Tag: alcoholism

Fitting Indian written by Jyoti Chand, illustrated by Tara Anand

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Whenever I’m not sure what I want to read, I head to the graphic novel shelves in our teen section. While perusing those shelves one day, I found Fitting Indian written by Jyoti Chand and illustrated by Tara Anand. This debut teen graphic novel caught my attention from the cover alone. This powerful book discusses the stigma of mental illness, how harmful not discussing mental illness can be, and how communities that are honest about mental illness can save lives. I am beyond grateful that I stumbled upon this graphic novel and wish that I could put this in the hands of anyone struggling.

Growing up in a traditional South Asian family, Nitasha is navigating high school and her mental health while her parents want her to be the perfect Indian daughter. Nitasha continuously pushes back against their expectations, which only leads to disappointment on both sides. No matter what she does, it isn’t right. It doesn’t help that her older brother is a doctor and has everything together. Why can’t her parents understand that Nitasha will never be like him? Her life at school isn’t any better either. Her best friend, Ava, has found a new friend and is leaving her in the dust. Her crush, Henry, is also enthralled by the new girl. Angry, sad, and full of emotions, Nitasha turns to alcohol and cutting to cope. When those no longer help, Nitasha doesn’t know what to do. Will she ever be enough? And what will happen if she never is?

The Glass Castle: A Memoir

- Ann Leave a comment

glasscastle “I was sitting in a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through the Dumpster.”  That’s the opening line of Jeannette Walls’ memoir.  True to form without, The Glass Castle doesn’t disappoint.

We first follow Jeannette and her family as they shuffle from one desert community to another, one step ahead of the law and from homelessness.  Her father, though brilliant, is also an alcoholic and usually unemployed; her mother is flighty and artistic with a hands-off philosophy of child-rearing.  One of the author’s first memories is that of being burned — she was three years old and cooking hot dogs on the stove unsupervised.

halfbrokehorsesThe family eventually settles in a shack in the dismal coal-mining town of  Welch, West Virginia, their father’s hometown and a place he had earlier escaped.  Here the children manage to survive by fending off bullies and eating out of garbage cans at school.   This all may sound rather depressing, but in fact,  this is a very uplifting book.  What comes through, loud and clear, is the author’s sincere love and affection for her parents — in spite of the obvious neglect and abuse. This and the fact that she was able to triumph over her upbringing and carve out a very successful life for herself makes this one of the best books I have read this year.

Now Walls has a new book out, Half-Broke Horses, which deals primarily with her grandmother.  If it’s anything like her first book, it will be fascinating!