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23rd out of 74 books
—
77 voters
The Dark Side of Innocence: Growing Up Bipolar
by
Terri Cheney
""Killing yourself at any age is a seriously tricky business. But when I was seven, the odds felt insurmountable.""
As a young girl, Terri Cheney's life looked perfect. Her family lived in a lovely house in a tranquil Los Angeles suburb where the geraniums never once failed to bloom. She was pretty and smart, an academic superstar and popular cheerleader whose father doted
...moreKindle Edition
Published
(first published March 1st 2011)
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Wow. At first I kept thinking that from what I've read, people with bipolar disorder have too much intelligence for their own dang good, and just use it to hurt themselves and others. I was going to rate the book at three stars though, because I found it interesting (my scale is mostly based on how hard it is for me to put the book down).
As I continued reading, Terry Cheney's descriptions of how her bipolar disorder manifested riveted me.
page 2: "When I was depressed, I was completely paralyzed,...more
As I continued reading, Terry Cheney's descriptions of how her bipolar disorder manifested riveted me.
page 2: "When I was depressed, I was completely paralyzed,...more
I seem to be on a growing-up-with-undiagnosed-mental-disorder book kick lately, for which I have no explanation except that I find it to be a heart-wrenching, yet fascinating topic. I think what makes this so captivating is that it makes me reflect on how many children must be out there suffering, feeling alone, and living with these unexplainable demons within them. It’s nothing less than tragic.
Growing up in a suburb of Los Angeles, Cheney’s life looked peachy from the outside. She earned good...more
Growing up in a suburb of Los Angeles, Cheney’s life looked peachy from the outside. She earned good...more
This seemed like a money grab. What I mean by that is, this book did not add anything to my knowledge about children with bi-polar. Actually, even her title is out of touch with current mental health standards of talk-- you don't define someone by their illness. "growing up bi-polar" should be "growing up with bi-polar." It's incredible how much difference one word makes between being sensational and stigmatizing and being respectful of the whole person.
I'm not gonna say that she's lying about...more
I'm not gonna say that she's lying about...more
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Wow. Heart breaking and powerful.
Likes:
Terri Cheney's writing style is captivating. She uses beautiful (yet dark) imagery mixed with intelligence and poise to capture a reader's attention and pull it through every story.
I love how she organized the book. From seven to eighteen and many years in between.
Just the raw honesty of her struggles with the Black Beast, her family, her alcoholism gives the reader a real insight into what kids with mental illness must truly suffer with on a daily basis.
H...more
Likes:
Terri Cheney's writing style is captivating. She uses beautiful (yet dark) imagery mixed with intelligence and poise to capture a reader's attention and pull it through every story.
I love how she organized the book. From seven to eighteen and many years in between.
Just the raw honesty of her struggles with the Black Beast, her family, her alcoholism gives the reader a real insight into what kids with mental illness must truly suffer with on a daily basis.
H...more
An excellent memoir that gives the reader a true sense of what happens on the inside of someone growing up bipolar, told with blatant honesty and humor, without minimizing the seriousness of the disease. Though the events, triggers, and degree of depression/mania may differ from one manic-depressive to another, the feelings, thought processes, and reflections Cheney shares is universal. As an adult, armed with the knowledge that can only come after having been diagnosed, Cheney maps out the earl...more
After writing the book "Manic" which describes her adult life dealing with being bipolar, Terri Cheney wrote this book describing her childhood growing up bipolar.
As a child, Terri knew there was something different about herself. She had a dark side that she nicknamed "The Beast". The Beast tormented her and urged her to behave in negative ways--attempting suicide several times (the first time at seven), battling with her family, skipping school, taking dares. The manic side of her kept her awa...more
As a child, Terri knew there was something different about herself. She had a dark side that she nicknamed "The Beast". The Beast tormented her and urged her to behave in negative ways--attempting suicide several times (the first time at seven), battling with her family, skipping school, taking dares. The manic side of her kept her awa...more
Terri Cheney is a great writer, and has an uncanny ability to suck you into her stories. She introduces this book by letting you know that, after a success of her memoir "Manic" where she details life with bipolar disorder, she went back into her childhood and realized she'd been unstable then too. This made me very skeptical - the idea that she delved deep to access and reconstruct those memories, as part of a process to follow-up on her first book.
I also do not like how she makes her illness i...more
I also do not like how she makes her illness i...more
I am tempted to compile my life into a joural of stories called "Raising a household Bipolar Positively and Meaninfuly":-)
My faith is what holds together our family and continuously learning and trying new communication methods as everyone ages and their needs change. Add in the child school setting, after school programs, home life, life with family and friends, life with our church community, and my relationship strength and forgiveness with my husband. Always alert and on my toes with my nee...more
My faith is what holds together our family and continuously learning and trying new communication methods as everyone ages and their needs change. Add in the child school setting, after school programs, home life, life with family and friends, life with our church community, and my relationship strength and forgiveness with my husband. Always alert and on my toes with my nee...more
The Dark Side of Innocence grabbed me first with its title. The juxtaposition of darkness and innocence has always intrigued me, so I picked the book up one day in Barnes and Noble.
