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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wish I had known about this book when I was a teenager. I feel like it would have helped me. Especially since I've been aware of my depression the whole time it's been here, but I didn't realize how anxious I also am til a few years ago. And looking back, I've been anxious my whole life.
But the thing that annoys me with this book is that Schutz will sometimes start a thought and it won't go anywhere. For instance, she talked about how a therapist asked her how her panic attacks serve her. To which she thinks "are they implying that I do this to myself?" And the chapter just ends. Like was your therapist being a useless twat or was their a point they were trying to make? You brought it up, so I wanna know.
Edit: so I listened to the audiobook, which is read by Schutz. But after reading some of the comments, there were supposed to be poems? Was this whole thing poetry? It definitely doesn't flow like poetry. Lol
But the thing that annoys me with this book is that Schutz will sometimes start a thought and it won't go anywhere. For instance, she talked about how a therapist asked her how her panic attacks serve her. To which she thinks "are they implying that I do this to myself?" And the chapter just ends. Like was your therapist being a useless twat or was their a point they were trying to make? You brought it up, so I wanna know.
Edit: so I listened to the audiobook, which is read by Schutz. But after reading some of the comments, there were supposed to be poems? Was this whole thing poetry? It definitely doesn't flow like poetry. Lol
This book was a difficult thing for me to read. Mostly because I could see myself in it most of the time, even though I don't have the same type of anxiety as Samantha has.
I cried, I laugh and I felt not so alone by reading this.
I cannot think about anything else to say about this book besides it will forever have a special place in my heart.
I cried, I laugh and I felt not so alone by reading this.
I cannot think about anything else to say about this book besides it will forever have a special place in my heart.
I'm grateful that this book exists, and that that Samantha Schutz wrote these poems and published despite the incredible sense of vulnerability that she felt. I don't have clinical anxiety disorder, much less a case as severe as Schutz's, but I'm glad that this collection has helped me better understand and sympathize with those who do. The poetry didn't pull me under, though, or whisk me away in a tide of feelings that are often difficult to put words to. That said, #representationmatters and it's more important that many people reading this collection have felt seen, heard, and not alone.
I have been meaning to get around to this book for quite some time now. I feel like I have a bit of a connection with it as I personally suffer from anxiety. Having such a connection can really affect my opinion of a book, especially if mental health isn’t presented in a ‘real’ way. I wasn’t worried about this as Samantha Schutz’s story is a true story.
Reading I Don’t Want To Be Crazy feels like you’re creeping in on someone’s personal diary. Samantha writes with raw honest. You really feel as a reader that you’re experiencing what it is like to suffer with anxiety. The descriptions are really relatable and true to those that suffer with anxiety.
This book is written in verse and I think it’s really interesting to read it in this way. I don’t think the verse really showed how powerful words can be, but at the same time, it came across as incredibly honest and to the point. That’s what you want. As a reader I want the mental health stigma to ease and for mental health to be recognised and understood more. This is why I appreciated the book!
Reading I Don’t Want To Be Crazy feels like you’re creeping in on someone’s personal diary. Samantha writes with raw honest. You really feel as a reader that you’re experiencing what it is like to suffer with anxiety. The descriptions are really relatable and true to those that suffer with anxiety.
This book is written in verse and I think it’s really interesting to read it in this way. I don’t think the verse really showed how powerful words can be, but at the same time, it came across as incredibly honest and to the point. That’s what you want. As a reader I want the mental health stigma to ease and for mental health to be recognised and understood more. This is why I appreciated the book!
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book. I could completely relate to everything Samantha was talking about, and knowing I'm not the only one, makes me feel a lot better about my life. It's non fiction, but it's not boring non fiction. The book is written in poetry form, which makes it a lot easier to read, instead of reading nothing but detail.
What can I say about this book? I think I am going to keep this short.
It wasn't an exceptional read, nor was it a boring one. The writing was easy to read, no big words. About the prose disposition -though I had been warned- it bothered me a bit at first but I find myself getting accustomed to it throughout the pages.
