Trouble in My Head

September 1, 2009
Gr 7 Up-Monaque tells her own story of depression, which began at age 14. Recounting her experience from memory, the teen attempts to discern what caused the illness as well as to explain the process she went through to overcome it. Beginning with a physical illness that caused her to be separated from friends, Monaque's depression eventually manifested itself as anorexia and resulted in a monthlong stay in a mental-health facility for adolescents. Although she resisted medication, it became part of her therapy for more than a year. While the young woman's extreme introspection, which involves dissecting every thought and action, is intriguing in a clinical sense, the narrative becomes tedious in places. For example, the details of the first day after placement in the hospital take nearly one-fourth of the book. Monaque's story has a happy ending as she successfully battled her problems, finished school, and planned a career in medicine, perhaps as a psychiatrist. She is bright and articulate and paints a vivid picture of what depression feels like from the inside."Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo, Loyola College, Baltimore, MD"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2009
Grades 7-12 Fourteen-year-old Monaque has assigned herself a continuous program of self-help and assistance to other teens like herself: document her bout with teen depression, its soul-sucking misery, and the hospitalization that helped her move through anorexia and darkness. Focused on Monaques desire for perfection and her yearning for friends she does not have, this gripping account of her struggle is augmented by an afterword written by her psychologist, Jeanne Siaud-Facchin, who has opened a facility that treats French adolescents suffering from depression. This is a tough read, but it is one that will help explain to teens diagnosedwith depression, their friends, and the adults around them the realities that come with the adolescent form of the disease. This importantdistinction between teen and adult depression, along withthe revealing personal stories, make this book an invaluable addition to both YAand adult collections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)