*I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I enjoyed reading about authors and other prominent figures in society discuss their mental health in its various forms. Jensen did an excellent job of locating essayists with differing viewpoints and at different levels of their own lives. I hope to see this book promoted heavily, because it definitely deserves to be read.

I liked this book of essays, but more than that I loved the concept. Stories that help to remove the stigma of being mentally ill are so, so important. I’ve lived with mental illness my whole life; my own story is about self harm, depression, mania, disassociation, and suicide attempts. And I found most (but not all) of those represented here.

The thing is, every essayist has a very important story to tell... but they are not all good storytellers. A lot of the essays are dry and not very compelling, even a few I would call boring. I can overlook this because I understand the importance of telling your story. Another thing here is that the essays are all very hopeful; a good thing, but also I sometimes felt it lacked a deeper examination into the mental illness itself and focused too much on the stigma and thoughts around it. I expected rawness and I didn’t often get it — but perhaps hopefulness was the point.

A few essays are exceptional. I loved the illustrations and comics throughout, and I especially enjoyed the essays by Libba Bray, Emery Lord, Yumi Sakugawa, and Adam Silvera.

In all: this is a book that others with mental health awareness and personal experiences will relate to and maybe even love — and in no way do I want to minimize this; representation in books, especially representation of a subject like mental illness that is so often ignored or mischaracterized, is really important and I wish books like this had been around when I was a teenager — but I don’t necessarily know think this is a book that will affect, or even be read by, those not already aware of mental health issues.

I found this to be an overall very real, honest look at mental health and how it affects people in different ways. Earlier this year, I read "Life Inside My Mind" which deals with the same topics in the same format, but this collection seemed a lot more "gritty" and dealt with more harsh realities of mental health struggles.

Like any collection, there were some essays that were not as enjoyable, but the ones here felt disjointed, or almost like they didn't belong. I couldn't pinpoint what made them feel so different to me, but I still felt a jarring sensation when reading them.

I liked how some essays ended happily, some were more negative, and others had elements of both. This is how mental illness really is; there are good days, bad days, good months, and bad months. None of the writers were afraid to show these (in some cases extremely) negative sides of mental health issues and their effects. Some parts were extremely hard to read as a result, but because of this, were so, so important.

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

When you have a mental illness it is so amazing to hear and be able to relate to someone else who does too. I was moved by these stories and felt for them and connected with them. A wonderful collection that I hope will help many people see they are not alone and that their mental illness doesn't define them.

Unfortunately, this book was quite triggering for me and I don't think it meant to be, that's just the way it happened.

Jensen's first anthology about feminism blew me away and was visually stunning. This book about mental health is equally as engaging, visually appealing, and important. Add this to your YA nonfiction collection in October 2018.

Many voices put a name to different types of disorder. Reading about these experiences is a positive way of looking at the disorders as they affect lives rather than as a list of symptoms. The authors are brave in some regards for sharing their experiences and I'm glad that they are comfortable enough in themselves to allow these disorders to become more human.

This is an amazing book and it should be in every public library. The essays present a wide spectrum of mental illness experience, covering many different illnesses, the different relationships a person might have with their illness, and more. I made liberal use of my highlighter while reading, as I often found the authors eloquently expressing things that I have struggled to put into words. If there had been a book like this when I was a teen, I would have benefitted greatly (and I am still benefitting greatly from this book as an adult). I cannot say enough positive things about this wonderful book.

The following essays resonated particularly strongly with me:

"Defying Definition" by Shaun David Hutchinson
"Defining the Thing is the Trick" by Ashley Holstrom
"What I Know and What I Don't Know" by Dior Vargas
"What's, Well, "Crazy?"" by Sarah Hannah Gomez
"The Lightbulb, the Broom, and the Work They Didn't Tell You About" by Kelly Jensen

This book made me cry, but for all the right reasons.

When you start putting parts of yourself out there on the Internet, people begin to wonder about you and to form their own stories. I've seen theories about me circling on Goodreads and Twitter. How I am an evil villainess waiting to tear down the latest YA book. How I review books to be mean or contrarian, or because I am too stupid to do anything else. But here's the truth: reviewing books is my way of surviving.

I am mentally ill. I have depression and anxiety. I am a suicide survivor. I have spent many many years of my life wondering what was wrong with me. I am, if you will, crazy. And that word is fine with me. I recently found out that a lot of the social problems and strange habits I had as a young child (and still have to some extent) are because of high functioning autism - things I remember, like my tendency to not "get" jokes and sarcasm, and things I don't remember, like covering my ears, throwing myself on the floor, and screaming when my parents first tried to take me into a busy preschool class.

