I’ve made it a point this year to branch out and read books on different topics. It can be so easy to fall into a particular genre of books and never branch out. Particularly when, if you are like me, working or studying, or doing both full time, and reading becomes your get away from the stress of everything else. You get comfortable in a particular genre that you know is exciting and enjoyable, that forcing yourself to find something new can be daunting.
Additionally, my case, a part of me gets scared that I am going to be disappointed and feel like I’ve wasted my time. My time is often in such short supply and there is so much that I want to do. As a result, I have fallen into the bad habit of feeling guilty for spending time “frivolously”. Not only is that an extremely unhealthy mentality, but it can often result in a total avoidance of literary novels/ books for pleasure/ anything that does not relate to my research.
So, branching out in my book choices can be a difficult undertaking. Which is why I have decided to be more intentional on the way I choose new books. Something I have wanted to for quite a few is read more books on mental health (or at least books that feature mental health prominently). As an advocate for ending the stigmatisation of mental health issues, I think one of the most effective ways to disseminate information on mental illnesses is through storytelling.
For this reason I have come up with an intentional list of books relating to mental health that I am looking forward to reading. Hopefully this list can serve as inspiration to some of you as well!
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
One of the most well known on this list thanks to the 1975 movie of the same name, Ken Kesey’s novel follows the rebellious Randle Patrick McMurphey who, in an attempt to avoid prison time, fakes insanity so he may serve out his time in an mental hospital. It has been one of those books that I am frequently recommended by friends and numerous goodreads lists as “classics” I must read in my 20s.
I have added this to my list because the notion of faked insanity in an institution created to monitor the mental ill is a fascinating topic to me. Already much of the history of mental hospitals is defined by the false incarceration of people who do not fit a model of normality dictated by society. Writing in the 1960s, Kesey would have been very much ingrained in this culture of population separation as a means of regulation, which leaves me wondering what performative insanity would look like in that context.
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
One of two memoirs in this list, I am intrigued by what Kaysen herself has described as her attempt to dissect the world of mental incarceration. After meeting with a psychiatrist for the first time at eighteen, Kaysen was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and taken to a psychiatric hospital where she spent the next two years of her life. When speaking about writing the books, Kaysen has emphasised how she was spurred to write it out of rage. Though many have found solace and comfort in her memoir, Girl, Interrupted stands out to me as real attempt by the author to unpack her experience.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time has also become a very popular play which has lent to an increased popularity in the novel recently, which has meant that I have been seen it everywhere! Though not a mental illness, stories about autism often stand out to me. I am so interested in what is considered “non-normative” ways of looking at the world, because often they are so insightful and incredibly beautiful!
Though every case is different, having familial experience with autism has meant that I often like finding stories about autistic characters that can help give me a better outlook and understanding. Not only on the experience of being autistic itself, but also of the community and effects on the family around the individuals.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
In many academic circles Maya Angelou finds prominence as an important Black American voice in literature. In fact, she is important to my own doctorate research! The reason for this is not only her incredible writing skills, but the ability to distill so much of the racial experience into her works creating both a work of art that similarly works as a protest novel. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings is one of those classic which somehow skipped finding its way into my TBR. This year I am determined to read it, and since it is a part of my thesis, I’m hoping it will help alleviate my guilt for reading fiction when I’m “supposed” to be working.
The novel is an autobiography of the writer-poet, documenting her coming of age in the 1950s. The first in a seven volume series, the book is a dark look at the struggles Angelou had to go through with racism while having a serious inferiority complex.
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
I am a big Star Wars fan. Always have been from a young age. And a big part of that was because of the amazing character that is Princess Leia. To me, as a young girl, she represented strength, confidence, and an undoubtable elegance. Though the character continues to symbolise a childhood heroine to me, knowing the story behind her fame and her state of mind has allowed Carrie Fisher to become a sort of heroine for me too. This one I am particularly looking forward to reading soon!
~S~
