Depression. The one subject that is a tad bit too touchy. Ned Vizzini, author of It’s Kind of a Funny Story, creates the character Craig Gilner, who struggles with severe depression. After struggling to be accepted to Manhattan’s Executive pre-Professional High School, the stress and work becomes too much for Craig, and he begins to struggle with eating and sleeping, when eventually the feelings become too much and he almost kills himself. With this new bout of suicidal thoughts, Craig checks himself into a psychiatric hospital for help, meeting very unusual people whilst trying to cure himself. Due to renovations, the hospital is tight on space so Craig is admitted with the adults. Vizzini himself spent time in a mental hospital, and through his experience he was able to create a book centered on a teenager battling depression without making a book about depression. The way that the author showed the transitions through Craig’s mental state through words allowed me to comprehend the severity of mental disorders along with how those disorders are overcome. I personally believe that this is a four star book that allows the reader to be exposed to realistic characters who battle with a variety of mental conditions, everything from fear of gravity to bipolar.

Rating: Four stars out of five