This Time I'm Really Reviewing Therese Borchard's Terrific Book, Beyond Blue, and I Mean It

Okay, this time I’m really going to review Therese Borchard’s terrific new book, Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression and Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes. As you will recall from a recent blog piece, I started out with the best of intentions, only to get diverted. You see, doing book reviews is kinda like handing in book reports - you cheat if you can get away with it.

You read a little bit of the intro and a few random page samples, then go to the keyboard and set your fingers to yada-yada-yada mode.

It’s easy. War and Peace, 40 minutes tops. Russian family drama, Napoleon loses. Nothing to it, really. Throw in the odd quote: “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way ...” Oops! That’s from Anna Karenina. Not to worry, who’s going to notice?

Last time, I made the mistake of opening Therese’s book in search of something quotable, only to find myself actually reading the thing. Ha! Won’t make that mistake again. The book is safely out of reach on a top shelf. Wait! Batty, don’t go up there!

Oh crap! My crazy cat knocked the book to the floor. Hold on:

I have a magnet on my refrigerator that reads, “Jesus loves you, but everyone else thinks you’re an asshole.”

Stop reading! Stop reading! The prose is addictive. Can’t stop. (Must be an OCD thing):

Perfectionism is like an untreated person with OCD who gets stuck analyzing a lady bug on a blade of grass - struggling to determine what shade of brown its dots are instead of appreciating the view of a spectacular rose garden she’s in.

Quick, flip the page. “It’s Depression - Naming the Pain.” Good, anything with a title this depressing has to be as boring as the definitive text on dental fillings. Just one or two quick sentences and I can get on with it:

To my dorm room, where I hid. There, I’d bury my head in the writings of the Carmelite saints Teresa of Avila and Therese of Lisieux. Because their words made sense of my suffering. They had experienced their own inner torment and said it served a higher purpose. ...

Sorry, no book review today. If anyone asks, I’ve got Tiger Woods’ Blackberry right here and I’m speed-dialing all his female contacts. I can’t golf, but I make up for it by having no money. 

Show your gratitude to someone who helped you in your time of need. Nominate your favorite mental health grunt for a free copy of Therese Borchard’s Beyond Blue. See: Calling All Mental Health Grunts.

Purchase Beyond Blue from Amazon