And I could not put it down.
Cheney told her story in an unflinching, shameless way. She allowed us into her innermost thoughts, some of which were ones that most people would never admit having, without apology or overt explanation. She did not try to make us like her or pity her, she was simply--brutally--honest. I...more
And I could not put it down.
Cheney told her story in an unflinching, shameless way. She allowed us into her innermost thoughts, some of which were ones that most people would never admit having, without apology or overt explanation. She did not try to make us like her or pity her, she was simply--brutally--honest. I...more
Terri suffers from bipolar disorder. She wasn't officially diagnosed until college (I think), but she exhibited symptoms of the disease throughout her childhood. Although Terri was a popular child who was very successful socially and academically, she experienced extreme changes in her behavior, attitude, and energy level. One day she would work feverishly to finish a project for school perfectly and within minutes she would find herself in bed, often for days at a time, unable to find the energ...more
A tough read, but one that might prove helpful to both those that grew up bipolar and those who have children they feel may be bipolar.
There are some gritty bits in this book, but I marked a bunch of pages for my "remember who wrote this" notebook. I haven't read her first book, but the childhood aspect of this one appealed more to what I was looking for.
Books like this are hard to recommend. I think memoirs that involve severe mental illness aren't really pleasure reading (obviously) so go int...more
There are some gritty bits in this book, but I marked a bunch of pages for my "remember who wrote this" notebook. I haven't read her first book, but the childhood aspect of this one appealed more to what I was looking for.
Books like this are hard to recommend. I think memoirs that involve severe mental illness aren't really pleasure reading (obviously) so go int...more
Spanning from childhood into adolescence, Terri Cheney's memoir offers a rare and valuable glance into a sick child's mind.The Dark Side of Innocence gives a great look at a childhood spent with bipolar disorder creeping on the inside of your toy chest. As a bipolar woman myself, it was interesting to look at a childhood perspective of the illness. I haven't come across many other books that do so. Madness by Marya Hornbacher had a few chapters dedicated to it, but I can't think of another entir...more
This book was not amazing because it was extremely well written or because it was profound. This book is amazing because of the way it simply spoke to me. There was a startling honesty that kept me riveted as I read about a childhood I could so easily empathize with. The experiences and thoughts really brought a new perspective, one of those I am not the only one moments. I can appreciate that. I can appreciate the honesty and the courage it takes to confront a childhood like this and put pen to...more
TERRI CHENEY'S "THE DARK SIDE OF INNOCENCE" (REVIEW)
This book is more dark with only a splash of innocence. It's not hard to understand how a child could be inflicted with such a horrible disease as being bipolar though, and Teri's words make you understand just how hard it can be for a child in which this condition has not been recognized. This book gave me chills, and made me realize how a hidden monster like this could exist among innocence. Terri's story was written with acute honesty which...more
This book is more dark with only a splash of innocence. It's not hard to understand how a child could be inflicted with such a horrible disease as being bipolar though, and Teri's words make you understand just how hard it can be for a child in which this condition has not been recognized. This book gave me chills, and made me realize how a hidden monster like this could exist among innocence. Terri's story was written with acute honesty which...more
I was diagnosed with Bi-polar when I was 15 years old. But after reading this book I know I had it all my life. I loved this book! It help me to put a face on my bi-polar,and what it is and the special gifts it has given me. I think if you have bi-polar , or if you have a loved one with bi-polar you should read this book. She described feeling so well that I have felt ,but didn't know how to explain it to people. But she describes it beautiful. I cant wait to read manic, the book about her batt...more
I read this memoir after reading Cheney's first book Manic, which I truly loved and believe anyone interested in mental illness should have. I feel the same way about this book. Cheney looks back on her childhood and her bipolar disorder - though not defined as such until she was an adult. She tries to put the pieces together, to recognize the polarities of her moods and how she has always lived with such a chaotic inner life. Your heart can't help but break for her. Excellent resource for paren...more
This story was riveting. It does a great job of explaining the turmoil of bipolar disorder, and the painful honesty of the author as she recounts the defining moments of her childhood ensures that these stories will always stay with me. I could not put this book down, and felt like I was right there with her on the journey through her life. The book is very well written, and the description of the situations, thoughts, and feelings were incredible. My heart goes out to that poor child.
