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Summary: A long overdue, person-centered look at self injury.
Review: Thankfully there's now a book on self harm that moves away from the sensationalism of Stephen Levenkrom's "Cutting", and is more accessible than the clinical focus of Favazza's work. "A Bright Red Scream" features plenty of quotes from people who self injure, and aims to dispell a lot of the myths around self harm - which it does most efficaciously. People who do self injure should be warned that this book might be "triggery", and might well spark off a "wanting to cut" episode. There aren't really any practical tips in this book to overcome that, so you might want to get as safe as you can first, and read it in small chunks. Two personal gripes with this book - one is Ms Strong's frequent use of the word "cutters" to refer to people who self harm .. I really dislike this as a label.. I feel it reduces me to nothing but my behaviour. Whilst it is certainly shorter than other terms, and some people do use it, I have found that as I heal, and work to overcome my self injury, I see my self more and more as "Kirsti", and less as "a cutter". The second is that although she mentions the internet resources, no actual webpages or URLs are given..while I can't correct that here, as it would violate Amazon.com's guidelines, I think that it could have easily been included as an appendix. Overall, Ms Strong has written an excellent book, which I wouldn't hesitate to give to anyone who wants to know more about what really underlies self injury.
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Summary: I couldn't stop reading it
Review: OK, it's a subject most of my friends don't want to know anything about. That's why I don't tell them I am a cutter. I discovered I am not alone about four years ago. Although I read another "ok" book on cutting, I just got Marilee Strong's book in paperback because some people in my support group really raved over it. I cried a couple of times reading it, but I couldn't put it down. I feel like someone understands us besides just the "shrink talk" that just tries to put things in neat little unreal boxes. Marilee goes way inside what cutting is about. She doesn't gloss over things and she doesn't seem to act like we should all just "get better" really quickly or "just stop it already"! I'm just a cutter and I'm not a shrink, but I think this person really "gets it." If you are a cutter or if you know someone or just want to understand what it's really like for us, this book will turn your head around.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: One of the best and most helpfull books I have ever read. Offers real and thoughtful insight and understanding. I am, myself a cutter, and it is refreshing reading a book that, for a change, I do not piff across the room in frustration! Very easy to read and follow, addresses the issue in a non judgemental and open minded way.
Rating:
Summary: This is THE book on the subject!
Review: It's interesting that all of a sudden there are several books on self-injury. But I've read them all (strong personal interest) and this is really THE book. Strong really knows her stuff, both the "inside the heads" view of self-injurers and even making sense of how the brain seems to work that helps to explain self-injury. The experiences of people she writes about are so real, and so vivid. And caring! Maybe its because Strong is not a therapist and therefore doesn't have any "blinders" on the way therapists unfortunately often do. Sometimes even when therapists treat people with self-injury (and even write about it), they really don't seem to have a deep level of empathy. Strong touched my soul with her book!
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent, honest and caring.
Review: "A Bright Red Scream: Self-Mutilation and the Language of Pain" is the most intelligent and honest book I have read that deals with self-mutilation. Throughout the book, Marilee Strong's caring and sensitive approach does justice to both her (interview) subjects and the subject of cutting itself.
Additionally, Strong's writing style never comes across as overly-clinical or scholarly. The book is written in very accessible language - unlike a lot of other books on the subject. If you are or if you know of someone who suffers from self-mutilation, I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book. Thankfully, books such as 'A Bright Red Scream' give insight into a subject that is still largely ignored, scorned and feared within our society and even - sad to say - amongst certain health-care professionals.
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Summary: Great read - I recommend this book highly
Review: Wow. I am very impressed by Marilee Strong's book. She is a journalist, but writes as if she has had years of training as a mental health clinician. This book not only provides fascinating case studies by actual individuals who self-harm, but also discusses the latest research and treatment options. I am a Master's level mental health therapist and during my graduate studies self-harm was rarely discussed; in the field I have seen a large amount of individuals from age 4 and up who have had these behaviors. I am extremely pleased to find this book and it was extremely helpful to me. I feel I have gained a great deal of insight and wealth of knowledge into self-harm behaviors. The book is clearly written, is objective, and is hard to put down. I would recommend reading only 2-3 chapters at a time, because the content is intense and may be troubling.
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Summary: You can feel the authors empathy...
