The Quiet Room

I think this book was very unique from any other books I would typically read in class or for fun because of the various perspectives. At the beginning of the book when the chapter switched from Lori Schiller's point of view to Lori Winter's point of view, I had to go back and re read because I hadn't noticed the transition. It was then that I became really intrigued. Normally books- whether fiction or non-fiction- like to paint a good guy and a bad guy, and remain very biased to one side. This book was a raw view at the opinions and thought process of both sides. It frustrated me reading what her friends thought about her when they didn't understand what was going on, and I believe that was the purpose of this piece. It makes you realize that everybody is going through something even if they appear alright on the surface, and that can apply not only to mental illness but all other sorts of troubles. It builds sympathy instead of making people dismissive to the struggles of others. I would definitely recommend this book to friends. Reading it is a learning experience, and a very interested one at that. I personally love hearing other people's stories about their life experiences and travels, and reading this book is like an adventure but through someone else's mind. I think for anybody who doesn't quite understand mental illness this book would really open their mind and eyes to the reality of it, while showing them that these people are not 'crazy', their mind just works differently.