Publication year 2022
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Mental Health, Race, Justice
Tags Social Justice, Self-Improvement, Politics & Government, Race & Racism, Philosophy, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Mental Illness, Health
Mental Illness
Mental illnesses are common, yet the stigma of discussions around mental health remains. We hope this compilation inspires conversations about mental health, whether you are a professor looking to round out a syllabus or someone hoping to better understand your own experiences. Read on to discover study guides for fiction and nonfiction titles spanning a variety of important topics, such as suicide, schizophrenia, depression and anxiety, trauma, and bipolar disorder.
Rest Is Resistance
Reviving Ophelia
Running With Scissors
Scarcity Brain
Scattered Minds
Set Boundaries, Find Peace
She's Come Undone
Shooter
Shout
Signs and Symbols
Simon Sort of Says
Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe
Small as an Elephant
Soldiers Heart
Sorrow and Bliss
Speak
Starfish
Stella Maris
Stolen Focus
Stupid Fast
Publication year 2022
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Mental Health, Race, Justice
Tags Social Justice, Self-Improvement, Politics & Government, Race & Racism, Philosophy, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Mental Illness, Health
Publication year 1994
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Femininity, Family, Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth
Tags Psychology, Gender & Feminism, Parenting, Women`s Studies, Education, Education, Sociology, Psychology, Mental Illness, Self-Improvement
Reviving Ophelia was written in 1994 by Mary Pipher, a psychologist who works with women and teen girls, studying the ways cultural norms impact their mental health. The book comprises a collection of Pipher’s essays, which are based on the interviews and focus groups with adolescent girls she conducted with her daughter, Sara Pipher. She wrote the collection to bring awareness to the cultural trauma and dysfunction experienced by adolescent girls and to assist girls... Read Reviving Ophelia Summary
Publication year 2002
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Family, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Sexual Identity, Perseverance
Tags LGBTQ+, Mental Illness, Humor, Psychology, Psychology, Biography
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs was first published in 2002 as a memoir. After several of the figures it features sued for defamation and dishonesty of its claims, however, it was recategorized as a book. It can also be classified as a bildungsroman since it follows the adolescent growth of its narrator and protagonist. Running with Scissors was adapted into a feature film in 2006.Other works by this author include Dry and A Wolf... Read Running With Scissors Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Mental Health, Space, Self Discovery, Globalization, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology
Tags Self-Improvement, Health, Science & Nature, Philosophy, Leadership, Psychology, Psychology, Mental Illness
Publication year 1999
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Family
Tags Psychology, Science & Nature, Health, Parenting, Disability, Psychology, Mental Illness, Self-Improvement
Publication year 2021
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Family, Friendship, Marriage, Conflict, Self Discovery, Language
Tags Self-Improvement, Psychology, Health, Relationships, Psychology, Mental Illness
Publication year 1992
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Mental Health, Coming of Age, Family, Power & Greed
Tags Coming of Age, Dramatic Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness
She’s Come Undone is a realistic fiction novel written by Wally Lamb and originally published in 1992. Lamb demonstrates his penchant for creating detailed psychological character portraits in his debut novel, which is a coming-of-age story about a woman named Dolores Price. As the novel traces Dolores’s life from childhood through middle age in the mid-20th century, Lamb examines imbalanced power dynamics within relationships, intergenerational trauma and healing, the loss of innocence, and body image... Read She's Come Undone Summary
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Guilt, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth
Tags Bullying, Trauma & Abuse, Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Mental Illness, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
First published in 2004, Shooter is a young adult novel by Walter Dean Myers about a school shooting. It delves into the perpetrator’s psychological profile as well as the cultural forces behind the violence. The story examines US gun culture, bullying, drug abuse, and dysfunctional family dynamics as causal factors. Myers tells the story through official interviews, police reports, newspaper clippings, and a diary.Myers has written more than 70 books for children and young adults... Read Shooter Summary
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Nonfiction
Themes Shame & Pride, Sexual Identity, Femininity, Memory, Truth & Lies
Tags Trauma & Abuse, Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness
