This book is about Adam, a sixteen year old with schizophrenia. Out of all the mental illnesses out there, I feel that most people don’t talk about schizophrenia and that adds to the stigma. My first thought when starting the book that is essentially a journal was that it reminded me of one of my favorite books when I was younger, Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary. I love the format and that it’s easy to move through the story, constantly learning more, but really seeing the progression of time throughout the story overall.

Adam, like most teenagers wants to be normal and guards himself from those outside of his family. This book is his journal to his therapist as he participates in a drug trial for his sickness. Reading through Adam’s journal entries, I celebrated first love, seeing a bully get paid in full with karma, and watched him make new friends. I also felt empathy for him and his situation. It’s not often that a book can drag you through the emotional gamut and come out with pretty happy ending in the end.

Adam as a character grows, and regresses, and grows some more. He changed so much, and as a reader I learned so much about him. He is much braver than he thinks and seeing him come to the conclusion at the end of the book made me smile with tears in my eyes as this story came to an end.

The other characters, Maya, Dwight, Ian, and Adam’s parents are a bit flat, but it works since this is his personal journal. We don’t really learn a lot about his friends because while he’s talking about his day to day life, we’re mainly reading his thoughts and how he felt. This kept the other characters from feeling non-essential to the story and gave them a bit of depth they may have otherwise lacked.

Overall, this book is worth the read. It’s easy to get into and won’t let you go until it’s done. While it may not be exactly what schizophrenia is like, the author did a great job using creative liberties to make the story relatable without being overwhelming.

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