Vizzini captures the essence of depression- in an uplifting way

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	• It's Kind of a Funny Story Ned Vizzini Miramax, 2007 - 448 pages average customer review:based on 29 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Amazing!

This book isn't exactly what I usually read, but I read it for my college English class. I was impressed by its realistic depiction of teen depression. As a matter of fact it could have been assigned in any psych class dealing with depression. Craig is a very likable character and you just want him to overcome his depression. The supporting characters are just as likable and you find yourself rooting for them as well.

Funny in a sad way

I just finished reading the book It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. It tells the story of Craig Gilner, a fifteen-year-old contemplating suicide. Craig ends up checking himself into a psychiatric ward, where he meets people that change his life and outlook. The story deals with a sad reality about teens and depression. It shows that there is hope and recovery at the end of the tunnel.

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Vizzini captures the essence of depression- in an uplifting way

Ned Vizzini has done a huge service to people who suffer from depression. Through It's Kind of a Funny Story, he lets teens and adults know that (1) anyone who goes through depression is NOT alone and (2) there is hope.

Beth Fehlbaum, author
Courage in Patience

Love It

Great book. Craig is so lovable that you identify with him throughout the novel. Ned Vizzini is fantastic- I'll be buying his other books!

Slow to get going, fair in the home stretch

This book came highly recommended, which is part of why it disappointed me. The last act was enjoyable, and I can't think of a better title for teens interested in a real, honest presentation of depression. The end hummed along nicely.

However, I plodded through the first third waiting for something, anything, interesting to happen. Perhaps it is a difficulty inherent to depressives: reading about one is...well, depressing. Which may be a great compliment to Mr. Vizzini's skill as a writer. But I was fed up with Craig Gilner well before I should have been. This is a problem for YA writing, as struggling readers often won't endure 200-plus pages to get to something better.

Looking at the other reviews, I see "It's Kind of a Funny Story" has plenty of fans. It seems that for the right reader, this is a good book. I just imagine it is a limited audience.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at life -- getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job -- Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does. That's when things start to get crazy.At his new school, Craig realizes that he's just average, and maybe not even that. He soon sees his once-perfect future crumbling away. The stress becomes unbearable and Craig stops eating and sleeping -- until, one night, he nearly kills himself.Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, isolated from the crushing pressures of school and friends, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a moving tale about depression, that's definitely a funny story.

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