Friday, October 18, 2013

Book Report - It's Kind of a Funny Story


Title: It's Kind of a Funny Story
Authour: Ned Vizzini
Length: 444 pages
How long it took me to read: a week and a half

What it's about: Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at life-which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job-Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does. That's when things start to get crazy.

The ending is the most important part: The ending was perfect. So hopeful, so joyous. Just lovely and perfect.

Last word: Read this book. Especially if you have or love someone with depression. This book was so excellent. I closed it with a satisfied smile on my face.

Spoilers after the jump

Sad for me, I read the book after I saw the movie. I didn't know it was a book. Every time I see a movie coming out that looks interesting to me, I should just look to see if there's a movie.

Happy for me, the movie followed the book properly except with more detail which was perfect.

Ned Vizzini spent a week in a psychiatric hospital when he was a teen, and then spent a month writing this book. I kinda want to kill him a little because a) he was able to get the mental health help that he needed and turn his life around, b) he wrote a book in a month, and c) he got to take a week off and reset his brain. Sometimes I feel like checking into a mental hospital would be a smart thing, but then I worry that I'm just being lazy and looking for a holiday.

The authour describes depression perfectly. I love it when someone can put my thoughts and feelings into words exactly how I experience them. I kept thinking "me too!" throughout the book. The Cycling, the Tentacles, the Anchor, the Shift. All things I experience.

This book talks about the downward spiral into depression, but it also discusses the resolution, and I just loved it. It took me a whiled to get into it, but once things started to improve for Craig, the book flowed and I finished it in two days. Just know that it starts slow, and it's a little depressing.

Craig is lucky that he has supportive parents and was able to get the care that he needed. We should all be so lucky. I'm glad this book was written, it sheds much needed positive light on mental illness which I feel is important. We need more discussion on what mental illness is, who the people are that suffer from it, and what we can do to help. The more out in the open we are about this, the better things will be.


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