Mutant Book Club

Ellen Forney feels great.  She's filled with energy and a positive attitude.  When her psychiatrist diagnoses her with Bipolar I, she refuses medication, fearing it will impact her creativity.  However, when she lapses into depression, it becomes clear that something has to change.

This autobiographical volume is a great examination of mental illness.  Forney describes her difficulties finding the correct medication, her struggles with side effects, and the social meaning of her disorder.

Because of the way sexual content is handled, I say this is a volume for teens and adults-I think high school teachers should add this to their graphic novel collections. Elementary school teachers should read it because it's awesome. 

I bought this book because of the Hope Larson blurb on the back.

This book simply didn't click for me.  Although the art is beautiful-really great, the expression and page layouts and character designs were all great, there simply wasn't enough story, either in the individual entries or the overall arc, to really keep me involved.  I have enjoyed diary comics before, but not this one.  However, this is one of the few cases where I disliked a book but would still pick up other works by the author.

Because of the way alcohol use is portrayed, I don't really feel that this is an appropriate choice for my classroom library.  If I was teaching high school I'd probably put it out, but I'm not.