Dirty Little Secrets

Dirty Little Secrets
written by C.J. Omololu

**REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS**

Obligatory spoiler warning, since I have pretty much nothing to talk about in re: this book other than the ending.  I thought it was a fascinating exploration of hoarding, and I was so pumped to see how all of the ends would be wrapped up, so I was shocked (and not in a good way) to find that it all ended with Lucy burning her house down.  Really?  Even after Josh and Kaylie come into her life and introduce the idea of safety?  Even with the notion that maybe her brother could help, maybe her sister needs help?  And where is she going to end up now?  And what of her mental state?  I don't often hold books up to moral standards, but when mental illness is involved, I like to see authors come up with productive answers on how to actually deal with a situation.  Just like it says in the book, sometimes you've just got to act and deal with the consequences all at once rather than avoiding something chronically.  And burning a house down seems like the most avoidant act possible.  Pathetic.

Among Others

Among Others
written by Jo Walton

I'm kind of torn because I really wanted to love this book, but in the end, it was just missing something.  The ending was one of the most rushed things I've ever read.  I love how books are romanticized, and anyone who is a book lover will identify with Mor's true love and connection (albeit somewhat snobby/limited to SciFi) of books.  I do love that in the end, this is a book about the magic of books.  But there was so much blank space in the middle where not much happened, and that's a shame.  There are also a lot of blanks, the situation with her aunts, what actually ended up happening with her mom, what the fairies were, and that's disheartening to walk away from.  I don't know what else to say.  I really wanted this to be the perfect book and I'm pretty sad that it wasn't coherent enough to be when it had all the right ingredients.  

Almost Perfect

Almost Perfect
written by Brian Katcher

I've read some criticisms of this book, that Logan is unnecessarily antagonistic toward Sage, and while Logan's words and actions are incredibly hurtful and problematic, ultimately, he gets Sage, he changes, he evolves so much, and that matters, if not to you, then to me.  Growing up in an environment where anyone outside the "norm", whatever that means, is othered, I can relate to Logan's cluelessness.  We are all ignorant of something.  We all have things to learn and improve upon within ourselves, and that Logan was able to do so, even after making tons of mistakes, shows so much inner courage.  Anyways, I really appreciated this book, particularly its complexity, and while I'm still looking for a book that deals with transgendered teens that ends on a positive note, I know life is more complicated than that, and ultimately, the Paper Towns-esque ending is more realistic.

A First Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness

A First Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness
by Nassir Ghaemi

I have never seen a stronger case against the stigma that mental illness carries than what was written in this book.  What a read.  Ghaemi takes this radical approach in outlining why certain revered historical figures very probably had mental illnesses, including Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr, both of whom I learned had attempted suicide at some point in their lives.  He takes it a step further though, by showing how their mental illnesses led them to success rather than failure, the same success that eluded many mentally healthy leaders.  I love this book.  I love the subject matter; I don't think I've ever been more interested in history than when it was intertwined with psychologically in this book.  I love that mental illness isn't just seen as a struggle, but a positive force.  I do wish the spectrum of mental illnesses included was wider, but the book does what it sets out to do, and it does it beautifully.  I want everyone to read this book to re-evaluate what mental health really means.