Shout: The True Story of A Survivor Who Refused to be Silenced by Laurie Halse Anderson is a memoir written in verse published in 2019. Anderson wrote it as both a personal narrative and a call to action in the wake of the 2017 #MeToo movement, which supported survivors of sexual assault who came forward to share their stories publicly. Shout received widespread critical acclaim and was named Time’s Best Book of the Year 2019.Laurie... Read Shout Summary
Publication year 1948
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Immigration, Mental Health, Perseverance
Tags Russian Literature, Education, Education, World History, Mental Illness, Classic Fiction
“Signs and Symbols,” by Russian American author Vladimir Nabokov, is a short story that uses irony, complex symbolism, and an ambiguous ending to address the themes of Responses to Suffering, Alienation and Loneliness, and Death, Life, and In Between, while also providing meta-commentary on the process of literary analysis. These themes are mainstays of Nabokov’s fiction, including his best-known novel, Lolita.Published originally as “Symbols and Signs” in the New Yorker magazine on May 7, 1948... Read Signs and Symbols Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fear, Memory, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Space, Family, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology
Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness, Humor
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Mental Health, Family, Hope
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Mental Illness, Arts & Culture
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fear, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Place, Family, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt
Tags Realistic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Mental Illness, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Small as an Elephant is a middle grade realistic fiction novel written by Jennifer Richard Jacobson and originally published in 2011. In addition to writing, Jacobson teaches literacy workshops across the US. She grew up in Maine, which is the inspiration for the setting of many of her stories. Small as an Elephant examines several themes related to unstable attachment, support, and hardship. The novel received more than 10 awards, including the Maine Lupine Award... Read Small as an Elephant Summary
Publication year 1998
Genre Novella, Fiction
Themes War, Fear, Coming of Age
Tags Historical Fiction, American Civil War, Military & War, Mental Illness, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, US History, World History
Gary Paulsen’s young adult novel Soldier’s Heart: Being the Story of the Enlistment and Due Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers highlights a young soldier’s experience in the Civil War. Many of the novel’s plot events are based on historical records, as is the novel’s main character Charley, who is based on the actual soldier Charley Goddard. However, Paulsen takes liberties within the story and notes that parts of the... Read Soldiers Heart Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Mental Health, Marriage, Mothers, Femininity, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Midlife, Family
Tags Mental Illness, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1999
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Art, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Mental Health, Family, Friendship
Tags Trauma & Abuse, Mental Illness, Coming of Age, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Speak is a young-adult realistic fiction novel by Laurie Halse Anderson, first published in 1999. It follows the plight of a teenager, Melinda, who was raped at age 13 and struggles to put her life back together and find her voice. Anderson has written several young adult novels, all of which address pressing issues for teens honestly and empathetically. She was honored with the Margaret A. Edwards award for her important and relevant contributions to... Read Speak Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Mental Health, Family, Shame & Pride, Childhood & Youth, Self Discovery, Beauty, Mothers, Friendship
Tags Realistic Fiction, Free Verse, Bullying, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Grief, Music, Space, Loneliness, Death
Tags Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Mental Illness, Philosophy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, American Literature, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy
Publication year 2022
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Science & Technology, Literature, Education, Mental Health
Tags Psychology, Self-Improvement, Health, Science & Nature, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Leadership, Psychology, Mental Illness
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Mental Health, Family, Self Discovery, Friendship, Mothers
Tags Humor, Coming of Age, Sports, Realistic Fiction, Depression & Suicide, Mental Illness, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction
Fifteen-year-old Felton Reinstein hits puberty and transforms from a nerd to an athlete but struggles to cope with his mom’s growing mental health struggles in Geoff Herbach’s young adult novel, Stupid Fast (2011). Bullied and teased most of his young life, Felton has anxiety caused by his dad’s death by suicide. Now, he grows huge and fast, joins the football team, and gains new jock friends and a smart, talented girlfriend named Aleah. Outwardly things... Read Stupid Fast Summary