The Collected Schizophrenias
Exploring the complexities of mental illness through personal narrative
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Penguin Books Ltd
Published:27th Jun '19
Should be back in stock very soon
Esmé Weijun Wang's The Collected Schizophrenias offers a profound exploration of her life with schizoaffective disorder, blending personal narrative with insightful analysis.
In The Collected Schizophrenias, Esmé Weijun Wang shares her deeply personal journey through the complexities of living with schizoaffective disorder. Officially diagnosed in 2013, Wang had been grappling with hallucinations and psychotic episodes for years prior. Amidst her successful academic life at prestigious institutions like Yale and Stanford, she faced moments of overwhelming terror and disorientation, questioning her reality and the nature of her existence. Her experiences raise profound questions about identity and the fragility of the mind.
Wang's writing is characterized by its immediacy and unflinching honesty, allowing readers to step into her world as she navigates the intricacies of her condition. She explores the stigma surrounding mental illness, her personal strategies for coping, and the societal structures that often fail those who are affected. By intertwining her narrative with research and analysis, she sheds light on the broader implications of mental health diagnoses, making her story not just personal, but universal.
Through The Collected Schizophrenias, Wang provides a unique perspective on a condition that has often been misunderstood. Her keen insights into the interplay of mental illness, personal identity, and societal perceptions invite readers to reconsider their own views on mental health, making this work a pivotal contribution to contemporary memoirs and discussions surrounding mental illness.
Wang's story is devastating... she is wise and eloquent, and heart-rendingly honest on the effects of the illness * Spectator *
Wang writes about how mental illness is framed both within the medical system and by society...The word ["schizophrenia"] is often misused and trivialised...Wang's narrative, without pulling punches, goes a long way to dispelling such views...many would benefit from this book and I highly recommend it, both for the author's clarity and, ultimately, her expression of hope * The Lancet *
Fragmented by design, the book's structure heightens the immediacy of its testimony * New Yorker *
Impressive ... we learn what schizophrenia feels like from the inside. Wang strikes a perfect balance between explanation and implication * Brooklyn Rail *
In Wang's kaleidoscopic essays, memoir has been shattered into sliding and overlapping pieces. . . . The images and insights Wang summons are . . . often dazzling, and well worth the reconstructive work. . . . Her multifaceted arguments can be gratifyingly mind-expanding. * The New York Times Review of Books *
[An] utterly unique book of essays: a deep, illuminating, and explosively written dive into a life of living with mental illness * Entertainment Weekly *
Wang . . . is an implicitly trustworthy guide to this netherworld of psychosis and chronic illness. . . . Her characteristic nuance more often carries the ring of wisdom, hard won * Washington Post *
The Collected Schizophrenias is riveting, honest, and courageously allows for complexities in the reality of what living with illness is like--and we are lucky to have it in the world * NPR *
[The Collected Schizophrenias is] resoundingly intelligent, often unexpectedly funny, questioning, fearless and peerless, as Wang makes for brilliant company on 13 difficult walks through largely uncharted territory * Los Angeles Times *
Going beyond her personal story, Wang applies her experience as a former lab researcher at Stanford to add an analytical perspective to The Collected Schizophrenias, which gives readers an inside look into the often-misunderstood intricacies of mental health * Time *
ISBN: 9780141991535
Dimensions: 199mm x 130mm x 13mm
Weight: 169g
224 pages