Stephen Dau's The Book of Jonas is a marvelous, lyrical debut that examines the effects of war on everyone involved. Dau weaves together the stories...
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Julia Whitty also wrote the cover story for the May/June issue of Mother Jones magazine.
www.motherjones.com
(just go to the side bar for the current issue)
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A fascinating mess. Like Carolyn See, I've been won over by Cameron's tools, brilliantly simple, and irritated by some of the New Age language that pervades her writing. She is a cracking good storyteller, and, true to her 12-step tradition, honest about her flaws. What's profoundly disturbing about this story is how easily Cameron seems to mistake mental illness with creative inspirations. (I'm reminded of Alice Flaherty's work about hypergraphia.) Cameron experiences what can only be called breakdowns that endanger her life, and the lives of her loved ones--yet she clings to the idea that as long as she's productive and physically sober, she's okay. (Cameron does eventually go to conventional doctors who help treat her depression, but less patient readers may give up on her before that occurs.) I found this book haunting, maddening, and very sad. 12-step programs remind us that just because you're sober, it's no guarantee you're sane. Sadly, Cameron's book suggests that just because you're profoundly productive and sober is no guarantee that anything else in your mental health will stay nailed down.
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Martha has commented on (2) products.
The Fragile Edge: Diving and Other Adventures in the South Pacific by Julia Whitty
martha, April 30, 2007
Julia Whitty also wrote the cover story for the May/June issue of Mother Jones magazine.www.motherjones.com
(just go to the side bar for the current issue)
(5 of 10 readers found this comment helpful)
Floor Sample: A Creative Memoir by Julia Cameron
Martha, October 25, 2006
A fascinating mess. Like Carolyn See, I've been won over by Cameron's tools, brilliantly simple, and irritated by some of the New Age language that pervades her writing. She is a cracking good storyteller, and, true to her 12-step tradition, honest about her flaws. What's profoundly disturbing about this story is how easily Cameron seems to mistake mental illness with creative inspirations. (I'm reminded of Alice Flaherty's work about hypergraphia.) Cameron experiences what can only be called breakdowns that endanger her life, and the lives of her loved ones--yet she clings to the idea that as long as she's productive and physically sober, she's okay. (Cameron does eventually go to conventional doctors who help treat her depression, but less patient readers may give up on her before that occurs.) I found this book haunting, maddening, and very sad. 12-step programs remind us that just because you're sober, it's no guarantee you're sane. Sadly, Cameron's book suggests that just because you're profoundly productive and sober is no guarantee that anything else in your mental health will stay nailed down.(8 of 12 readers found this comment helpful)