either to find validation in others like you, learn more about a subject you may not know more about, or simply to support the authors putting themselves out there in these stories.
broncoannee's review
5.0
“The fact of the matter is that brains are weird, like, really weird, and we don’t fully understand how they work and why.” -s.e. smith
A very good read, getting real-life experiences of people living with all types of mental health issues. I’m guessing that every person's experiences are unique, but reading this can help us (1) know we aren’t alone - so many others live with this too, and (2) get a taste of how it affects others/what it may feel like. May empathy and patience pour forth.
“But there's nothing weak about struggling with mental illness. You’re just having a harder time living in your brain than other people.” - Kristen Bell
A very good read, getting real-life experiences of people living with all types of mental health issues. I’m guessing that every person's experiences are unique, but reading this can help us (1) know we aren’t alone - so many others live with this too, and (2) get a taste of how it affects others/what it may feel like. May empathy and patience pour forth.
“But there's nothing weak about struggling with mental illness. You’re just having a harder time living in your brain than other people.” - Kristen Bell
beths0103's review
5.0
Jensen's first anthology about feminism blew me away and was visually stunning. This book about mental health is equally as engaging, visually appealing, and important. Add this to your YA nonfiction collection in October 2018.
sirli's review
3.0
3,5 to be more precise. This is the case with anthologies, very rarely I can say I enjoyed every single story in it.
I got intrigued by this collection and was not disappointed in the end. Still, there are stories that got me from first sentences and some others, which were not so easy to read or even understand. But mental illness is a topic which should definitely be more public and it shouldn't be a shame or hidden away, as more and more young people are already struggling with issues in the teenage years and should know, there is help and they are not alone.
I got intrigued by this collection and was not disappointed in the end. Still, there are stories that got me from first sentences and some others, which were not so easy to read or even understand. But mental illness is a topic which should definitely be more public and it shouldn't be a shame or hidden away, as more and more young people are already struggling with issues in the teenage years and should know, there is help and they are not alone.
apotts's review
5.0
Phenomenal collection of perspectives and experiences. Great book to keep on classroom shelf and home shelf.
honestlyholly's review
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
3.5
only really liked the essay about the trans woman in the psych ward. I want to read more from this woman!!!
But I'm not rating any lower because I believe this could be really beneficial for teens who feel alone with various mental disorders :) I am not the intended audience!!!
But I'm not rating any lower because I believe this could be really beneficial for teens who feel alone with various mental disorders :) I am not the intended audience!!!