Schizo

by Kim Firmston

Dan is a fairly normal fifteen-year-old―he likes girls (obviously), hates school (ditto), and he lives to play bass guitar. But at home, things aren't normal at all. His mother is schizophrenic, and uses a system of numbers she's developed to determine if something is good or evil. She plasters the walls with pages of obscure calculations and lists of digits, and obsesses over them long into the night―and her behavior is only getting more and more erratic. One day, Dan's numbers turn bad, and she begins to threaten him physically. Dan could just run away, but he's worried about what would happen to the nine-year-old brother he's fought so hard to protect. All Dan wants is a normal life, but how can he keep his family together and keep them safe at the same time?

Genres: Mental Health, Young Adult

152 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 2011

About the author

Kim Firmston is a real life mutant – though one without any cool powers. When she is not writing or cursing obvious villain mistakes, she warps young minds in her Reality is Optional Kid’s Writing Club and various writing camps. Kim has written and produced many plays, had a few short stories make it into print, and published five novels (one of them by herself). Kim encourages play, be it in her classes or on her interactive websites. She has also been known to build diabolical devices out of cardboard and old chip bags with prominent DO NOT PUSH buttons.

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Schizo by Kim Firmston is about a teenager that's fifteen years old. Daniel wants to live a normal life. He wants to be normal like every teenager, like having a crush but he can’t because of his mother. His mother has schizophrenic. According to the dictionary, Schizophrenia is a long-term mental disorder. It includes a breakdown in a relation between thought, emotion, and behavior, fantasy, and delusion. His mother uses a system of numbers she developed to determine if something is good or bad. She thinks school is bad, so she doesn’t let Daniel and Dustin go to school. They both have to sneak out every day to get to school. Every day after school Daniel has to take care of his mother when he gets home. Most of the time he has to stay up to make sure his mother is sleeping. He’s exhausted and sleep-deprived every single day which affects his grades. With everything in his life, he still tries to be a teenager by playing his bass guitar and sometimes handout with his crush. This book started out slow but it got better. If I had to rate this I would say 3 out of 5 because it wasn’t my type of book. The storyline was good but it could have been better if they didn’t move fast, could have used a far more good ending and describe more things clearly. Like on page 12. He didn’t say what her mother's illness was. (She’s sick.) That's Dan says when his classmate makes fun of her. This book can relate to real life. Like when his Chain makes fun of Daniel because of his mother's illness. ( “No, you’re a schizo-nutbar.” Chain grins, blocking me, arms crossed like a Punjabi bouncer. “ Just like your schizo mom.”) (Page 12) If you like informational stories then you should read this book because it gives examples of what it’s like to live with a person with the illness of Schizophrenia.

[mackenzie henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book didn't start out all that great. The writing was a little strange, but I got used to it as the book went on. I really love the realistic aspects of the actual mental illness itself and how Dan was afraid of getting help. All the numbers in his mom's head were a contrast to most schizophrenic stories I've heard. Most stories I hear are just voices in a persons head, not numbers. This book is somewhat hard-hitting, but overall pretty good.

[RonnieRocket · Rating 1 out of 5]

Never again!

[Amie's Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan and his little brother Dustin live in a single-parent household. Dan is a fifteen year old boy who is just trying to live his life. He has all the normal teenage concerns and desires. There is a girl he really likes and his favourite thing to do is to play his base guitar.

BUT there is one thing that distinguishes him from the rest of the kids at his high school and it is so time-consuming and so emotionally draining that he is exhausted and sleep-deprived every single day. This is obviously affecting his grades.

The difference between Dan and his friends is his mother. She isn’t like the mothers that his friends complain about. They all think their mothers are psycho and  complain about them bitterly. If they only knew!

They may call their mothers "psycho" but they have no idea what life is actually like with a mentally ill mother.

Dan's mother is a schizophrenic and she has recently stopped taking her medication. This makes her unpredictable and can lead to her becoming violent.

Dan feels powerless and as if he is all alone in the world:

"I wonder, sometimes, if anyone else has a life like mine. I've never heard of it. Not once."

Dan is doing his best to hold his family together and to protect his brother. But soon things begin to spiral out of control. Will Dan be able to keep himself and his brother safe? Or is his mother's schizophrenia going to tear the family apart?

WHEW!!! What a book. I started reading and couldn't stop. I read the entire book in a single sitting.

Author Kim Firmston should be applauded for writing a book that directly tackles the issue of mental illness. Unfortunately, even though we are making progress in bringing the issue of mental health out of the shadows, there is still a long way to go.

In the story Dan is tormented by a bully who often says: "...You're a schizo-nutbar. Like your schizo mom."

Dan replies by saying: "Don't call my Mom that. She's sick. You wouldn't call someone with cancer names, would you?"

Dan makes a great point. Schizophrenia is an illness, and until people start to believe that, things will not really change. Talking about it and having books like this one available is an important step towards understanding.

 According to Dan, "...mental illness isn't just something you announce. People think it rubs off."

As ridiculous as it seems to those of us who are aware that mental illness is NOT a choice, there is still a large segment of the population that believes that everyone can choose how they act and react. This needs to change.

I rate this book as 5 out of 5 stars.

[Carolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.65-3.95 stars
Man. This book. Wow. I mean......... I don’t know what else to say, except that this book hit really close to home and I understood it all too well. Wow. There are others, in situations, just like me. It’s a really nice, quick read, only 150 pages actually 😂. Really good book.

[Lavabearian (Jessica) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Orca book is more interesting and relatable. I think more students will read this if they know it is there. The challenge with these books is to market them, but when I compare them to other books revolving around the same topic, I prefer the actual novel, not these quick reads. A YES, I guess.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really good. Though there were some strange part, and in some ways the book moved far to quickly and could use a far more solid ending.