This past weekend I traveled to exotic Arizona for a little
R&R and to, uh, celebrate Presidents I guess. But it was mainly a reading vacation with one
devastating tennis loss, a couple of good shoe buys and lots of good eating.
And what’s a nice vacation without a heavy, depressing
memoir? The answer is: incomplete. Cue The
Memory Palace by Mira Bartók. This
is the true story of a girl and her sister who grew up in Cleveland with a
schizophrenic mother. These two
basically had to fend for themselves from the time they were toddlers, as their
mom ranted and raved about being gassed, aliens, Nazis, etc. They eventually had to change their names to
escape their mother, who was homeless for 17 years before reconnecting with her
daughters right before her death.
This was a shocking story.
Despite being my psychology minor and organizing two mental health
rallies at my first job, I know next to nothing about mental illness. All I
know is that some guy once made me a necklace out of chicken bones that I
politely refused. I’ll take that chicken
on the bone, thanks. I was shocked about
how little medical attention this poor woman got, and how easily she was
released from the police and mental health centers, even after threatening her
two daughters with weapons.
If you want to visit a dark and disturbing psychological
place on your next vacation, check out this little gem, available on the front
table at Barnes & Noble*.
*As mentioned, sponsorships still available. Not feeling desperate at all.
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| Bookworm concerned about plight of others; apparently abandons haircare. |
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