Chapter 24 - Chapter 35

[Colleen]

Page 218 - 326

[Colleen]

Positive: deals with the stigma of mental illness.
i still don't know how i feel.

[Trish, IT]

So thankful I keep notes while I'm reading now, otherwise this would be so difficult! I've been gone for a while because of internet troubles, so I finished the book a couple days ago and recalling everything I wanted to talk about would be near impossible.

When Sarah mentioned One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, I was like "What??" because isn't she 10 years old? I didn't even know that book existed when I was 10 haha. Maybe because she's really smart as Craig mentioned a section or two ago, she's read it?

I think it's really cute Craig cares about the other patients so soon. It's really sweet he's already thought himself as part of their unit or little family of sorts. At the same time, I'm glad he was firm with his dad about joking around, but it's probably hard for his dad to cope with all of this happening, so that might have been his way to do so.

I wanted to close the book for a few minutes after Craig talks to Nia again. Girl, get over yourself. Really. No one wants to commit suicide over you, you self-centered... ugh. I wish Craig wouldn't waste his time thinking about her. Ever.

I love that the issue with mental illnesses being embarrassing was addressed. It's true. Being depressed shouldn't be embarrassing at all. Having asthma and diabetes isn't treated as embarrassing in our community, it's accepted and supported. Depression and other mental illnesses should be treated the same. It's an illness too, what makes it so bad just because it's in our head?

Humble's evaluation of the group made me wonder if there's any truth in it at all or if he's just making it all up. I mean, he's in the hospital for a reason too... So, you know. There might be some truth, or he might be telling Craig what the others have told him, or whatever.

It boiled me so much to read Aaron's phone call to Craig. I just could not get over how cruel that was, even if it was "teasing" that is just so unacceptable. I don't even care about whatever, Craig really deserves better friends than that, I'm glad he made the decision to cut him and the rest of them off. He is so inconsiderate of the situation and I just cannot deal with that kind of person. And then later he apologizes because he was freaked out over Nia being on Prozac and he was under the influence so whoops he didn't mean it? I understand drugs may make you say things you didn't mean to say, but he had the choice to call Craig in the first place, and that was awful. He may be sorry for saying it, but I don't know if he was sorry for the words themselves.

I don't entirely agree with Monica--I believe friends can help better yourself. Relationships are unpredicatable, but it all depends on the give and take of the relationship and exactly how the people in the relationship work together. Maybe some specific people in the hospital shouldn't be an Anchor, but the feeling between them all is an Anchor that Craig should pursue once he gets out of the hospital. Others in the hospital, like Bobby and Noelle, should be kept up after he leaves because they're positive influences on him.

Speaking of Noelle, she is so adorable, I just love her part in this story. Craig is so forward it almost makes me uncomfortable though. He really can't take a "no" can he? Lucky for him Noelle seems to like him anyway.

It's lovely maps are turning out to be therapeutic for him and he's revisiting something that was comforting to him. I'm glad that he's starting to get better somehow, or making an effort to do so.

I love that the group gets together to do fun things together like the card tournament, but things seem to escalate quickly around here...

This book isn't quite what I expected and I don't know why. It's everything I expected to read, but I'm not getting that feeling or mood I expected to feel while reading it? If that makes any sense?