I'm always looking to see depictions of things we don't usually see in YA literature - or literature in general, really. Whether that's other races, genders, or sexualities, I'm interested in all of it. I'm also interested in areas that get even less press than the ones I've already listed. Mental illness, for example. It's not only mental illness that we need more to be written about. We also need to be able to find more books about neurodivergence in general so if you have any in that area to recommend, let me know in the comments.
A few weeks ago, I found myself having an unusual reading experience: I read two books featuring mentall illness back to back. I don't think that's ever happened to me. And I'm not talking about books that feature depression, which I've seen before. While I appreciate accurate depictions of depression and believe they're entirely necessary, I think it's just as important to portray the mental illnesses that are less often seen. The two mental illnesses I read about were bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. I was even more so surprised by this because usually these illnesses are used for shock value or considered taboo and people who suffer from it are more likely to be considered "crazy" or dangerous no matter the fact that these diseases affect every person who suffers from them differently.
In my list, I'm going to include books about depression, the two I mentioned above, and any others I can think of.
My recommendations:
- It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
This book takes place in the psychiatric ward of a hospital and is about a character who suffers from depression and takes himself to a hospital. The book focuses on his stay at the hospital and doesn't romanticize depression which is something that so often happens.
-Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
Our main character is Francesca Spinelli, the daughter of a woman who may as well be Francesca's very own motivational speaker. Then one morning, her mother stops getting out of bed. The only explanation anyone can find is depression since her mother is seemingly healthy. This book does a good job of showing that you can be affected by depression no matter how perfect your life seems. This book also has a wonderful cast of characters and should be read for them if for nothing else.
-OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu
I'm sure that you can tell by the title that this book is about a character with obsessive compulsive disorder. This book isn't about the sort of person who goes "Oh, I'm so OCD" when really they just mean they like things to be neat. It instead features two characters who suffer from OCD in a way that it has a serious effect on their lives. This book takes OCD very seriously, as it should. It's a bit of a slow read and while I wouldn't list it among my top reads, I would recommend it.
And now for the two that inspired this post.
-Schizo by Nic Sheff
Admittedly, this book is not about a girl but I'm going to recommend it anyway. It focuses so heavily on the protagonist that there aren't really secondary characters, but instead only minor characters. Once again this book's title tells you exactly what it's about. Miles, the main character, has suffered with schizophrenia for two years since his first episode occurred two years prior when he and his family were at the beach. I won't tell you more because that would give away too much.
-The Museum of Intangible Things by Wendy Wunder
The Museum of Intangible Things features best friends Zoe and Hannah. This book is different from most of the others (excluding Saving Francesca) in that most of the others are from the point of view of someone suffering from mental illness where this book is from the perspective of the best friend of someone who is mentally ill. Throughout the book we get to know Hannah, and through her we get to know Zoe who has not yet been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, though clearly fits the criteria for such a diagnosis. This book does a good job of showing that this illness is not something to be taken lightly and I'd recommend it if you're looking for something to give you an emotional experience.
I think we can all agree that there needs to be more depictions of mental illness in YA literature. I'm always looking to add more books to my list so let me know what some of your favorite examples are.
A few weeks ago, I found myself having an unusual reading experience: I read two books featuring mentall illness back to back. I don't think that's ever happened to me. And I'm not talking about books that feature depression, which I've seen before. While I appreciate accurate depictions of depression and believe they're entirely necessary, I think it's just as important to portray the mental illnesses that are less often seen. The two mental illnesses I read about were bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. I was even more so surprised by this because usually these illnesses are used for shock value or considered taboo and people who suffer from it are more likely to be considered "crazy" or dangerous no matter the fact that these diseases affect every person who suffers from them differently.
In my list, I'm going to include books about depression, the two I mentioned above, and any others I can think of.
My recommendations:
- It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
This book takes place in the psychiatric ward of a hospital and is about a character who suffers from depression and takes himself to a hospital. The book focuses on his stay at the hospital and doesn't romanticize depression which is something that so often happens.
-Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
Our main character is Francesca Spinelli, the daughter of a woman who may as well be Francesca's very own motivational speaker. Then one morning, her mother stops getting out of bed. The only explanation anyone can find is depression since her mother is seemingly healthy. This book does a good job of showing that you can be affected by depression no matter how perfect your life seems. This book also has a wonderful cast of characters and should be read for them if for nothing else.
-OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu
I'm sure that you can tell by the title that this book is about a character with obsessive compulsive disorder. This book isn't about the sort of person who goes "Oh, I'm so OCD" when really they just mean they like things to be neat. It instead features two characters who suffer from OCD in a way that it has a serious effect on their lives. This book takes OCD very seriously, as it should. It's a bit of a slow read and while I wouldn't list it among my top reads, I would recommend it.
And now for the two that inspired this post.
-Schizo by Nic Sheff
Admittedly, this book is not about a girl but I'm going to recommend it anyway. It focuses so heavily on the protagonist that there aren't really secondary characters, but instead only minor characters. Once again this book's title tells you exactly what it's about. Miles, the main character, has suffered with schizophrenia for two years since his first episode occurred two years prior when he and his family were at the beach. I won't tell you more because that would give away too much.
-The Museum of Intangible Things by Wendy Wunder
The Museum of Intangible Things features best friends Zoe and Hannah. This book is different from most of the others (excluding Saving Francesca) in that most of the others are from the point of view of someone suffering from mental illness where this book is from the perspective of the best friend of someone who is mentally ill. Throughout the book we get to know Hannah, and through her we get to know Zoe who has not yet been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, though clearly fits the criteria for such a diagnosis. This book does a good job of showing that this illness is not something to be taken lightly and I'd recommend it if you're looking for something to give you an emotional experience.
I think we can all agree that there needs to be more depictions of mental illness in YA literature. I'm always looking to add more books to my list so let me know what some of your favorite examples are.
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