Critiques et Commentaires

Though I don't mention it much on this site (because it doesn't really come up) I get ECTs fairly frequently, and they affect how I read (as ECTs affect memory, basically I try to either reach a good pause point or finish a piece of media a few days before one)

but at first I was charmed. In a chapter where she mentions having to fill medications in a hospital (A stressful environment) she mentioned having to do it for the ECT clinic as well (basically the special anesthesia ) and she was so tremendously not a jerk about it--she got it. And that part ALONE meant so much to me, because as part of my university accommodations I had to discuss WHY I was gone so much. And you could see it change each professor's view (at best, there's some stories that piss me off I'm not sharing) as I became "the Crazy one".

but also Jahren gets pregnant--you may not know this, but there are SO many medications you aren't allowed to take once you know you're pregnant. And so she was dealing with manic depressive episodes without any mood stabilizers. and since she got worse while pregnant, she had to undergo an ECT treatment, which, like my initial "season" left her with virtually no memories of that time.

I don't think the ECTs were the point of the book (I think the point was the beautiful observations about plants), but having this representation meant so much to me

Basically, the only reason I am not giving 5 stars is I would have felt a trigger warning at the beginning of the book (if I find out there was one and I simply didn't see it I will update this) would have been a REALLY good idea. This is an extremely dark anthology. I recommend it, but read with care--I had to take several breaks reading this.

I will say, the people in this book are ultimately hopeful that things ARE improving / will improve.

I am jealous that Japan seems to have better occupational therapy than the place I tried lol.