By: Norah Vincent
Norah Vincent is an intriguing person. She is an "immersive journalist" by profession, meaning she lives the experience about which she writes. Her first book was Self-made Man in which she passed as a man. In this book she voluntarily commits herself to 3 mental institutions, each for about 2 weeks. Vincent does suffer from depression but for 2 of the 3 commitments she enters feeling emotionally well. Her responses to and commentary about each treatment center ring true, but she's a bit judgmental, seeming to feel that most patients could recover if they wanted to. Perhaps this stems from her struggle to accept her own illness - and she occasionally sounds as spoiled as she characterizes her fellow patients. Fortunately for Vincent, treatment method, personnel, environment and her own will come together with positive results. The writing/editing is not terrific, but a good read nevertheless. (Non-Fiction) Review by Anne. 07/06/09
