panderkins's Reviews (279)

It had a promising beginning and middle then I got lost in the multiple things the author was trying to do at the end. Until the poorly constructed ending I was really invested in the story. I had never heard of Afrofuturism. I guess this was a good start overall but this is supposed to be the best one and it doesn’t lead me to want to read more.

Good old fashioned hero story.

I’m sorry to add to the Goodreads fray on this book. I normally come here to see what others think after I finish, but reviews on this one kind of ruin that amazing deep glow I get after I finish any Dostoevsky. Like Crime and Punishment, the masterful ending made me cry.

This is a great memoir of SSRI withdrawal, travel and winning “Chopped,” but the latter two weren’t for me and I skipped a lot of it looking for bits of wisdom regarding overcoming effects of titration. I wish she’d said in the beginning that titration, if done slowly, might not have the harrowing effects to the degree she experienced them, but she waits for the Afterword.

Really this is 3 1/2 stars because I did appreciate the insights about hopefulness and strength, spirituality and her Mom, friends, and courage. I am about to start titration off an antipsychotic I’ve been on for 17 years and I just desperately needed a ray of hope after wading through many other sources who make it sound like getting off psych drugs is irrevocably intolerable and who have such a strong vendetta against the psychiatric big pharma complex they lose sight of individuals.

I almost captured enough hope from this book but not very deeply. On a last note, I have exactly the same experience with my psychiatrist wanting me to go on another med (a THIRD antipsychotic!) to combat withdrawal. I’ll avoid that at all costs. Her strength in turning that down is inspiring to me as well.