I Don't Want to Be Crazy

by Samantha Schutz

Book Overview

A harrowing, remarkable poetry memoir about one girl's struggle with anxiety disorder.

This is a true story of growing up, breaking down, and coming to grips with a psychological disorder. When Samantha Schutz first left home for college, she was excited by the possibilities -- freedom from parents, freedom from a boyfriend who was reckless with her affections, freedom from the person she was supposed to be. At first, she reveled in the independence...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1338337491
• ISBN13: 9781338337495
• Release Date: March 2019
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

Interesting...

This book was very interesting. It's very hard to read about mental health issues, but it's something that we could all read and get a little more understanding.

Never received

Never received book

Wonderful book with great style!!

I gave this book as a present to a few girls in my family. Everyone in my family loved the book and now Samantha Schutz is one of our favorite authors. Thank you for a wonderful book.

A beautiful Woman, a Beautiful Book

Samantha herself gave me a copy of this book, and I cannot tell you what a true gift it was. As a woman who has struggled with my own anxiety disorder for almost 10 years, the honesty and reality of her story moved me often to the point of tears. Everyone who feels alone with their anxiety, or who knows someone who suffers from an anxiety disorder, should read this book, if only to know that THEY ARE NOT ALONE. Knowing Samantha and seeing firsthand what a lovely, sane, compassionate, accomplished woman she has become, in spite of her disorder, makes her book all the more powerful for me, because it shows me that there is hope! I recommend this book to anyone!

A window into somewhere you never want to go

Reading this book is almost like reading somebody else's diary. Samantha Schutz is open and honest with the most intimate details of her life during a nightmarish four year period from the end of high school through college graduation. All the uncertainty of her life is here - leaving the familiarity of home for the first time, her relationships with guys, with her parents, with other girls, and with herself. And through it all a psychological disorder is slowly creeping into her life, undiagnosed at first, then openly destructive, and finally raging out of control. Samantha Schutz struggles between suicidal tendencies and efforts to beat the disorder. The therapy and drugs become a whole separate battlefield where she sometimes wins, often loses, and in some cases ends up worse off than she was before. Reading the author's account of her journey is sometimes painful, and it was hard for me not to skip to the end to find out how her story ends. I Don't Want to be Crazy would be a compelling drama if it were fiction; the fact that is a true account makes it all the more intense. The events in this book are written in the form of free verse poetry. Those three words normally send me running for cover, but Samantha Schutz chose this format for a reason. She conveys images and emotions with an intensity that the wordiness of prose cannot deliver. The words are few and carefully chosen, and their emotional impact is much greater because of it. This is free verse poetry written by a poet, and through it she accomplishes beautifully what she set out to do. According to the book's postscript, anxiety disorders affect more than one in ten children and adolescents in America. Whether you realize it or not, chances are you might already know somebody who lives with an anxiety disorder. I Don't Want to be Crazy gives an inside look at the way they may be experiencing events that for us are merely an unremarkable part of our day. The clarity and candor of this book provide a valuable understanding for those of us who are looking in from the outside. And for anyone who recognizes themselves in these pages, it offers hope for coming to terms with the disorder and carving out a normal life despite the persistent looming threat of another anxiety attack. I recommend this book to anyone in high school or older, but teens, young adults, and parents of teenagers will find it especially pertinent. And if you do know someone who has an anxiety disorder, you absolutely must read this book immediately!

A true gem!

Samantha Schutz's book, 'I don't want to be crazy' is an amazing and vivid portrayel of a young woman's struggle with panic/anxiety disorder. I am positive this book will help many young women who are experiencing similar struggle. Further, I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fascinating and impressive read! A wonderful first book for this author; I look forward to more publications.