Strangers to Ourselves
Unsettled Minds and the Stories that Make Us
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Published:25th Jan '24
Should be back in stock very soon
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£18.99(9781787301689)
This insightful book examines the intersection of personal narratives and mental illness, highlighting the experiences of five individuals. Strangers to Ourselves encourages deep reflection on identity.
In Strangers to Ourselves, award-winning writer Rachel Aviv explores the complex narratives surrounding mental illness through the experiences of five individuals. Each story reveals the struggles they face in understanding their identities amid psychological crises. Aviv's empathetic approach allows readers to delve into the nuances of mental health, questioning how the stories we tell ourselves can shape our experiences and perceptions.
The book combines in-depth reporting with personal testimonies, providing a rich tapestry of insights into the human condition. Aviv draws on her own childhood experiences, weaving them into a broader discussion about the limitations of psychiatric explanations. This exploration raises critical questions about the nature of mental illness and the impact of societal narratives on personal identity.
Through her thoughtful and compassionate prose, Aviv captures the essence of what it means to confront one's inner struggles. Strangers to Ourselves is a powerful reminder of the importance of understanding and empathy in the face of mental health challenges. It invites readers to reflect on their own stories and the ways those narratives can either confine or liberate us.
A subtle and penetrating investigation into how mental illness is diagnosed ... Aviv is an instinctive storyteller... meticulous, empathic, tirelessly inquisitive. -- Hephzibah Anderson * Observer *
So attuned to subtlety and complexity... a book-length demonstration of Aviv's extraordinary ability to hold space for the "uncertainty, mysteries and doubt" of others. * New York Times Book Review *
Profoundly intelligent ... superbly written portraits ... [A] remarkable book. * Guardian *
Captures with subtlety and empathy the honest reality of mental illness... a human chronicle that is intimate and unpredictable... Instead of demonizing disorders of the mind, Aviv seeks to understand their causes. * The Times *
An incredibly researched, empathetic, and moving book. * Lit Hub *
Combines the poise of Janet Malcolm and the confessional bravery of Joan Didion ... Through half a dozen vivid case studies - one being the story of her own hospitalization at age six - Aviv unravels medical diagnoses and demonstrates how societal narratives around illness take hold. The result is fascinating and empathetic. * Vogue *
Aviv applies her signature conscientiousness and probing intellect to every section of this eye-opening book ... A moving, meticulously researched, elegantly constructed work of nonfiction. * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *
In writing against the limits of psychiatric narratives, into the space where language has failed, Aviv paradoxically finds language for the most ineffable registers of human experience. * Wall Street Journal *
Writing with uncanny empathy and integrity ... Strangers to Ourselves is a work of landmark reporting that is truly heartbreaking and astonishing. -- Cathy Park Hong, author of MINOR FEELINGS: An Asian American Reckoning
A groundbreaking, paradigm-shifting exploration of the relationship between diagnosis and identity. This is the kind of book that can make your life flash before your eyes, glittering with new insights and a sense of unguessed possibilities. -- Elif Batuman, author of EITHER/OR and THE IDIOT
ISBN: 9781529111651
Dimensions: 197mm x 127mm x 20mm
Weight: 208g
288 pages