This book really has something that represents almost anyone. It was refreshing to see mental health taken on so thoroughly with candid, relatable essays. "(Don't) Call Me Crazy" humanizes diagnoses and includes authors from all genres that will make readers pick up the book in the first place. Once you pick it up, there's not way you're just reading one story.
A long awaited anthology that delves into many mental health issues from well-known anxiety and depression to lesser-known trichotillomania. There are reading lists recommended too, so readers can dive as far into mental health as they would like.
Personally, I love the inclusion of graphic short stories as well. Not only did it break up the pages of text for me, but I also thought they would be a great way to introduce some of these things to students in multiple settings.
However, be aware that some of these stories will be triggers for readers who pick up the book. Make sure they know that skipping stories is okay whether it's due to not being interested or something else.
(The book's description from Goodreads)
Who’s Crazy?
What does it mean to be crazy? Is using the word crazy offensive? What happens when such a label gets attached to your everyday experiences?
In order to understand mental health, we need to talk openly about it. Because there’s no single definition of crazy, there’s no single experience that embodies it, and the word itself means different things—wild? extreme? disturbed? passionate?—to different people.
(Don’t) Call Me Crazy is a conversation starter and guide to better understanding how our mental health affects us every day. Thirty-three writers, athletes, and artists offer essays, lists, comics, and illustrations that explore their personal experiences with mental illness, how we do and do not talk about mental health, help for better understanding how every person’s brain is wired differently, and what, exactly, might make someone crazy.
If you’ve ever struggled with your mental health, or know someone who has, come on in, turn the pages, and let’s get talking.