Susanna Kaysen

Overall I thought it was a pretty interesting read, however, I just didn't like it as much as I expected I would. I found it to be confusing and a bit hard to get through. It turned out to be one of those rare moments where I actually like the movie better. I thought the movie organized her ideas better and delved deeper into the characters' personalities and issues. Although how much of the movie is actually true I don't know; most likely the book is closest to the truth which is okay with me. As a story I feel like the movie is more compelling.… (más)

Girl, Interrupted is a memoir by a woman who was sent to a mental institution when she was a teenager in the 1960s.

The author has an interesting perspective and she's great at explaining her thoughts and experiences to the reader. Many parts of this book were beautiful and thought-provoking.

There were a few things about this book that didn't work for me. The book felt disjointed and each chapter disconnected from the ones around it. There were a few times when the book became very clinical and dry.… (más)

Author Susanna Kaysen was having a bad day when a psychiatrist she'd never seen before referred her for hospitalization at McLean, the top-tier mental institution of the 1960s. In her memoir Girl, Interrupted, she remembers the almost two years she spent at McLean, along with the colorful characters she met there. This slight book delves into questions of sanity vs. insanity, free expression vs. control, and Thorazine vs. everything else. Was Kaysen mentally ill, or just a sensitive, nonconformist teenager growing up during a tumultuous time? The book leaves the question open. Recommended.… (más)