I would like to say that the story was exactly what I expected when I read the synopsis. The main character, Samantha, was quite futile at first; but as she grew to realize that life wasn't as easy as she thought it would be, I sensed the beginning of a maturation from her and I find it quite satisfying that the author was able to swicth from one way of thinking to another.
The description of the main character's feelings were very succint but really vivid in my opinion. I could picture what she was going through with just a few words of the author and not with a whole paragraph that takes two pages. I think this was my favorite thing about that book: short but vivid descriptions.
I also think that the title reflects perfectly the contents of this book. I don't want to be crazy is the most perfect way -in my opinion- to define the state of the main character as she coped with her panic attacks and tried at the same time not to let herself drown in the abyss as she fights to know who she truly is.
I wouldn't say it was beautifully written but it was simply written, with enough details for the reader to picture the ordeal Samantha was living through.
About the parents the only thing I have to say is that I hated them at first, they were smothering the poor girl, refusing to regard her as the woman she was becoming. I do understand that parents love their children and always want the best for them, but that was a little too much. I'm glad that in the end they let her have her way. It was high time they did!
About her friends, they were similar to a flickering light:on and off... on and off... One moment they were there, the other they were absent. It was well balanced according to me, I'm not really a fan of friends glued to the main character as if they had to be everywhere the main character was.
It is only now -while writng this review- that I realize that the author is in fact the main character, I thought this was just another story as any other story.
Oh well, it was a nice read. I say "Life goes on, days get brighter" to those suffering panic attacks or going through hard times in their lives. Everything will be okay in the end; if it's not, then it's not the end. I think those are the two things in my life I truly believe in.
Don't forget: "Life goes on, days get brighter."
It wasn't an exceptional read, nor was it a boring one. The writing was easy to read, no big words. About the prose disposition -though I had been warned- it bothered me a bit at first but I find myself getting accustomed to it throughout the pages.
I would like to say that the story was exactly what I expected when I read the synopsis. The main character, Samantha, was quite futile at first; but as she grew to realize that life wasn't as easy as she thought it would be, I sensed the beginning of a maturation from her and I find it quite satisfying that the author was able to swicth from one way of thinking to another.
The description of the main character's feelings were very succint but really vivid in my opinion. I could picture what she was going through with just a few words of the author and not with a whole paragraph that takes two pages. I think this was my favorite thing about that book: short but vivid descriptions.
I also think that the title reflects perfectly the contents of this book. I don't want to be crazy is the most perfect way -in my opinion- to define the state of the main character as she coped with her panic attacks and tried at the same time not to let herself drown in the abyss as she fights to know who she truly is.
I wouldn't say it was beautifully written but it was simply written, with enough details for the reader to picture the ordeal Samantha was living through.
About the parents the only thing I have to say is that I hated them at first, they were smothering the poor girl, refusing to regard her as the woman she was becoming. I do understand that parents love their children and always want the best for them, but that was a little too much. I'm glad that in the end they let her have her way. It was high time they did!
About her friends, they were similar to a flickering light:on and off... on and off... One moment they were there, the other they were absent. It was well balanced according to me, I'm not really a fan of friends glued to the main character as if they had to be everywhere the main character was.
It is only now -while writng this review- that I realize that the author is in fact the main character, I thought this was just another story as any other story.
Oh well, it was a nice read. I say "Life goes on, days get brighter" to those suffering panic attacks or going through hard times in their lives. Everything will be okay in the end; if it's not, then it's not the end. I think those are the two things in my life I truly believe in.
Don't forget: "Life goes on, days get brighter."
This brutually honest portrayal of Samantha Schutz's experience of anxiety in her late teens/early 20s was an interesting read. At times I found it quite challenging as Schutz' distress was so tangible and relatable for me, though I'm grateful I never experienced the depth of panic she describes here! The audio book worked very well (available on BorrowBox) as the author reads the memoire herself.