IKFS Thoughts - Angel Brakorenko

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     I am exhausted as I write this so I apologize for anything that might not make too much sense lmao. Anyway, it is really hard for me to rank this book or even begin to describe how I felt about it. I think what really made it for me was how incredibly connected I felt to Craig and how relatable his experiences and emotions were. Even without being diagnosed with any mental illness, I can understand that feeling of not being good enough and how hard it is to find motivation or even joy in life when something you thought you loved and were amazing at other people find less of a challenge. 

    This was also one of those books that, as was mentioned during class, made it hard to separate the author from his writing. Every time there was a hopeful spell or an encouraging encounter, I could not help but think of "what happened in the end anyway", even though that is not the "end" of Craig. It honestly sometimes gave the opposite feeling of what was intended because of this. For example, when Craig is finally finding himself and essentially getting better, I felt that sorrow, I guess, instead, for Ned and how maybe his own novel could have helped him gain that perspective back of hope and excitement. 

    I definitely do agree that this piece of literature is better taught in more controlled settings with concrete boundaries set by students themselves that are older than the audience for the last two books. It is something that still would be a great addition to an adolescents' library and could help kids come to terms with whatever struggles they face connected to mental health and find hope (I know I keep saying hope I'm sorry haha) in the end. 

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