Language: R (102 swears (also racial slurs are listed), 18 ‘f’); Mature Content: R (mentions suicide ideation, self-harm, assault, body dysmorphia, and other mental health topics); Violence: PG (minor and non-graphic description of self-harm.
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
16 stories all focusing on a wide diversity of teens (LGBTQ, Asian, Latin-x, etc.) experiencing and experiences with mental illness: these stories include short stories in verse, graphic short stories, and even a one-act play. After each story, the author shares their own insight into why they chose that plot or how they came up with the idea; even more meaningful, each author lives with the illness they write about so they know first-hand those experiences. What makes this collection exciting is that it ranges from absolutely, heartbreakingly realistic (what it feels like to go through your day with OCD) to hilariously fantastical (a vampire with social anxiety who has to save his town of monsters). Overall, these stories provide hope, heartbreak, and everything in between to help anyone with mental illness feel seen.
I really enjoyed this collection of stories though they are sometimes heavy. The authors are creative in their tellings, and I loved how putting this into an anthology format allowed mental illness to be represented as the multi-faceted and complex thing that it is. I personally loved “Spidey Sense” where the author with OCD explores how proper medication could almost turn OCD into a superpower; my other favorite was “Back of the Truck” because I had an “aha” moment realizing that mental health awareness/acceptance sometimes happens in predominantly white communities. Overall these stories could be a great read for adults and teens who want to feel seen, want to learn more about living with mental illness, or who love someone who struggles. The serious nature of the stories (and the language) makes this definitely a more mature read, but you could pick and choose stories to read with HS classes/teens if you were cautious and specific.
More than half the stories involve traditional minority characters (LGBTQ+, Latin-x, Chinese, Native, etc.)
Lisa J HS ELA teacher
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