Exercise your emotional intelligence for May (Mental Health Awareness Month) with books full of insight, compassion, and humanity.
Easy Crafts for the Insane by Kelly Williams Brown
Crafting tutorials serve as the backdrop of a life dissolved, then glued back together. Surprising, humane, and utterly unforgettable, this is a poignant and hysterical look at the unexpected, messy coping mechanisms we use to find ourselves again.
Broken (In the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson
“What we really want,” Lawson writes, “is to know we’re not alone in our terribleness…. Human foibles are what make us us, and the art of mortification is what brings us all together.” Another solid collection of humorous musings on everyday life by best-selling author Jenny Lawson.
Book / eBook / CD Audiobook
Black Fatigue by Mary-Frances Winters
This book, designed to illuminate the myriad dire consequences of “living while Black,” came at the urging of Winters’s Black friends and colleagues. Winters describes how in every aspect of life–from economics to education, work, criminal justice, and, very importantly, health outcomes–for the most part, the trajectory for Black people is not improving. An excellent entry-level resource on antiracism for anyone looking to begin but unsure of how to get started.
Book / Large Print / eBook / Audio eBook
Morningside Heights by Joshua Henkin
Seasons between Us by Susan Forest and Lucas K. Law
A young girl learning her first lesson of time and space from an alien. A young man offering his life to correct a mistake with a healer. A young woman trying to escape the grip of her dead mother. A middle-aged father dealing with parenthood challenges in a post-apocalyptic world. And many more. In addition to dealing with identities, memories, growing older/aging, and personal relationships, the book also deals with mental health and mental illness.
This Is How I Disappear by Mirion Malle
The road to mental health is not a simple one for Clara, even with support. Malle draws powerful meaning out of even the smallest moments, such as when Clara is alone in bed, searching websites for advice about how to get through this difficult time.