Book Recommendations - Article by Sandy Saleh

Since National Suicide Prevention Month just passed, it is vital to engulf oneself in the literature that depicts concepts about mental health in a respectable yet adequate manner. Not only is it a form of active destigmatization, but it also serves as a gateway for people who struggle with such disorders to not feel alone and isolated.

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan details the story of a biracial teenage girl, Leigh, who is trying to cope with her mother’s suicide while trying to navigate her own racial identity. She is convinced that her mother’s spirit has left the burdensome vessel of a body and has assumed the figure of a crimson bird who is trying to relay a message to her daughter. It leads her to Taiwan, where she is determined to uncover family secrets while forging a relationship with her maternal grandparents. At the same time, she is untangling feelings of grief and regret as she looks back upon her mother’s life through vivid imagery.

They Went Left by Monica Hesse details the story of events after World War II comes to a close. The book chronicles the journey of a young girl as she tries to piece her life back together, pursuing her little brother while experiencing symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As a survivor from Poland who lost almost all of her family members in the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, she is determined to start a new life in a shattered world. However, she is constantly tethered by extreme psychological trauma, which has greatly changed her identity.

Everything I Ever Told You by Celeste NG details the cracks and crevasses that creep into the familial ties in a Chinese-American family after a tragic family event, forcing each family member into isolation from one another. The central theme of this book is the family members’ ability to understand and connect with one another as each dynamic slowly falls apart through the divisions between cultures and generations. The lyrical creative prose beautifully conjures up emotions through details, following the formula of “show; no tell” to provide in-depth expositions on the plot and characters.

The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller details the story of a homosexual teenage boy who is a victim of systemic bullying. He suffers from an eating disorder while his life gets more difficult by the day. His family slowly starts falling apart after his sister runs away. He has an epiphany that leads him to believe that he gains superpowers by not providing his body with the nutrition it needs. Candid and raw, it takes you on a journey inside his brain, providing a profound, yet new perspective on mental disorders.

Article by Sandy Saleh

Editing by Arabella Choytooa

Cover page by Yifei Wang