Lizzie Simon was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder at a young age. Since knowledge is power, she decided to quit her job and venture on a road trip across the United States to find other young people who were diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.

I thought this book was great for a few reasons, but fell short for a few reasons as well.

One of the reasons I thought it was great was because it’s nice to finally read a book about a mental disorder that is written by someone under the age of fifty! She’s young, intelligent, successful, and she’s breaking down these steel walls to go even further into her success. I found her to be a breath of fresh air in a subject that is attached to such a stigma that it frightens people to educate themselves about it.  In this book, Lizzie drives to different states looking for people under the age of 35 who have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, but take medication and are highly functioning in their lives (meaning they work, have well rounded relationships, etc.). She had a struggle finding people who fit into this category and it seemed to really frustrate her, but I loved that she included that in her story. In my research of psychiatric disorders, I’ve found that stories about people who have been diagnosed are either all negative or all positive. Lizzie Simon’s story has both sides of the spectrum, which made it more interesting to read because it was so realistic.

This book is a true story, but sometimes it read like a strange romance novel. In the book she meets a man, Nicholas, who has Bipolar but only self-medicates his disorder with drugs and alcohol. Lizzie falls in love with this man, and they go through a tiresome, codependent relationship that is written about with passion and honesty. I admired her ability to open up so deeply when writing this book because there is a lot of shame that comes along with most mental illnesses. In my opinion, people like Lizzie make it okay to be upfront about the struggles that we all deal with.

Something I didn’t really enjoy about reading this book was the writing structure she used. Some of the pages would only have a few sentences which left too much negative space. I also got frustrated with the story because she seemed to give up easily when she couldn’t find successful people to interview. She was so passionate about the prospects of this journey in the beginning, and the bumps along the road really halted her progress. I felt for her, and I sympathized with her but she seemed to tire of it too comfortably.

Overall, I thought this was a worthwhile read, especially if you or someone you know and love is struggling with this disorder. It really puts you in the mind of someone who has hurdles in life but overcomes them with grace and intellect. It was a relief to finally read about someone who puts knowledge to good use, for their own good.