It's Kind Of A Funny Story

Part One: 
The book I'm currently reading is It's Kind of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. I did not necessarily choose this book for this exact project. Unlike most of the people I know, I enjoy reading. This book was recommended to me by one of my friends and despite the fact that I was already reading 1,953 other books at the time, I still choose to read it. I checked the book out from the best teacher (Ms.Moore) library in class and stuck to it because that's right when we started doing SSR in our class. The main character of this book is Craig Gilner. He has anxiety and depression, which hits him hard when he gets accepted into a prestigious high school. He tends to overthink and at one point he has suicidal thoughts and he ends up in a mental hospital, that's all that I've read so far. I believe that the theme of this book is teenage mental disorders/ introduction to adolescence. It discusses mental disorders and how anything can trigger them or cause them.

Part Two:
This book relates to me in several ways. I can connect to the main character and empathize the feeling of loneliness even when being surrounded by people. Being a person who has anxiety and depression, I can confirm that it is no walk in the park living with any kind of mental disorders. The constant feeling of not ever being enough and wanting to have your life together even if you're just a teenager. When you have all the reasons to be happy but at the same time nothing is making you happy. It's a tiresome feeling, and the way Craig experiences it all is similar to me. I know what he is going through, just on a different level. The mental disorders affecting a major part of our lives is something I can deeply relate to and I believe it helps me connect even more with not only the book but the main character.
In another sense, this book relates to the world and how mental illnesses within the teen/preteen community is viewed. Anxiety and depression are amongst the most common mental disorders that adolescents are diagnosed with and also some of the most stigmatized. There is this radical belief that everyone has to be happy just because they are privileged in some areas more than others, but forget the part where mental disorders are not something people choose to get, but more like they are the chosen ones. Craig mentions how his dad tries to help him but yet is also putting him down at times. He mentions how he has everything and how he should be happy and sort of dismisses his feelings, just like people in todays society.

 Hello all! 
My name is Samantha Garcia and I'm excited to be sharing this blog with you all and to have you follow me on this journey in my English II class for the rest of the school year. I have created this blog to show you all my weekly readings and thoughts on what I read.
I enjoy reading, and I hope you do too.
Some of my favorite books at the moment (even though not all have been completely read, I tend to read 10 books at the same time- sorry in advance) are The Mixquiahuala Letters by Ana Castillo, Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay, Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros, It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini, and Small Memories by Jose Saramago. I think these books say a lot about me and who I am as a person.
I don't exactly have a favorite genre, but I read books that catch my interest (obviously) and books that I can relate to or talk about things I am passionate about. I'm always open to new recommendations though! Hopefully you will learn a bit more about me. I'm glad to be able to share this experience with you.
Until my next post! 
Samantha G.