Girl, Interrupted

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Summary: Girl, Interrupted
Review: To think that the way I felt and thought at 18 and 19 was considered "crazy" 20 years earlier! I certainly felt crazy and like the author wanted to be locked up somewhere safe. I think the point that the author makes in the end-that what she went through at 18 and 19 isn't a whole lot different than a lot of people feel at that age-is an important message for young people today. Perhaps if I had this book at 18 and 19 I wouldn't have felt like I was the only one thinking and feeling that way. I would have known that I wasn't insane, I was just going through a very tough phase in life. Defining ourselve can be very painful and some of us just have a rougher time than others. I can't say enough how important this memoir is.

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Summary: Compelling
Review: I found Girl, Interrupted a compelling book. Susanna Kaysen's memoir of her stay in a mental hospital was a page turner. I have to agree with another reviewer here however, though I found her philosophies on mental illness interesting, I would have liked her to have written just a little bit more about her stay and the people she encountered while at the hospital. I wanted to make sure I read the book first before venturing out to see the movie version.

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Summary: A very unique book!
Review: I thought this book was a very unique, yet fairly good book. It was not quite what I had expected when I read it, but it kept me fairly entertained throughout the book. After reading it though, I am still not completely sure if I would say that I liked it or not! You will just have to read for yourself to see what I mean!

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Summary: A wonderful book though confusing at times
Review: I thought that this book was extremely well written, except for the fact that Kaysen goes back and forth that sometimes it throws you off a bit. However, I think that this is one of the greatest books I have ever read

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Summary: A must read book
Review: A darkly comic, wonderfully written memoir. A girl trapped in "the loony bin" with no escape. The docter who had her committed tricks her in to signing herself in. I will tell you no more, you have to read it for yourself.

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Summary: a page-turner
Review: I enjoyed "Girl, Interrupted" and read it in one evening - it's a fast read and not very long. It's a vivid account of the author's stay in a mental hospital. I wish it had been longer, and would have liked to have read more of an account of that stay rather than the sometimes lengthy philosophizing on mental disorders. (not that it wasn't interesting philosophizing) In any case, it's good to remember that it's a memoir and not a work of fiction - there aren't many truly dramatic moments in my opinion, but that's the way it happened. It's a good book.

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Summary: A Very Creatively Developed Work
Review: This book was excellent. It was a quick read, but it was one that remained in the foreground of my thoughts for a long time afterwards. I am still arriving at new conclusions and I still go back and examine the documents inserted between chapters, looking for new "clues." This is what a good read is supposed to do--challenge our ordinary way of thinking by providing a "case" through which we can determine our individual emotional or moral response. It was not a story, which is why some readers may be uncomfortable with it. Rather, it was a work of literature and thus, like a painting, it requires some synthesis on the part of the audience. I hope the movie is as worthwhile!

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Summary: the supid title hints at the book's contents
Review: One day in Barnes & Noble, I was trying to decide whether to buy this book or "Prozac Nation." Finally, I decided to get this one. Boy, what a mistake! I found the book shallow, with an undeveloped plot. It read much more like a storybook than a novel, with each chapter devoted to a different character or event. Although this book is about a serious subject, and deals with adult issues, the way it was written and presented makes it seem much more like a read for 11- or 12-year-olds.

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Summary: Really good
Review: I read this book before it was going to be a movie and thought it was wounderful. I loved it and I hope that a lot of people will give it a chance and not just see the movie. It really makes me question who really is sane and insane. This book really makes you think a lot.

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Summary: Duh, this book is not about psychology it is about her!
Review: After reading a few of the comments, which appalled me, I feel the need to comment myself. I have read the book, listened to the tape, and now seen the movie. It is NOT trying to belittle or give an actual diagnosis. This book is to free oneself (a.k.a. Kaysen) from that inner questioning. The way in which the book is written is as if it was a self journey. She did not say that BPD was not a valid disorder. However, she did imply she was not sure how she was diagnosed with the label. If you are looking for a witty piece of literature to read this is for you. It is about the trials and tribulations of one mind that is written almost poetically. However, if you are trying to find a book that can help you to understand or cope with someone who was diagnosed "BPD" this is not the book for you. I was upset by how arrogant some readers were with their comments. It is to be hoped that most of you know the difference between self help and self expression.