book reviews
Book reviews by and for those seeking to understand the human mind for all its strengths, quirks and shortcomings.
Book Review: "Legend of a Suicide" by David Vann
I have read quite a few books about people killing themselves or contemplating suicide. There seems to be this narrative of having been overtly depressed so to that it is reflected in the language whether it is narrated by the victim or not. But there is something different about “Legend of a Suicide” in the sense that there is not this sense of desperate grief but instead this question of why. There is this question of why because of the fact the victim of the suicide is someone whom the protagonist and narrator viewed as not only successful financially but also as a person who was moving on with their lives. Now, there is an argument of the fact that people commit suicide when they believe people least expect it as to not worry anyone in advance, but the scene in which the fact does kill himself is something else entirely. There is this sense of time stopping, but there seems to be none of this helplessness that surrounds it. In actuality, the scene is pretty disgusting. The father shoots himself in the head and his own brother finds him later on when the birds have already been pecking at him and the flies, eating him. His desecrated corpse is then reported to the child (narrator) and his mother. We then get this flashback upon the parents and why the marriage crumbles into nothingness.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Psyche
The Five Best Self-Help Books to Make Life Fun Again (PART I)
Seven years ago my life changed in an instant. I awoke in the middle of the night, sweating, heart racing, thinking I may be having a heart attack at 27 years old. I had been heavily drinking earlier that night, which was normal for me back then. My entire body was seizing up and I had tears in my eyes. For the first time in my entire life, I experienced a suicidal thought that I couldn’t pass off as just a silly part of the human experience. I thought the thought, and for the first time it felt like a viable choice in that terrifying moment. That evening set my life in a new direction that I never could have predicted.
By T.K. Sanders5 years ago in Psyche
Book Review: Maybe You Should Talk To Someone By Lori Gottlieb
This article was originally published on rochizalani.com Maybe You Should Talk To Someone is Lori Gottlieb’s behind-the-scenes life as a therapist, as a patient, as a writer, as a mother, and as a person.
By Rochi Zalani5 years ago in Psyche
The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath Book Summary: An Autobiographical Insight Into Depression And Emptiness
This article was originally published on rochizalani.com It is impossible to read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath without her real-life context coloring the story. Sylvia Plath published this semi-autobiographical work under a pseudo-name, but she wasn’t there to witness it when the work gained widespread momentum under her real name. Plath had killed herself less than a month after The Bell Jar hit the shelves.
By Rochi Zalani5 years ago in Psyche
The Branch & The Vine by Stephen D. Edwards
What’s the book about? The book is about how the author got over decades of depression through Jesus Christ. It’s a combination of a memoir and a self-help book. It’s available in most major e-book stores and on hardcover with Amazon. As of writing the hardcover is £21.99. The e-book prices fluctuate depending on which store you choose. On Amazon its £0.99, Google books it’s £2.92 and Kobo it’s £5.06. It’s also availible on the author’s own website for $14.99 in Canadian dollars. So there are quite a lot of options to get this book.
By Chloe Gilholy5 years ago in Psyche
Push by Sapphire
How I came across it? Even though the book has been out for a while, I didn’t know anything about it until I saw the film Precious. I thought the film was amazing and it had some brilliant acting performances. Really loved Mariah Carey’s role as the therapist. Poignant how she got to redeem herself after her film Rainbow was critically panned.
By Chloe Gilholy5 years ago in Psyche
Civilized Terrorist 'Terror Redefined' by Musaib Malik
Since time immemorial, people have been guilty of terror. Back in the Jurassic era, humans were threatened by large, horrible animals. Then the biggest threat to human civilization was habitat. You might think how habitat was one of the greatest threats to human civilization? The answer is simple, today we see big algae in the oceans that can grow up to 100 meters in length known as kelps. These kelps are modified versions of their forefathers. So you can imagine what it would have been like millions of years ago.
By Zeeshan Mushtaq Lone5 years ago in Psyche
Book Review: "Drug Use for Grown-Ups" by Dr. Carl Hart
When I first heard of this book I expected it to be someone simply teaching us how marijuana can help and heal us like many other people are trying to teach us. CBD, weed etc. But I was so very wrong. Instead, this is a book about how the history of drugs is so very different to the modernisation of drug culture. How it was once a free choice and now is overtly policed. It is about how 'drug' has been turned into a derogatory term and how the socio-economic factors surrounding 'junkie culture' has impacted the overall view of drugs. The argument: should adults with their own choices, with their own human rights, be allowed to put something into their body that they choose? The answer in terms of alcohol and cigarettes is 'yes'. But if we are to look at drugs, the answer is exclusively 'no'. This book is mainly about this argument and its history.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Psyche
Mental Health in Literature
Perpetuating the stigma of mental illness The stigma shrouding mental illness is a prevailing one. This stigma breeds distrust of mental health professionals, reducing them to the term "shrink." People in therapy are seen as weak. People who can’t handle their emotions. This stigma is especially detrimental for men and people of color.
By Cynthia Varady5 years ago in Psyche
