I picked this book somewhat at random from Blogging for Books. The author did an incredibly popular Ted-talk (and this is me admitting again that I haven't seen any.) Anyway, considering I ended up with this book almost on accident, I'm very glad I got this book.
Kevin lives in Victoria, BC, Canada in an un-ideal home situation. His dad is a drunk, mostly spending his time in the basement drinking and being quiet. His mom is supportive and kind, but it's still a strained household.
Kevin is self conscious and quiet. He comes into his own as an 8th grader where he makes a true, dear friend. It brings him out of his shell and feels like he's part of a more "normal" family.
However, tragedy strikes and it puts the already vulnerable Kevin in a deep depression.
What makes this book so great is how honest Kevin is. He goes into good descriptions about how it feels to be depressed, the confusion he feels, the loneliness he feels. I'm trying to think of a good description of his writing style: it's not a "woe is me", it's empathy but it's also not coddling. I like the "notes to self" pages between chapters. Some of those are even funny!
I think this book could be a great resource for those who have people in their life that deal with depression or sadness and don't really know how to support them, or understand what they are going through. Kevin admits that he sometimes still struggles to be a good friend, and that the people who care enough to stick around are incredibly dear to him. So just show up!
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I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Blogging for Books
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I love books that destigmatze mental illness.
ReplyDeleteThis one definitely does that!
DeleteI am actually close with someone who I think is suffering from depression, so I think this could be a very valuable read for me. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteThis could really provide some insight!
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