   | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 08/01/2018 Gr 7 Up—Opening up about mental health is difficult but necessary, asserts the editor of this thought-provoking anthology. Libba Bray personifies her obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety, while Stephanie Kuehn describes life with misophonia. Adam Silvera dispels the myth that successful or cheerful individuals don't experience depression; Emery Lord seethes at the ignorant remarks about suicide she overhears at a Vincent van Gogh exhibit. Contributors also examine gender, sexuality, and ethnicity, as in Hannah Bae's exploration of her Korean family's reluctance to seek help for her mother's schizophrenia. The rare lackluster entry never detracts from the whole. As in Jensen's Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World, illustrations and a peppy design enhance this scrapbooklike volume. VERDICT Misconceptions about mental health still abound, making this honest yet hopeful title a vital selection for libraries.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 09/01/2018 Jensen (Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World?, 2017) gathers together another varied, empowering collection of personal essays, poetry, artwork, and comics about the many ways people experience mental illness. Confessional and conversational, the contributions cover a wide array of conditions, treatments, and ways to manage symptoms, and while it can occasionally be a mixed bag, the best contributions are deeply resonant. Shaun David Hutchinson emphasizes that “Depression . . . may live in your skin, but it does not control you”; Emery Lord recounts visiting a Van Gogh exhibit during a depressive episode in a stirring, sharply funny essay; Hannah Bae describes how her troubled homelife contributed to her own disordered thinking; and Monique Bedard offers a moving prose poem about the pernicious, lasting effects of the systemic abuse of Native women. With this diverse array of contributors offering a stunning wealth of perspectives on mental health, teens looking for solidarity, comfort, or information will certainly be able to find something that speaks to them. Resources and further reading make this inviting, much-needed resource even richer. - Copyright 2018 Booklist. Loading...
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