Ready yourself for one of the best releases in non-fiction this year: That's Mental! This book is a total must-read for anyone who struggles with mental illness.



Award-winning Asian British comedy writer Amanda Rosenberg presents an intimate memoir of confessional essays about the hilarious, inappropriate, and often difficult side to being mentally ill.

That’s Mental breaks down myths and misconceptions about what it means to be a millennial with mental illness in a darkly funny, but relatable way. In her new book, Rosenberg addresses the overlooked and offbeat issues of mental illness, shedding light on topics that are off-limits, uncomfortable, or just downright embarrassing. This book details every challenging and awkward stage of Amanda’s journey with mental illness and how she manages what she calls her, “garden variety crazy.” These pages are a look at the everyday realities of mental illness - the particular kind of torture that is finding a good therapist, the challenges of figuring out the elusive correct mix of medications, and the appropriate responses with how to deal with the friend who insists ‘but you don’t look depressed’



Standard disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided by the publisher and my friends at BookSparks in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.

As someone who struggles with her mental health at various, inconvenient times (mental health really do, as the kids say, be like that) I knew straightaway I had to get my hands on That's Mental. Amanda Rosenberg seems not unlike myself--a millennial with a bag of mental health issues and a killer sense of humor--and when it comes to non-fiction, this is one of the best traits to have.

So, yes. My connection to it started a bit prematurely, sure. By the time I read the epigraph, with its Carrie Fisher quote, and the first quarter of it, I was hooked. Not only is That's Mental a beautifully penned look into mental health, it had me laughing in the very painfully funny manner we were promised. Rosenberg is blunt and upfront about the good, the bad and the painfully funny.

Her voice comes across strong and witty. That's Mental utilizes its many traits, giving us an honest portrayal of mental illness. Better yet, a lot of dry humor sprinkled in for good measure. If you struggle with mental health, you know the ride it puts you on nearly every waking minute of every day: when it goes low, it buries you beneath it, and when you have your high points it's like you're soaring.

What makes Rosenberg's work so poignant, just as easily thought-provoking as it is brilliantly hilarious, is in the way she lays out the facts and never makes her readers feel as though she is breaking us into a watered down version of mental illness and the course it sets us down. Every page of That's Mental is well used and cuts to the core of her experiences and how the world views mental health.

That's Mental is one of those books I wish I had in my late teens and early twenties. It's sure to be remembered in the future and I cannot wait to hear more of Rosenberg's prose. Simply put? I cannot say enough good things about this book and found it to be one of the most essential reads of 2019.