Review: Being a self-injurer, I have read just about everything available on self-injury. One thing is apparent, that self-injury is quickly becoming the typical disorder topic of the 90's. Ms. Strong's book goes so much deeper than the superficial sensationalism that this subject usually has to endure. You can actually feel her empathy toward this disorder and the people suffering from it. This is something that I have found sorely missing from most other books on the subject. I would suggest this book to self-injurers, their families and friends, and their therapists. This book will offer a much deeper understanding and insight into the people that they love and treat.
Rating: 
Summary: Over-dramatic and scary
Review: This book capitalizes on "shock factor" rather than fact. The author uses only the most extreme cases and fails to show her readers what a more common scenario looks like. The book frightens victims and parents alike, If you Self-Injure or know someone who does, this book will scare you more than help. Read Steven Levenkron's book or better yet, talk to a doctor.
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Summary: Answers The Question Of "Why" From Many Angles
Review: Now in my mid-30's, I bought this book after seeing the movie Secretary and recognizing myself as a teen in the main character of the movie. Although, in my case, I overcame my urges to self-injure (in ways other than cutting, which this book addresses) on my own and through the process of maturation and some very focused self-examination in my 20's, I still found myself fascinated as to why I, or any person, would resort to self-mutilation as a way to feel relief and a temporary sense of peace since the act and the resulting feelings seem so incredibly incongruent. This book took me back and allowed me to see and understand myself in ways I never expected and far beyond what I had already ascertained self-mutilation was about based on my own self-understanding. It also allowed me to see where I still lean toward the behavior in subtle, almost undetectable ways even though I have been under the impression for over 15 years that I no longer "act out" or would be considered a self-mutilator. The book is extremely well written and researched and the case studies sited enable the reader to identify - whether you are or were a self-injurer yourself or know someone who is. The author suggests many reasons why self-mutilators do what they do, why and how this gamut of behaviors addresses crucial needs they have and why it isn't as easy to refrain from when a loved one who doesn't really understand says, "Stop that!" Strong explains the behavior from psychological, emotional, spiritual, physical, chemical, environmental and medical perspectives so that one can gain a full and well rounded picture of self-mutilation, it's causes and it's effects - both overt and obvious as well as subtle and nearly imperceptible. The most startling revelation I experienced while reading this book - which is a page turner in and of itself - is that I had the impression that I was somehow unique and special in the fact that I was a self-mutilator (because it is such a personal method of self-expression often shrouded in cultivated secrecy and privacy on the part of the self-mutilator) and that I managed to overcome my urges by finally learning how to feel my feelings and address my issues in healthier ways as "normal" people do. This book, however, made me realize that it was almost formula pre-destiny based on the circumstances of my upbringing that would serve as the basis and foundation for the ways I acted out down the road in my teenage years. I was left with the sense that, given all the criteria of what makes a injurer an injurer, I almost had no choice but to do what I did in order to survive and cope - and the act IS a form of survival and coping when you are given the message while growing up that control and perfection is crucial and any overt, yet healthy and normal, form of emotional expression is not okay for whatever reason. This realization made me a bit angry for a time and left me feeling that the path I'd taken in life that I thought was of my own free will was actually one that was chosen for me, in a sense, by those who had a hand in my upbringing; that what I had spent years attempting to address and overcome was actually something I may not have had to address at all had my formative years and childhood been different because, quite simply, self-mutilation is an effect of a cause. I was left wondering what else I may have done with my time and energy had I not had to grapple with this because, for many years, it was a behavior that consumed me - both in the doing of it and then, later, the overcoming of it. Self-mutilation isn't something people just choose to do without reason or without a deep-seated basis of history that, in a strange way, actually supports the behavior. This book sheds illuminating light on how and why self-mutilators develop into who they are and why they do what they do and it also makes a strong case as to why this is not an act that suggest suicidal tendencies as many suspect, but rather an extreme way of trying to stay alive and save ones own life by expressing emotions, as all humans need to do, in a secretive way that prevents backlash from those around the person who have made it clear that the normal path of expression is not acceptable. For anyone who self-mutilates and wishes to understand themselves on some very deep levels in order to gain insight - which in and of itself may generate the path toward overcoming the behavior, although some suggestions for treatment and help are given in the book - or those who know and love a person who self-mutilates but doesn't quite understand why they do what they do, thus far I have read no other book that addresses the issue better than this one does and cannot recommend it enough.
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Summary: Review requested: Is this written for a teen reading level?
Review: I'm looking for a great book that teens could read about this issue. I need a book that's not complex in its wording, not "clinical," more toward the personal insight than to the research-based information, etc. Would this be such a book, or could someone suggest one?
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