Ambitious New York City
teenager Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life - which means
getting into the right high school to get into the right job. But once
Craig aces his way into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High
School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping
until, one night, he nearly kills himself.
Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.
Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness.
This book, compared to my other reads so far this year, is old. It was first published in 2006, so that makes it about 12 years old. The first time I read this was in 2011 and my goodness, I LOVED it. More like ADORED it. So, wanting to reread a couple of books this year, this was obviously my first choice.
It was definitely as amazing as I remembered it to be. Parts of this amazing story can be experienced as triggering, but only because Ned really gets depression and anxiety. He himself suffered from clinical depression, so he really knew what he was writing and that really reflects in the way Craig thinks.
As someone who has suffered from depression, this book will always be the book I recommend that really describes what it is like to be depressed. What it does to your body, your mind and even your soul. This book really captures what depression entails, something I would have never been able to describe without this book.
Luckily, this also shows the hilarity of depression. It's a very heavy subject of course, but Ned has used humour in a way that is very uplifting and is able to look on the bright side of things. Some bits I found really funny, for example the way Nia (one of Craigs friends) is SUCH a girl. She was so focussed on herself and so extremely over the top (thinking she had been the cause for Craig to feel bad, wanting to get in the mental hospital as well). Funny, but annoying. Also, just the characters Craig meets and the way he interacts with them really made me feel good.
As he is admitted to the mental hospital, Craig starts reflecting on everything in his life: his school choice, his friends, what he wants to do with his life. The pressure he put on himself was too much and once he realised that, everything started to flow more naturally.
I will never be able to fully express my love and gratitude for this book, for it has helped me through a lot. I also will never be able to share my love and gratitude with the writer as sadly, he has taken his own life in 2013. This news will always be devastating to me. This book will always hold a very special place in my heart.
Obviously, based on my love for this book, I think it really deserves 5 very, very shiny stars.
Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.
Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness.
This book, compared to my other reads so far this year, is old. It was first published in 2006, so that makes it about 12 years old. The first time I read this was in 2011 and my goodness, I LOVED it. More like ADORED it. So, wanting to reread a couple of books this year, this was obviously my first choice.
“I can't eat and I can't sleep. I'm not doing well in terms of being a functional human, you know?”
It was definitely as amazing as I remembered it to be. Parts of this amazing story can be experienced as triggering, but only because Ned really gets depression and anxiety. He himself suffered from clinical depression, so he really knew what he was writing and that really reflects in the way Craig thinks.
As someone who has suffered from depression, this book will always be the book I recommend that really describes what it is like to be depressed. What it does to your body, your mind and even your soul. This book really captures what depression entails, something I would have never been able to describe without this book.
“I want to live but I want to die. What do I do?”
Luckily, this also shows the hilarity of depression. It's a very heavy subject of course, but Ned has used humour in a way that is very uplifting and is able to look on the bright side of things. Some bits I found really funny, for example the way Nia (one of Craigs friends) is SUCH a girl. She was so focussed on herself and so extremely over the top (thinking she had been the cause for Craig to feel bad, wanting to get in the mental hospital as well). Funny, but annoying. Also, just the characters Craig meets and the way he interacts with them really made me feel good.
As he is admitted to the mental hospital, Craig starts reflecting on everything in his life: his school choice, his friends, what he wants to do with his life. The pressure he put on himself was too much and once he realised that, everything started to flow more naturally.
I will never be able to fully express my love and gratitude for this book, for it has helped me through a lot. I also will never be able to share my love and gratitude with the writer as sadly, he has taken his own life in 2013. This news will always be devastating to me. This book will always hold a very special place in my heart.
“Things to do today:
1) Breathe in.
2) Breathe out.”
Obviously, based on my love for this book, I think it really deserves 5 very, very shiny stars.
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