Schizophrenia is not a mental illness that I typically associate with teens, but when I looked at some charts and studies online, I saw that after the age of 14, the number of people with schizophrenia spikes quite drastically. The first reason to read this book? To become informed about how mental illnesses can affect families and people of all ages. The second reason to read this book? Because it is written in a way that both teens and adults will be able to relate to. I could list more reasons, but I’ll stop at two, because I have more important things to get to.

Caden Bosch, the protagonist in this astounding book, is on a journey. At first I wasn’t sure where he was going, and I don’t think he really knew either–maybe no one did. However, by the end of the book things clear up quite a bit. Reality and imagination crossover a lot in this book. For the most part, it is easy to identify which chapters are real life, and what is stemming from Caden’s imagination, but there are times it can be difficult to differentiate between the two.

This book is a great stepping stone for anyone who wants to learn more about, or discuss mental illness. There is a lot of shame and stigma around mental health, and it seems like we as a society are finally beginning to get a little more comfortable with the subject. Caden is a very real character that has some serious issues to work through, but this book helps shine a little light on how the process of treatment and healing looks, and how family and doctors can help facilitate that in a stable environment. I hope everyone who was so entranced with Shusterman’s previous books will pick this one up too.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  5 mild obscenities; 1 anatomical term.

Violence/Gore:  A video game is mentioned where the object is to kill innocent people; a boy is branded with an iron as a punishment; a deadly fire is reported to have occurred; a violent video game is mentioned; scary monsters are imagined by a minor; a minor is reported to have fallen into a well; a minor imagines an animal wants to kill him; a mass suicide is mentioned with no detail; a minor mentions a suicide attempt, and a brief description is given of how the minor tried to kill themself.

Sex/Nudity:  A minor-aged boy mentions a girl in underwear being dreamed about; a girls’ breasts are mentioned in a derogatory way.

Mature Subject Matter:

Mental illness, suicide, gambling, personal crisis.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Heroin use by a minor is mentioned; a minor is mentioned to have a drinking problem; teen drug use is suspected; parts are mentioned to be happy and drunk; a psychedelic drink is offered to minors.