RX

Sick day! Chest cold and laryngitis. Time to rest, read, and review.

Rachel Lindsay offers a disturbing look into her involuntary commitment for mental illness in 2011. Despite working within the system by having a job that provided health insurance, seeing a psychiatrist, and taking her medications for her bipolar disorder, Lindsay is forced into hospitalization when her parents and doctors suspect her abrupt decision to quit her job and move out of state is a manic episode. The humor of her exaggerated cartoon style and narrative frankness offset some of the gloom as she outlines the many stressors that led up to the moment of crisis, her time in hospital, and the fallout.

Well done!

I don't tend to read graphic novels but this was part of my summer reading challenge and picked somewhat at random. It had a strange kind of power by being a graphic novel instead of a straight up memoir. I felt like she was able to express in a few pictures what words couldn't. Her story is complex and nuanced and I did wonder if a graphic novel could express it but I think it did. Gave me alot to think about.

I liked it. It was an interesting look into one person's struggle with relatable and powerful moments. Art was clear and very expressive.