Crazy

by Linda Vigen Phillips

Overview

A compelling novel in verse about mental illness

Laura is a typical fifteen-year-old growing up in the 1960s, navigating her way through classes, friendships, and even a new romance. But she’s carrying around a secret: her mother is suffering from a mental illness. No one in Laura’s family will talk about her mother’s past hospitalizations or increasingly erratic behavior, and Laura is confused and frightened. Laura finds some refuge in art, but when her mother suffers a breakdown after taking painting back up again herself, even art ceases to provide much comfort.

Eloquent and compelling, this powerful novel-in-verse tackles complex themes in a way that will have readers rooting for Laura to find the courage to get the answers she needs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467464758
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	10/06/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	926 KB
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Linda Vigen Phillips (www.lindavigenphillips.com) is a retired teacher. Crazy is her first novel. Linda lives in North Carolina.
Linda Vigen Philips is a retired teacher whose books include the novel-in-verse Behind These Hands (Light Messages) and Thoughts at Crossing (Charlotte Lit Press), an adult poetry chapbook. Crazy, her debut novel, was a Paterson Prize Honor Book and a Junior Library Guild Selection, and was named to award lists by YALSA, the NYPL, Bank Street College, and other organizations. Raised in Oregon, Linda currently lives in Savannah, Georgia. She is a co-founder of Charlotte Clubhouse, part of an international movement dedicated to ending social and economic isolation for those living with mental illness.

Editorial Reviews

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Will resonate widely with contemporary readers as they seek avenues of support through their own struggles to remain sensitive to mothers who sometimes disappear, and almost always to some degree disappoint."

Karen Harrington
— Author of Sure Signs of Crazy and Courage for Beginners
"Crazy is an absorbing, tender and often heartbreaking look at the toll mental illness takes on one family in the 1960s. The best books will leave you better and more compassionate for reading them and this is one of them. I loved it!"

Louise Galveston
— Author of By the Grace of Todd
"[T]he gorgeous and powerful language and verse structure moved me. Such a rich reading experience!"

Patti Gauch
— Former VP and Editor at Large of Philomel Books
"Combining poetic form with a compelling narrative, CRAZY is a story of truth and authenticity and, often, beauty."

School Library Journal
"Beautifully written and emotionally impactful."

Kirkus Reviews
"This is worth a read for the text's vivid link between emotions and fine art."

Booklist
"Phillips' accessibly written chronicle will resonate with teens who understand the desire to protect themselves from their families' inner truths."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Phillips' free-verse poetry has a meaty narrative solidity that, while keeping readers focused on Laura's emotional state, nevertheless captures the period with material detail like clothing and historical referents such as the assassination of JFK. . . . Laura's story is one that will resonate widely with contemporary readers as they seek avenues of support through their own struggles."

Foreword Reviews
"Eloquent and compelling, this powerful novel-in-verse will have readers rooting for Laura to find her courage and face her worst fears."

Congregational Libraries Today
"The author's sensitivity to language is evident in the artful poetry that will engulf readers in Laura's emotions and struggles. The role of faith is brought into play, and questions regarding belief in God will inspire discussion. Crazy is highly recommended for teenagers and young adults."

Catholic Library World
"Phillips's unique format for telling this coming-of-age story adds to the digestible nature intended for young readers. Her poetic novel in verse lends itself to a swift read, but by no means does the simplistic style reflect simplistic writing. . . . Phillips does a wonderful job depicting the influence mental disorders can have on a family and manages to broach a sensitive subject in an approachable way for young adults. Crazy couples the reality of an unpredictable disease with the story of a young girl finding herself, finding an outlet and a new passion, coming to terms with the truth about her mother's illness and the restoration of her faith."

The Midwest Book Review
"Crazy could only get its rich authenticity from an author who's been there, and Phillips acknowledges that bipolar disorder runs in her real-life family. Well-placed pop-culture and historical references also authentically place the story in the early 1960s. Yet, modern teens will easily relate to Laura's timeless personal journey. Crazy opens the floodgate one more notch on a topic that, while better understood than in the 1960s, remains hindered by misconception, judgement, and stereotypes. It is raw and beautiful, unapologetically real, and forever relevant."

From the Publisher

08/01/2014
Gr 7 Up—"To my mother, whose fault it never was, and to my sister, my soul mate in survival," reads the dedication to Phillip's compelling debut novel that is loosely based on the author's experiences growing up around bipolar disorder. It's 1963 and 15-year-old Laura has always been told that her mother suffers from nervous breakdowns. So while other mothers are baking cookies for the PTA fundraiser and helping their daughters sew dresses for home economics class, Laura's mother spends the day sitting in a rocking chair with a vacant stare. No one in Laura's family, particularly her father, will discuss her mother's frightening behavior. There's a palpable tension in Laura's house as everyone tiptoes around her mother, waiting for her to snap. The teen never feels at ease and so she naturally comes to hate her mother, even hate her life. Laura pushes away her passion for art and her best friend, for fear she will end up just like her mom. It isn't until the protagonist finally seeks support that she sees light in the darkness of her mother's mental illness. Told in first-person free verse, Crazy is a beautifully written and emotionally impactful novel about growing up around bipolar disorder in a time period when even doctors didn't truly understand the ramifications of such a disease. Laura's shame about her family and her guilt for hating her mother for something she cannot control are heartrending. Phillips's poetry coupled with her personal experiences truly make this a poignant read. It should be in the hands of anyone—teen and adult—who has ever felt powerless at the hands of mental illness.—Kimberly Garnick Giarratano, Rockaway Township Public Library, NJ

School Library Journal

2014-08-06
In this debut verse novel, a teen artist worries that she's triggered her mother's mental illness and that she'll get it too. Laura's art teacher says she could be as good as van Gogh. Her mother used to paint and accepts Laura's invitation to start again, but Mama quickly shifts from depression to "constantly moving / fidgeting / pacing" and even seeing people who aren't there. Laura thinks she's responsible for Mama's nervous breakdown—which requires hospitalization and shock therapy—and that she herself had better stop painting or she'll have one too: "If I let go for a second, / the anxiety brimming below the surface / will pull me down, / and I will drown / in a Jackson Pollock frenzy / of disorganized splatters." Given the refusal of her father and other relatives to discuss mental illness, it's reasonable that Laura connects it with art. Less believable is the ending, where the text supports Laura's hopefulness after a doctor says she'll probably be fine, despite evidence to the contrary. Phillips' free verse is serviceable, though the line breaks often feel arbitrary. Beatles references and the Kennedy assassination ground the 1963-1964 setting.While the optimistic assertion about Laura's mental health seems dismayingly incomplete, this is worth a read for the text's vivid link between emotions and fine art. (afterword) (Historical verse fiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews