I was conflicted on what to rate this book because my main gripe with it is the editing. This is a 277 page book with 5 chapters. It felt impossible to get through at times because after being halfway through the book I was still one chapter 3. That being said, this is the first book that said out loud things I had always kept secret, even into adulthood, and it was so freeing to read. As someone with bipolar, this book was such a vivid and real tale of what having such big emotions, so young, feels like. The black beast is a full grown adult in a 10 year old's mind and the 10 year old is not ready for those thoughts, concepts, and feelings yet there they are. The emptiness of depression, the suicidal ideation, the complete loss of control of mania, and the relief of booze is something I think everyone who has struggled with this can relate to.