Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Prozac Nation
Book Review: Absorbing read
Summary: 4 Stars
But one you should be careful with. At times you may be reminded of a similar period in your life and sometimes that may not be too pleasant. In the end this book became Prozac for me - one chapter a day and one at night and for a while there it seemed like whenever my arms itched I wanted a razor to deal with them - but that should NEVER be encouraged - and well as I said this book really did become Prozac for me since you end up thinking crazy thoughtsBook Review: Accurate picture of life with depression.
Summary: 4 Stars
Elizabeth Wurtzel's memoir of her struggle with depression is poignant and true-to-life. Her description of the effort it takes to do something as simple as getting out of the bed in the morning will be familiar to anyone who has suffered from depression. Also accurate is Elizabeth's constant running away from her problems. Her trip to England and the difficulties she encounters there is a prime example of this running.Something that I had hoped would be included in this book is more sociological information. The book is called "Prozac Nation", and yet Wurtzel includes very little information about her generation and the depression-sufferers among them. In fact, the book doesn't even mention Prozac until the very end.
Book Review: Amazing
Summary: 5 Stars
I finished reading Prozac Nation a few days ago, and Elizabeth's words are still echoing in my head. She suffered for so many years, until people finally began to take her disease seriously. It angers me how the world used to be (and still is) so quick to dismiss depression as just some passing emotion. IT'S NOT. This is a serious illness, and while I don't favor the drugs in the market for it, they really have seemed to help the author, quite literally saving her life. Elizabeth's candid, no-holds-barred memoir really spoke to me, showing me the darker side of suicide, and I just wanted to reach out to her, giver her a hug, and tell her that I knew exactly how she felt. This book should be read by anyone trying to gain a deeper understanding of depression, and ESPECIALLY if they suffer from it as well.Book Review: Amazing. Spoke to me...
Summary: 5 Stars
I stumbled upon this book, and it was absolutely amazing. I felt like I was reading about my own life at times. Her accounts of her thoughts and feelings while suffering through her depression and suicidal ideations, and even her dysfunctional relationship patterns are so accurate to how a depressed or bipolar individual might feel. The movie, however, is a very limited and disappointing version. Read the book. :)Book Review: An Enlightening & Pure Portrayal
Summary: 4 Stars
I just finished reading this book and felt a pressing and overwhelming need to express how thankful I am for having read it. Elizabeth Wurtzel painted a completely pure portrayal of herself and her struggles with depression. While the pages were filled with endless internal monologues that some reviewers commented to be whiny and ranting, it was completely essential to understanding the twisted, irrational and often selfish thoughts that plague the minds of the depressed.
I agree that if you cannot relate to depression, it would be easy to dismiss this book and its validity immediately, but I urge you not to!! If you can have a little patience with Wurtzel, open your mind to the possibility that depression is a real disease, and take a second to get into the distorted mind of one of its sufferers, you will walk away with a better understanding for those who struggle with it.
One last point...I would like to thank Wurtzel for discussing how scary it is to go on anti-depressants. Depression becomes so engraved into who you think you are that it is scary to leave it behind. While the darkness of depression is not pleasant, it's familiar. It's terrifying to leave the comfort of the familiar behind. It can feel like you're leaving yourself behind, it can feel dishonest and fake, and it can feel like you failed by your own means and are resorting to chemicals. But if anti-depressants are your last option, don't be afraid. You'll soon realize that depression is like any other disease - it can't always be beat with a strong will. Take the help if you need it - you'll finally uncover your true, undistorted self. I know I did.