Books for Prep | |
 - Frightening and RivitingThis is a riveting first-person account written by a successful person who breaks down myths regarding mental illness, bipolar disorder and other mental mythologies. The reader is hastily dragged at manic speed through episodes of the author's life. Hard to believe, yet, apparently true, the author opens up her person life, feelings and her illness for us to see and to learn. Most highly recommended. Rating:  - Like being dragged through a keyhole by your feetWow...getting through this book intact was exhausting! I ended up skimming through it than actually READING it, word for word, because it bounced around so much. Part of the reason I read this book was to try to understand what living with bipolar might be like for the afflicted. I have known and worked with a few notable people over the years who had uncontrolled, or barely controlled, bipolar disorder. Overall, the experience was NOT pleasant. MANIC also told very little of the WHY of her triggers. It just chronicled events. I feel that I really haven't gained much fresh knowledge about bipolar disorder, even AFTER trying to glean as much information as possible from this little tome. If nothing else, you might be able to come away from this book with a limited understanding of the bipolar thought process and the conflicted, not-always-private hell that goes along with it. I have empathy for Terri, even if she struck me as being MORE than a bit narcissistic. Rating: - The Bell Jar with a "happy" endingIf you read the Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Terri Cheney's Manic: A Memoir, then you'll see some parallels between the two writers and the decision to organize their thoughts the way they feel best tells their stories. Plath's book was a fictional telling of her own story while Cheney's is undiluted autobiography. During Plath's time, however, there wasn't a clear definition of what she was suffering from, and Cheney was "fortunate" that modern medicine has evolved sufficiently to help make her condition bearable. Cheney is a good, solid storyteller and her descriptions of the manic depressive episodes she experienced often rang true for me and my loved one who suffers from bipolar disorder. I am disheartened by some of the negative, and sometimes baselessly cruel reviews, from some of the readers and it actually makes me wonder whether they indeed read the book or understand the illness. It doesn't matter whether you live in Beverly Hills or in the poorest part of the nation, this illness knows no boundries and does not discriminate. Cheney perfectly encapsulates all of the inner torture of this horrible illness with wit, charm and unceasing realism. It is both a tribute to her survival instinct matched with modern medication and is thoroughly recommended as an insight to a terrible, debilitating illness. Rating: - Gripping and insightful perspective on living with this horrific medical conditionA medical condition, a flaw in chemistry that has psychological consequences, bipolar illness rarely produces a warm and fuzzy personality. It is a challenge for us not experiencing the feelings and conditions of the disease to have empathy. Cheney's memoir is truthful and colorful, a service to those who yearn to know more- I am grateful for this book. Rating:  - File this book under "Fictional Novel"The book reads like a fictional novel, and a bad one at that. If you are looking for some insight into mental illness, look elsewhere. The story is thoroughly un-believable; the lack of details about anything stretches credulity. I It is only when the author wants to fluff her pieces does precise memories seem to magically appear. And the few "stories" about which she writes appear non-chronologically, and seem "scripted". It is actually insulting to the reader that we are supposed to believe her "memoir". The author seems cold, uncaring, and most of all, desperate. A disappointing book all around. In association with Amazon.com | |