Book 17/30.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Nonfiction is NOT my thing, which is why I’ve had this book on my shelf for at least 4 years 😐 I went into this not expecting to like it, but it ended up being an enjoyable 3 star read. It’s a short read at 169 pages broken down into short chapters. Some chapters were more enjoyable than others e.g. the ones where the author revealed how and why she ended up in a psychiatric hospital, or the ones with stories about her fellow patients, but overall I enjoyed it enough to rate it 3 stars.
Reading about how mental illnesses were treated in the 60s gave me a greater appreciation for the strides society has made when it comes to handling mental illnesses. We still have a long way to go, but reading about the 18 months 18 year old Susanna Kaysen was “tricked” into spending in a mental institution upped my gratitude for the improvements towards understanding and treating mental health today.
It’s a bit surprising to me that this was adapted into a movie because at 169 pages the source material seems scant. The screenwriters clearly took a lot of liberties with the story, something the author wasn’t a fan of as she accused writer and director James Mangold of adding “melodramatic drivel” to the story. I had no interest in the movie before but now I want to watch it as I’d like to be familiar with Angelina Jolie’s portrayal of Lisa that won her the award season trifecta in 2000 i.e. the Golden Globe, the Screen Actors Guild award and the Oscar.
View all my reviews
** A guide to ratings **
1 star – did not like it
2 stars – it was okay
3 stars – liked it
4 stars – really liked it
5 stars – it was amazing
Lwile the Leo 