This was a moving and raw, emotionally charged memoir about the author's experience losing his father, his grief, anxieties, depression and work trying to manage all of the above during a pandemic, promoting his books and going through an estrangement with his daughter. Told in a very relatable manner, this was a beautifully honest book that was also great on audio read by the author himself. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy of All The Little Monsters by David Robertson.
This is such an important conversation to have in our mainstream. I am positive that most people know someone with mental health struggles. I know that anxiety can come in many forms but his inability to do anything seems like it is not difficult to those who don’t have anxiety but they cannot control that.
Robertson is personal in this open conversation
about his struggles and very honest about his lifelong challenge he has in front of him.
Everyone should read this book.
I found that Robertson is a very gifted writer, he writes for different age groups (check out the Misewa series) and writes from a place that uses his Indigenous roots effectively. I would say, the last 60 pages it gets a little bit all over as the focus is lost a bit as he goes back and forth between self help and his story.

Review: All the Little Monsters: How I Learned to Live with Anxiety by David A. Robertson

Robertson’s raw and personal narrative of his experience with anxiety is a beautiful story of mental health, its challenges, and how a person can learn to live with anxiety.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know how to review this book, because it was so personal (the memoir and my connection to it). It meant so much to read someone else’s experience with anxiety with such transparency. There were parts that really helped put how I’ve felt into words. I shed tears when particular expressions and explanations put what I’ve tried to explain in a way that felt more tangible. I could hold those words and feel connection and comfort. Then there were the differences that highlighted the personal nature of having anxiety. It’s different for each person and it’s important to share our stories for the similarities and community, but also for the differences that help avoid generalizations about such a complex experience as mental health and illness.

Throughout Robertson emphasizes the importance of story, community, and finding what works best for each person in managing their own mental health.

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada and NetGalley for this advanced copy and most importantly, thank you to David A. Robertson for sharing his story. I’m sure writing it all down and reliving the experiences to share wasn’t easy.

I thought this book was open, honest, approachable, and informative, and for me as a reader it achieved exactly what the author set out to do.

To start, I have to say how much I love the cover of this book! I also love the title and the comparison of anxiety to the little monsters who have invaded daily life for David. I stepped into this book expecting to learn about anxiety and it's impacts, but I wasn't prepared for how personal the story would be. I am in awe of the bravery shown by David as he so openly shared not only his experience with anxiety and depression, but also how it has impacted his family.

For those of us who try to understand but just don't know, this gives us a glimpse into how difficult it can be to fight the little monsters all day, every day. For those of us who have loved ones who struggle with anxiety, depression or other mental health struggles, although we want to help, empathize and understand, it is hard to feel what you have not experienced. David's story allows us to enter the discomfort if just for a little while.

For those readers who are looking for a community, I believe this book may be the bridge. Thank you David for openly sharing your struggles, my hope is that this will encourage more discussion so that we will continue to talk, share, and support.

Thank you to Harper Collins Canada and NetGalley for the advance copy.