PDF The Collected Schizophrenias Essays Esmé Weijun Wang 9781555978273 Books
PDF The Collected Schizophrenias Essays Esmé Weijun Wang 9781555978273 Books
Download As PDF : The Collected Schizophrenias Essays Esmé Weijun Wang 9781555978273 Books
Powerful, affecting essays on mental illness, winner of the Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize and a Whiting Award
An intimate, moving book written with the immediacy and directness of one who still struggles with the effects of mental and chronic illness, The Collected Schizophrenias cuts right to the core. Schizophrenia is not a single unifying diagnosis, and Esmé Weijun Wang writes not just to her fellow members of the “collected schizophrenias†but to those who wish to understand it as well. Opening with the journey toward her diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, Wang discusses the medical community’s own disagreement about labels and procedures for diagnosing those with mental illness, and then follows an arc that examines the manifestations of schizophrenia in her life. In essays that range from using fashion to present as high-functioning to the depths of a rare form of psychosis, and from the failures of the higher education system and the dangers of institutionalization to the complexity of compounding factors such as PTSD and Lyme disease, Wang’s analytical eye, honed as a former lab researcher at Stanford, allows her to balance research with personal narrative. An essay collection of undeniable power, The Collected Schizophrenias dispels misconceptions and provides insight into a condition long misunderstood.
PDF The Collected Schizophrenias Essays Esmé Weijun Wang 9781555978273 Books
"I don't really know what to make of this book.
On one hand, the author is clearly brilliant and gifted. Her honey prose is lyrical, flowing through the pages naturally, taking the reader by the hand, keeping her captive until the last page. Her disease is heartbreaking and soul-crushing. This book is a necessary and important read in all aspects. I'd go even further and state that it should be a required read in the first two years of college education (and, certainly by ALL educators).
On the other hand, the author comes off as snobbish at times, trying to make a solid point how her Yale and Stanford degrees, plus other natural gifts and professional accomplishments, make her a superior individual to the remaining 99% of humanity.
For instance, on p. 162, she writes:
"At sixteen, I was chosen to attend a summer program at the California Institute of the Arts, which also made me a California Arts Scholar in the field of creative writing. On the first day of the program, a man stood at the head of the room and unfurled a scroll of names before us: these were the people who had not made it into the program."
There are other similar quotes where the author makes it a point to show off how amazing/profoundly brilliant/talented/etc she is. I get it, being humble is not Ms. Wang's strongest suit.
One of the topics that the author comes back to numerous times is the topic of the involuntary hospitalization. It seems that the author is biased, leaning in the direction of it not being "useful." But then, there's another side of the coin: when a mentally ill person pushes a heavily pregnant woman under the train, because "the voices told him so," whose comfort is more important? That of the man with schizophrenia who will be "uncomfortable" due to involuntary hospitalization, or that of the young woman and her unborn child, who both lost their lives? (Not to even mention their devastated and heartbroken relatives). This is just one real case which took place in NYC, but there are hundreds of others. So yes, I am pro involuntarily hospitalization--especially when it comes to the safety of others, sorry.
Lastly, the text is quite disjointed--jumping from one point to another, then back to the first one throughout the book. The book's editor could've done a better job helping the author organize the content."
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The Collected Schizophrenias Essays Esmé Weijun Wang 9781555978273 Books Reviews :
The Collected Schizophrenias Essays Esmé Weijun Wang 9781555978273 Books Reviews
- I haven't read any recent collection of essays as thoughtful and well crafted as these. Besides the quality of writing, it's a story that pulls you out of yourself and into another kind of mind (and reality); reading this book, I felt like for the first time I understood the idea that we all live in a carefully ordered world, and how easily those orders break down if we stop trusting in them. This is a book I looked forward to reading again before I'd finished it. To the author thank you. This is a triumph, and I can't wait for what you write next.
- I grew up with a family member who was paranoid schizophrenic; I read this book to gain insight into what it was like to have schizophrenia. Well, I didn't gain any insight. There's a weird emptiness at the heart of this book....After wading through too many references to privilege, high end cosmetics, and expensive clothing, I became frustrated. It drives toward something but never gets there.
- I don't really know what to make of this book.
On one hand, the author is clearly brilliant and gifted. Her honey prose is lyrical, flowing through the pages naturally, taking the reader by the hand, keeping her captive until the last page. Her disease is heartbreaking and soul-crushing. This book is a necessary and important read in all aspects. I'd go even further and state that it should be a required read in the first two years of college education (and, certainly by ALL educators).
On the other hand, the author comes off as snobbish at times, trying to make a solid point how her Yale and Stanford degrees, plus other natural gifts and professional accomplishments, make her a superior individual to the remaining 99% of humanity.
For instance, on p. 162, she writes
"At sixteen, I was chosen to attend a summer program at the California Institute of the Arts, which also made me a California Arts Scholar in the field of creative writing. On the first day of the program, a man stood at the head of the room and unfurled a scroll of names before us these were the people who had not made it into the program."
There are other similar quotes where the author makes it a point to show off how amazing/profoundly brilliant/talented/etc she is. I get it, being humble is not Ms. Wang's strongest suit.
One of the topics that the author comes back to numerous times is the topic of the involuntary hospitalization. It seems that the author is biased, leaning in the direction of it not being "useful." But then, there's another side of the coin when a mentally ill person pushes a heavily pregnant woman under the train, because "the voices told him so," whose comfort is more important? That of the man with schizophrenia who will be "uncomfortable" due to involuntary hospitalization, or that of the young woman and her unborn child, who both lost their lives? (Not to even mention their devastated and heartbroken relatives). This is just one real case which took place in NYC, but there are hundreds of others. So yes, I am pro involuntarily hospitalization--especially when it comes to the safety of others, sorry.
Lastly, the text is quite disjointed--jumping from one point to another, then back to the first one throughout the book. The book's editor could've done a better job helping the author organize the content. - Esmé Weijun Wang’s THE COLLECTED SCHIZOPHRENIAS ESSAYS will open your eyes. Wide. If you think you truly know what schizophrenia is, chances are, you don’t. I didn’t, but after reading her book, I have a better understanding. Not only for the language that she teaches you, but a more compassionate and less fearful grasp of what it means for those who live with the stigma associated with this diagnosis. (3.5 stars)
- I almost never write book reviews, but after spending a rainy Sunday by the fire devouring these essays, I felt compelled to share. Wang writes with absolute brilliance about her journey to hell and, mostly, back. I can not recommend this book highly enough.
- Thought the approach was good. Did not quite get the end with the treatment in Santa Fe, NM. Is she still on medication? I am concerned that other Schizophrenics might go off their medications and try spiritual therapy. Also the interaction of Lyme disease with her diagnosis. I am not aware of an association of Lyme Disease with Schizophrenia. Sharing titers and other data can be helpful to define.
- Wonderfully written and full of important perspectives. It's an excellent and crucial addition to the literature of mental illness. Wang wrestles with complex questions and issues -- having children, diagnoses, treatments, stigma -- but doesn't give easy answers, and instead opens up ideas for the reader to engage with as well.
The schizophrenias are complicated and misunderstood. Even with as much as I read about, learn about, and try to advocate for mental health, I still had a lot of wrong ideas and inaccurate views. This book changed my thinking about so much. Plus, Wang writes lyrically and richly. I was sad when I finished it and wished I had even more to read from her. I wish everyone would read this. - A florid, lyrical, enchanted book. I love Esme Wang's writing. The author makes so much beauty from a subject so historically fraught.
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