Welcome to Litsy!

This will be a hard read, but I hope it teaches others more about mental illness.

A beautifully written account of a horrible tragedy. In 2014, the author‘s mother was killed by his brother who was struggling with schizophrenia. The memoir delves into grief, mental illness, what it means to be a family and how to process loss and move forward in the aftermath.

Vince Granata is the big brother to triplets. Tragically, one of his younger siblings develops mental illness. Tim goes through bouts of depression, suicidal thoughts, and delusions. Tim lives at home with his parents as a young adult, while his siblings go out into the world. One day, miles away from home Vince receives the most horrific phone call of his life: the news that his mother has been killed by his brother.

A profoundly sad memoir, beautifully recalled and shared. Vince Granata tells the story of his younger brother, a triplet, who in the midst of a psychotic episode stabs and kills their beloved mother. It‘s a “hard” book to enjoy and critique as this story is so raw and painful. This was a birthday gift from my wonderful and generous friend @TrishB ♥️♥️♥️ Less informative than Hidden Valley Road but still an important look at schizophrenia.

THANK YOU SO MUCH @TrishB I LOVE LOVE LOVE my birthday gifts 🎁 💕🤩💕🎉 I‘m really glad you made me wait until today to open them❣️ I‘m BEYOND EXCITED for BOTH books and all the lovely extras😘😘🥰

This was a phenomenal memoir about the author overcoming his own struggles after his schizophrenic younger brother kills their mother. There is a lot of good information about schizophrenia in it, and there is, most importantly, the point of how people with mental illnesses are failed.

Starting this memoir about grief and mental illness.

I sometimes find myself frustrated trying to understand mental illness.

I know it is something that people can't just snap out of, but I didn't understand why and often lacked empathy.

This powerful memoir has helped. It is written by a man whose mother was killed by his schizophrenic brother.

This book is incredibly sad, but also very educational in how it explains mental illness from the perspective of a loving family.

#Aprilwrapup #monthlywrapup

Everything is Fine ~ 5 stars
Klara and the Sun ~ 4 stars
When You Ask Me Where I‘m Going ~ 3.5 stars
The Barnabus Project ~ 4 stars
The Last Thing to Burn ~ 3 stars
How Beautiful We Were ~ 4 stars
Doggem ~ 3.5 stars
The True Story of Hansel and Gretel ~ 4.5 stars
The Atmospherians ~ 4 stars
The Last House on Needless Street ~ 3 stars
I Feel... Anxious ~ 5 stars

I know it‘s only April, but I am still going to declare this as the best memoir of the year.

It just came out today!

Check your library, bookstore, or order here while supporting independent bookstores: https://bookshop.org/a/24967/9781982133443

Although this was one of the most difficult books I‘ve ever read, I could close it and walk away when it was over. It isn‘t my devastating story; the thing I‘m forced to breathe in and live with every day. The Granata family will never be able to choose the same. To read a book like this runs the risk of discomfort, but it also promises to nourish compassion and growth.

Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3577639255

“Schizophrenia contains multitudes, yet we gather so many experiences under this single heading. One day, I believe we‘ll be shocked at how broadly we categorized, how we used a single diagnosis to classify constellations of different types of neurological disease.”

I‘m gonna call it...Best memoir of 2021