Joking about mental illness is a tricky business, but Amanda Rosenberg manages to find humor in even the darkest of situations. In That's Mental, she employs the same biting wit and self-deprecating humor that made her Medium blog so popular. Chapters vary between the very funny "All-Natural Depression Face Masks," a description of various masks worn by people with depression as they move about the world, and serious subjects, such as "What's It Like to Date a Mentally Ill Person?," in which she interviews her partner about the last five years of ups and downs.
"Personally, I make a concerted effort to not look depressed in public, for the same reason I put on makeup--to lie to myself and others," Rosenberg writes. "I have been donning Extremely Happy for years. Even though it's torturous to wear, it will make you feel like part of society even though you're dying inside."
That's Mental is mostly a comedic memoir, but while readers with mental illness will find the book to be the equivalent of the "laughing while crying" emoji, Rosenberg has included a lot for other readers who want to understand how mental illness can affect everyday life. She discusses how often people offer unsolicited advice, and the difficulties of going back to the real world after intensive treatment, as well as her own prejudiced thoughts on mental illness before her diagnosis, thanks to media and societal misrepresentation.
Rosenberg excels at the macabre humor that elicits laughs and alarm at the same time, but balances it with heartfelt comfort and hope. --Suzanne Krohn, editor, Love in Panels