I didn't know for so long why I was bad at existing and interacting in ways that are considered socially acceptable. It was two years after my suicide attempt that I discovered Goodreads. I was not in a good place at that time, but this site turned out to be exactly what I needed. Thinking deeply about how books made me feel and turning that into reviews was the perfect food for my weird analytical brain. And I'm still here because this place has been better for me than any of the meds I've ever taken.

I'm telling you this because we need to talk openly about mental illness. And I am so so thrilled that the brave writers, actors and artists in (Don't) Call Me Crazy came together to open up this discussion. From Holstrom's piece on trichotillomania to Kuehn's misophonia to S. Jae Jones' examination of the manic pixie dreamgirl to Meredith Russo's experience of mental illness as a transwoman, this book talks in a frank open way about the realities of mental illness and its treatment options.

It's both fun and heart-wrenching, breaking up beautiful and important pieces on PTSD, substance abuse, BPD and eating disorders, with funny inspirational artwork and reading lists.

Not surprisingly, (Don't) Call Me Crazy takes us to the dark depths of mental illness at times - what V.E. Schwab describes as a "black hole" and Libba Bray calls the "rituals" of anxiety and OCD - but I think, ultimately, it's an uplifting book. As Shaun David Hutchinson tells us in the opening piece, mental illness does not define a person, and there are many many treatment options available.

We just need to break down the stigma around mental illness and talk about it. People need to be educated about it, not only so those with mental illness can understand themselves, but so that the people around them can offer compassion and understanding instead of a "You're crazy!" And I believe that what Kelly Jensen says in her piece is true of pretty much everyone, mentally ill or neurotypical:

"I am a person figuring out how to be the best version of myself, one step at a time."

Incredible. I cannot wait for the world to get to read this collection. I’m so honored to have been included in it.

Mental health is just as important as physical health, kiddos. Let’s end the stigma.

This is a powerful, well-rounded, engaging introduction to conversations about mental health for young readers, with contributions from from great writers, illustrators, actors, and athletes. The only way to break down barriers and reduce stigma around mental health is to start having honest conversations like those included in (Don't) Call Me Crazy. I love the variety of formats and diversity of voices included, and the organization into sections makes it easy to read. I wish I had read this collection in high school!

What a valuable resource. Having access to a collection of different voices who can share first hand views on a variety of mental health issues is invaluable when working with children and young people. Being able to sign post to this book in the future will be incredibly useful. I was touched by the openness and honesty of the contributors and will be referencing this book in future professional engagements.

Like many short story collections that are saturating the YA market right now, this one has its place among others that demonstrate the need to talk about everyone's mental health to learn, talk, heal, and destigmatize and what better way than to hear from teens' heroes/authors willing to use their writing abilities to share bits about their inner worlds for the sake of discussion and problem-solving.

And of course, I'm a HS librarian, so I'm also setting the book aside to share with our health teachers and have copies on order for the purposes of learning and understanding and discussion in the classroom.

@NetGalley #partner

Thank you to #NetGalley for the review copy of #(don')callMeCrazy. All opinions are my own.

(Don't) Call Me Crazy is a collection of short, autobiographical stories of individuals suffering from mental health issues. In addition to speaking up about mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, this book also has voices speaking on lesser known disorders such as trichotillomania, which I greatly appreciated.

(Don't) Call Me Crazy is a great anthology to read if you are wanting to know more about mental illnesses and how they affect a person. Instead of being a factual, scientific view on mental illnesses, these are real stories by REAL people.

Books like this are important, especially in today's society where news of severe mental illnesses and suicide are common occurrences. This book could be the doorway to a much needed conversation and I would recommend it to any reader.

This title is set to release October 2, 2018.

#books #bookstagram #ARC #reviewer #mentalhealth

As someone who struggles with mental illness, it was incredibly refreshing to hear what some of my favorite authors have to say about mental health. Some of them put into words what I have never been able to before. Some introduced me to issues I have never been able to understand. I appreciate so much the vulnerability of these writers and how open they are about what is going on in their minds. This book is a wonderful way to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness!

Absolutely wonderful and important. Every YA collection (well, library collection) needs to own this book. Reading stories makes mental illness easier to talk about. We must continue these conversations.

I'm so incredibly grateful that such a thoughtful and nuanced resource like this has been written. It's hard enough for teenagers to talk about mental illness among themselves and to their parents; but now, they can see their literary heroes bare their souls and anxieties in a beautiful way. I desperately wish something like this had existed when I was a teenager, but I am bolstered by the fact that I can show this to anyone who needs to know that they are not alone.

Books can change lives and they can also save lives. Here is a book that shares the vulnerable, raw, strong and compelling stories of mental illness with diversity and integrity. A book to compel understanding while creating a sense of community.