Friday, November 12, 2010

Review: Hannah by Hannah Westberg

Hannah: My True Story of Drugs, Cutting, and Mental Illness  Hannah by Hannah Westberg
Hannah Westberg has gone through more trauma in her eighteen years than many people will experience in a lifetime. Stemming from her depression and recently diagnosed borderline personality disorder, Hannah has engaged in dangerous behavior and has paid a high price. By the time she was in eighth grade, Hannah was cutting, popping pills, skipping class, and drinking. The following summer, she tried to commit suicide for the first time. Since then, she has had stints in the psych ward, worked with numerous therapists, gone on anti-depressants, and gotten better, only to slip up and relapse, repeating the whole cycle again.
Photo from and book links to The Book Depository and teaser from Goodreads
Published in US:  Nov 9th 2010
Source: contest win
Part of the Louder than Words series but can be a stand alone novel

**My rating: 4/5**

*My review*

     Hannah is an emotional and powerful autobiography. She has a strong voice, and it took me on quite a journey.
      There are so many things going against Hannah, and on the other hand, she builds some promising relationships and has wonderful opportunities but her depression and BPD interferes. This is a book that I recommend, but you have to be prepared for gritty, edgy, and dark.
      The pacing felt a little off to me- it was not linear but grouped and it was a bit disorienting.
      I like that she ended the book with a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, but she does not sugarcoat anything. She gives a realistic outlook for herself, and is thinking positive, but not impossible.


I would love to hear what you think of my review and/or this book. (If you are interested it is on my for sale and trade page, or you can purchase through Book Depository link above.)

4 comments:

  1. I've been seeing these books around a bunch lately and they sound really intriguing though very dark and intense. I'm not big on autobiographies, but these might be a nice break from some of my paranormal stuff. Nice review Brandi:)

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  2. Excellent review, Brandi! I've only read Rae, thus far, but it was such a powerful read. I'm glad to see that Hannah is equally poignant :)

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  3. I have not read any autobiographies but this one sounds very good. I will add it to my TBR. Thanks!

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  4. Good review! This Louder than Words series seems to be getting lots of high ratings :)

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