A good resource for parents of children with behavioral or emotional difficulties. This book can help make a parent aware of the possibility of bipolar, so that they can more readily work with a doctor to find a treatment for their child's symptoms, if necessary. We are much more aware of, and capable of properly treating bipolar disorder today and diagnosis has gone up 4,000% since the mid 90s. It is such a confusing disorder to have, even for adults. I cannot even begin to imagine what it is f...more
An interesting look at growing up bi-polar. It's amazing what the author got away with as a child, primarily her behavior. She was very gracious about her parents, but I was wondering the whole time why the mother just didn't do more, such as forcing her to a psychologist, no matter what the father thought. I feel kind of bad that she had to deal with all of that as a child. This may be informative for other parents in similar situations, but I suspect it may just make a lot of parents paranoid...more
It is obvious that the author's experiences were difficult, but throughout I found I did not feel as sympathetic for her as I probably should have. Basically, I have read other memoirs that touched me more. I guess it was the fact that the author still managed to be a part of the student government, a cheerleader, the valedictorian, took college classes early, drove a corvette, etc. The fact that these achievements were probably the reason her struggles weren't given more attention by adults in...more
At first I thought this slim memoir of a bipolar childhood was glib and not based on true events. As I read deeper into the book I began to get a sense of the author's pain and lack of control over her life. She viewed other people, "normal" people as through a microscope. Their behavior was foreign to her. As one who has struggled with depression I can understand how she felt. I am eager to read "Manic" Terri Cheney's first memoir.
I had previously read Terri Cheney's memoir "Manic" about dealing with being bi-polar disorder in adulthood - now she has written about her experience of dealing with bi-polar disorder from the eyes of a child - being so despondent to attempt to commit suicide at the age of seven.
A must read for anyone who knows of or is dealing with mental illness, especially bi-polar disorder.
A must read for anyone who knows of or is dealing with mental illness, especially bi-polar disorder.
The author shares her experiences growing up with undiagnosed bipolar disorder. I found some parts difficult to read and sad but I learned a lot. This memoir is well written and offers a rare look into the mind of a child struggling with mental illness. I am sure this would be a good tool for therapists and parents. I am going to find her other book, Manic, which tells the story of her adult years.
A follow up/prequel to Manic. I read Manic was was taken on a ride through the eyes of a bipolar woman who was suicidal yet insanely intelligent. She writes in a way that reads like a page turning novel so I couldn't resist her 2nd memoir which chronicles her life growing up bipolar. It focuses on her adolescence and as a kid how she had this "black beast" and kept it a secret from her parents and friends. During her mania she would fly through hours on end with little or no sleep and weeks late...more
An excellent memoir that gives the reader a true sense of what happens on the inside of someone growing up bipolar, told with blatant honesty and humor, without minimizing the seriousness of the disease. Though the events, triggers, and degree of depression/mania may differ from one manic-depressive to another, the feelings, thought processes, and reflections Cheney shares is universal. I also recommend her other book called Manic: A memoir
I have mixed feelings about this book. It was a very good read, but I had trouble feeling sympathetic toward Terri, the main character. I wanted MORE of a description of what was going on in her head, other than just always calling it "The Black Beast." Perhaps writing this as an adult, trying to remember what it was like as a child is the problem(?).
Terri Cheney has grown as a writer since she wrote MANIC: A MEMOIR. The prose is whimsical, funny and matter-of-fact while recounting a seriously messed up childhood experience, like planning her suicide at age 7; and conversely introspective, taking the time to help us understand her personal emotional weight of something less tragic, like when she didn't make JV cheerleading. That's the nature of bipolar, an emotional roller coaster that zigs when we expect a zag.
While MANIC was effectively wr...more
While MANIC was effectively wr...more
I absolutely love this book! The author, Terri Cheney, tells you about her life from early childhood to graduating high school. Her struggles with "The Black Beast", what she has named her bipolar disorder, are very true to point. I hung on every word of this book and highly recommend it to anyone who is suffering from this mental illness. A real page turner!
This was an incredibly interesting autobiographical account of the author's childhood dictated by untreated Bipolar disorder. Cheney's writing style and structure are interchangeably lyrical and forceful. This combination gives a compelling and at times frightening account of a child growing up with undiagnosed and not understood bipolar disorder.
Childhood bi-polar disorder is a serious and often crushing experience, but imagine what it was like when no one even new it existed. Anyone with a family member who is bi-polar should read and think about this woman's experience, especially if that family member grew up before the condition was recognized or even imagined.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| children with bipolar | 2 | 14 | May 11, 2012 08:56am |
After graduating Vassar College with honors, Ms. Cheney attended UCLA School of Law. After years of secretly struggling with manic depression, Ms. Cheney decided to leave the law and devote her advocacy skills toward a cause that is closer to her heart: writing about her illness, and encouraging the mentally ill to tell their own stories.
--from the author's website
More about Terri Cheney...
--from the author's website
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