“Don’t you wish you
would wake up one day and celebrate yourself?”
Evan Roskos’ first novel Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets, is
a young adult novel that will give you light on saving one’s self while being
sane with humor and poetry.
James Whitman, a boy with humor and love for poetry talks to
Dr. Bird, an imaginary pigeon as his therapist. He recites Walt Whitman and
yawps to annoy his father, the Brute. He begins his quest to look for his
sister, while finding ways to save himself.
The book was written poetically and humorously which befits
the character even more, given that he loves poetry and got humor himself. It
surrounds on James’ POV, where it shows us a roller coaster of experiencing
depression and anxiety while trying to be sane as a teenager. It’s really fast
paced yet it didn’t romanticize mental health given its sensitivity. Rather,
Roskos gave us a different take on a character who doesn’t only find ways to
save himself, but who tries to discover more about his sister that comes with a
resolution that there are things beyond his control.
“I guess sometimes
life can be easy if I let it.”
Roskos captivates readers with James’ character to break
stereotypes on how depression and anxiety look like: being distant, quiet,
having no friends, etc. They rather take in different forms like how some might
seem cheery or collected but are actually experiencing depression or anxiety.
Depression is something heavy to discuss, but the way Roskos
wrote James’ character was what made it less heavy at the same time he
resonates with people who are not just currently experiencing it, but to those
who had experienced what James is going through, no matter what circumstance.
What’s more to this book, is it’s not only focused on James
trying to be sane or uncovering what happened to his sister, but he shows us
that a person gets to decide what to do with himself when he knows he had
enough. He doesn’t only discover something about himself but also gets to open
up to people whom he never thought would have listened to him.
What I like about James Whitman as he experiences depression
and anxieties, is that this doesn’t stop him from acknowledging of how he feels
and actually finds ways to seek for help. Describing how his family orientation
is, this gives us a message that no matter how lucky you are in life, even if
you have a roof over your head, or thankful with what you have, you can’t just
help it if you experience depression. It’s not a choice or a phase. Especially
if one of the root causes is your family itself. And that no matter how
unsupportive your family is, no one can really help you unless you muster the
courage to seek for it and save yourself in the process. That you are not
really alone unless you tell someone what you’re going through so they can have
the support you need.
James is a representation of courage. Seeking help is not
easy especially when you keep convincing yourself that you are alone. He
reminds us that no matter what we are going through, we can survive it and
still celebrate life at the same time. It’s okay to feel depressed and it’s
okay to ask help. That healing does not happen in an instant. It happens when
you learn to accept and do something about it progressively.
A heads up to some who would want to read this, especially
to those who are still going through something might get triggered on some
lines that partakes on depression like being an emotional problem or “thinking
that you have all these things to get depressed about,” or even the exact experience
of James with his family.
“It’s not a rational
thing. It’s not that I don’t know I
have an okay life. A place to live, clothes, friends. It’s my brain and body.
I’m wired funny. I can’t help it. I need to learn how to think and feel. So
stop telling me that I’m being depressed on purpose. I can’t fucking help it.
Overall, I give the book a 4.3 rating. If you are into
contemporary young adult with a touch of poetry and humor then you might want
to read this book. This is a definite must-read.
Writer,
Thin Girl
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