I COULD ALMOST TOUCH THE DEVIL

Name: I COULD ALMOST TOUCH THE DEVIL
Author: Dawn Rodger
ISBN: 978-1-5255-2290-1

by Dawn Rodger ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

An illuminating account that should be a vital tool in helping others, delivering both warning signs of mental illness and a...

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In this debut memoir, a teacher recalls how she became blindsided by mental illness.

“When did it all go wrong? How did I become a statistic, and what is mental illness anyway?” When Roger began having panic attacks, these were her questions. After all, she was living her dream: teaching music in public school, running her own private studio, and raising a family. But she was no match for the cards stacked against her, including a genetic predisposition to mental illness, emotional scars from childhood bullying, and a turbulent marriage. In addition, she recalls: “Teaching in the school system is like a pressure cooker for the soul.” Soon her anxiety was joined by severe depression, OCD, a suicide attempt, a bipolar diagnosis, and episodes of self-mutilation. Finally, she began her recovery with a two-week stay in a mental hospital and gradually found the necessary tools to heal. Loving parents supported her; new medications began clearing her mind; and she prioritized self-care. Her hardships didn’t cease: She faced financial implosion and the dissolution of her marriage. But she continued to carry on, eventually even finding a way to replace her prescriptions with holistic healing. In this raw and enlightening memoir, Roger’s trepidation is evident when disclosing highly personal details yet she courageously holds nothing back. In a particularly heart-wrenching scene about cutting herself, she writes: “I would begin to sketch horrible names sadly Frank regularly called me….My thighs became a dictionary. I loathed myself, because my husband loathed me.” Her spot-on descriptions of her psychological state should be highly valuable for those seeking to make sense of mental illness, either their own or a loved one’s (“I have this ability to analyze a situation and find the absolute worst-case scenario and then let it ferment”). Also noteworthy is her process of self-acceptance, from considering herself a “psycho” to simply realizing that her mind, like any other organ, was subject to illness. Overall, her genuine, perceptive, and optimistic prose is a pleasure to read.

An illuminating account that should be a vital tool in helping others, delivering both warning signs of mental illness and a road map to recovery.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: 978-1-5255-2290-1

Page Count: 144

Publisher: FriesenPress

Review Posted Online: Jan. 28, 2019

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.