I have a confession to make about Girl, Interrupted. I first bought a copy of it as a Christmas present for my sister. It looked so interesting that before I wrapped it I hid in her room while she was at lectures and read it from cover to cover, keeping the pages as close together as possible so as not to crease the spine.

It didn't disappoint, and I now have a copy of my own. Girl, Interrupted is Susanna Kaysen's account of the time she spent in a psychiatric hospital in the '60s. As well as describing her illness, the hospital and her fellow patients in detail, throughout the book she asks questions about the nature of madness, querying whether she should have been admitted to hospital at all and the accuracy of her borderline personality disorder diagnosis. I found this fascinating on a personal level, as my partner was wrongly diagnosed with BPD and still has to live with the stigma.

The book is very different from the film of the same name, which is essentially a work of fiction based very losely on the characters and setting of the memoir. However, if you enjoyed the film you will probably like the book too. (And thanks to a stunning performance by Angelina Jolie, the film is well worth watching!)

I'm sending this one out on a book ring. The usual rules apply - journal the book when you receive it and again when you've read it, and please try not to keep it for more than about a month.

Participants
fushmush (UK only)
LadyIndigo01 (UK only)
lucyc58 (UK)
and back to moontree

In the post to fushmush tomorrow.

Received! Next one on the list :D

A really interesting read. It has evoked memories of the movie which I'm keen to go and watch again.

Will PM LadyIndigo01 for her address.

Received in the post today. I look forward to reading this and sharing my views afterwards.

Interesting account of mental illness and hospitalisation from a patient's point of view.
This book particularly interested me as I have been a visitor to a family member who was hospitalised with severe mental illness although he did not believe that he was ill.
Thanks for sharing this book; Ive got lucyc58's address and will be sending it in the next couple of days.

Received as bookring, will read next.

This book is not my normal type of reading but I'm glad I gave it a try. It gave me a great insight into mental health issues. I will now be sending it back to Moontree.

This arrived home with me today. Thanks to everyone who took part.