When reality got "too dense" for 18-year-old Susanna Kaysen, she was hospitalized. It was 1967, and reality was too dense for many people. But few who are labeled mad and locked up for refusing to stick to an agreed-upon reality possess Kaysen's lucidity in sorting out a maelstrom of contrary perceptions. Her observations about hospital life are deftly rendered; often darkly funny. Her clarity about the complex province of brain and mind, of neuro-chemical activity and something more, make this book of brief essays an exquisite challenge to conventional thinking about what is normal and what is deviant.

I had a great time at Martin Place. So many books. Found this one propped up at the subway entrance and took a photo of it.

And another.

And yet another!

Those pictures could have been me! I found my very first Bookcrossing book at Martin Place on Friday, just sitting balanced on the railings. I picked it up, and like a blast out of an orange-colored sky, it hit me what Bookcrossing must be. I collapsed on a nearby bench and sat right down on another book! LOL

I read it in a day or so. I thought the movie was easier to follow, but it is a sad story. The author spent time in a mental hospital in the 1960s, and it shows. LOL

Not an unpleasant or threatening read, but an interesting and sometimes thought-provoking one. The community of the ward was well written, with the nurses and doctors and especially the patients all interacting in their various ways.

I'm going to set this book free soon. May it find somebody who appreciates it, and especially Bookcrossing, every bit as much as I have so far.

The cover shows a girl with a gash across her face.

CAUGHT IN BALGOWLAH NEW SOUTH WALES AUSTRALIA

I have a secret to announce. I have become a Bookcrosser, inspired by the angel who left this book at my local church.

Released on Monday, November 22, 2004 at about 3:00:00 PM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at Somewhere in Manly in Manly, New South Wales Australia.

RELEASE NOTES:

This book will continue its journey through a secret release into the wilds of Manly. Books need to be free!

I found a book in a bookshop here in Manly, and the young lady behind the counter hooked me in as quick as ever you please!

What a brilliant idea!

Must read this book and set it loose for travelling again.