 Photo by Christa Rittberg In the book, It’s Kind Of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini, the protagonist Craig went through a bout of depression. While in the hospital, he discovers that he has tentacles and anchors. His tentacles are the things that bring him down, and the anchors are a solid force in his life. Some of the tentacles are his friends and his high school, and his anchors are his family and his art. Craig worked hard to get into a high school, but after he got in, he realized the work load was too much. After the hospital, Craig decided to attend another high school. In the discussion, we discussed the stress that Craig put himself under while attending the pre-executive high school. One of our book club attendees talked about how high school is a place where people tend to not leave unless something bad happens. Craig had a friend named Nia, who was dating his best friend. The book club discussed that she had positive and negative qualities. She was on medication and helped Craig not feel alone, but she also tried to use Craig. In the book, Craig got numbers from people in the hospital, and the group talked about how he was put into an adult ward because the adolescent unit was being renovated. The book club talked about how the adults in the unit were positive influences, and Craig may have struggled in a teen unit. The club thought that the catalyst for his change was making art. In the story, Craig created art for other patients, and he found a purpose for his life. A member of our discussion group thought the book was a good description of depression, and people who hadn’t had the struggle would understand it better.
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