Shannon Turlington

This year, I’ve been upping the number of memoirs I read, which is surprising to me, because I haven’t been drawn to the genre in the past. But I’ve been having good luck with the ones I’ve chosen lately, and I’ve found each one to be inspiring, in its own way. I would recommend any of them.

Here’s what I’ve read so far:

Hunger by Roxane Gay: a book so honest and open that it literally brought me to tears more than once

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig: a short read full of compassionate nuggets of wisdom for people who have depression/anxiety

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah: not only is this a funny book about some serious subjects, but Trevor’s mother was an inspiring woman to read about

Shoot the Damn Dog by Sally Brampton: Just finished this one. This is a tough read, particularly if you have depression yourself, so raw and exposed that I often had to take it in little chunks, but it is extremely inspiring. I honestly couldn’t believe that Brampton survived her severe depression, but seeing her come out the other side–and hearing all the things that worked (and didn’t work) for her–are invaluable for anyone who is going through something similar.

Next up is No Time to Spare, which are essays by Ursula K. Le Guin.