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Every once in a while you'll come across a book or meet a person that make an indelible mark upon your soul. I got a two-for-one deal when I came across Reni Seidman's book, "Adventures in Bipolarland: A Novel About Real Life" back in 2005. I was in recovery mode after experiencing my last and most severe manic episode that lasted nearly six months. A large part of my healing journey involved reading the stories of my herd.
That's right. You heard me. Herd. One species that sticks together.
I don't want to sound like a fussy reader, but an author has approximately three sentences to get my full attention. Not a paragraph, page or chapter. So when I read the first words of Reni's book, she had me like a starving catfish latched on to a bloated worm.
Sentence #1:
"Laurel ran from her apartment along a third-floor walkway screaming "No!!!" at the top of her lungs."
Sentence #2:
"The sound echoed in the courtyard, then silence."
Sentence #3:
"Laurel kept running."
Sentence #4:
"She had to get to her safe place, her bench that faced the sea."
Sentence #5:
"She had to get there before it was too late."
See?! I was hooked. I had to know about this Laurel. Why was she screaming? Who or what was she running from and why did she have to get to her safe-spot before it was too late? Too late for what?! I had to know!!
So I followed Laurel down the rabbit hole into Bipolarland and found a kindred spirit. Reni Seidman tells her gritty story through Laurel in this hauntingly familiar tale. Like Laurel, Reni ran screaming across a walkway 18 years ago:
"An antidepressant reaction had initiated mania in me for the first and only time in my life. It was scary, mystical, heart-breaking, and enlightening all at the same time. My forced hospitalization was reminiscent of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest 3 decades later, yet employing the same degrading methods" ~Reni Seidman
Not only is Reni a brilliant writer, but her artwork is stunning and celestial. You can read more about Reni at adventuresinbipolarland.com.
More importantly, you can head on over to Amazon.com and download a copy of her book onto your Kindle or iPad! Also available in paperback for those of you (like myself) who still enjoy the feel of paper. (Click book for Amazon link)
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I strongly encourage you to give yourself a time-out and let Laurel blow your mind.
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