A fascinating, multi-voice look at the many aspects of mental health challenges.
Hun presents a series of discussions about different aspects of mental well-being.
This volume is one in a series by the author (the founder of the arts organization ThisConnect) addressing various aspects of mental health. The book opens with a foreword by Dr. William Wan relating a grim statistic: A recent Singapore mental health survey indicates that one in seven people have experienced some form of mental health challenge. As Hun notes at the beginning of this installment, the Covid-19 pandemic helped to move the conversation about mental health into more common parlance, but understanding of the subject is still lacking. In these pages, he presents the transcripts of conversations he’s had with various people affected by mental health issues that touch on many different aspects of the subject, from dealing with the trauma of suicide to underlining the post-Covid-19 importance of human contact, which a public speaker named Simone stresses in one dialogue: “I can’t emphasize it enough that our brains are configured from the time we’re in hunter-gatherer tribes and need connection,” she maintains. “When we’re not connected, things seem overwhelming.” Throughout the book, Hun stresses his belief that the key to navigating even the worst dark periods is perseverance. This attitude is effectively echoed by most of the interview subjects, including art psychotherapist Rachel Yang, who’s one among many to note the “conscious choice” required to make therapy effective.Hun’s decision to present these interviews as dramatic dialogues stripped of a broader narrative is ultimately a wise one; his approach allows the full power of the concepts to take center stage, making for compelling reading. If the personal voices will help readers see themselves in these talks, all the better.
A fascinating, multi-voice look at the many aspects of mental health challenges.Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2022
ISBN: 9789815058246
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Penguin Random House SEA
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.
Documenting perilous times.
In his most recent behind-the-scenes account of political power and how it is wielded, Woodward synthesizes several narrative strands, from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel to the 2024 presidential campaign. Woodward’s clear, gripping storytelling benefits from his legendary access to prominent figures and a structure of propulsive chapters. The run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is tense (if occasionally repetitive), as a cast of geopolitical insiders try to divine Vladimir Putin’s intent: “Doubt among allies, the public and among Ukrainians meant valuable time and space for Putin to maneuver.” Against this backdrop, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham implores Donald Trump to run again, notwithstanding the former president’s denial of his 2020 defeat. This provides unwelcome distraction for President Biden, portrayed as a thoughtful, compassionate lifetime politico who could not outrace time, as demonstrated in the June 2024 debate. Throughout, Trump’s prevarications and his supporters’ cynicism provide an unsettling counterpoint to warnings provided by everyone from former Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley to Vice President Kamala Harris, who calls a second Trump term a likely “death knell for American democracy.” The author’s ambitious scope shows him at the top of his capabilities. He concludes with these unsettling words: “Based on my reporting, Trump’s language and conduct has at times presented risks to national security—both during his presidency and afterward.”
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668052273
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
IN THE NEWS
PERSPECTIVES
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change.
Artist and activist Vaid-Menon demonstrates how the normativity of the gender binary represses creativity and inflicts physical and emotional violence.
The author, whose parents emigrated from India, writes about how enforcement of the gender binary begins before birth and affects people in all stages of life, with people of color being especially vulnerable due to Western conceptions of gender as binary. Gender assignments create a narrative for how a person should behave, what they are allowed to like or wear, and how they express themself. Punishment of nonconformity leads to an inseparable link between gender and shame. Vaid-Menon challenges familiar arguments against gender nonconformity, breaking them down into four categories—dismissal, inconvenience, biology, and the slippery slope (fear of the consequences of acceptance). Headers in bold font create an accessible navigation experience from one analysis to the next. The prose maintains a conversational tone that feels as intimate and vulnerable as talking with a best friend. At the same time, the author's turns of phrase in moments of deep insight ring with precision and poetry. In one reflection, they write, “the most lethal part of the human body is not the fist; it is the eye. What people see and how people see it has everything to do with power.” While this short essay speaks honestly of pain and injustice, it concludes with encouragement and an invitation into a future that celebrates transformation.
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change. (writing prompt) (Nonfiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09465-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
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