Girl, Interrupted

The bestselling book that inspired the cult classic film, Girl, Interrupted , starring Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie. "Not since Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar has a personal account of life in a mental hospital achieved as much popularity and acclaim" TIME "Intelligent and painful" Guardian "Poignant, astonishing memoir" New York Times In 1967, after a session with a psychiatrist she'd never seen before, eighteen-year-old Susanna Kaysen was put in a taxi and sent to McLean Hospital to be treated for depression. She spent most of the next two years on the ward for teenage girls in a psychiatric hospital renowned for its famous clientele - Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, James Taylor and Ray Charles. A clear-sighted, unflinching work that provokes questions about our definitions of sane and insane, Kaysen's extraordinary memoir encompasses horror and razor-edged perception while providing vivid portraits of her fellow patients and their keepers.

The bestselling book that inspired the cult classic film, Girl, Interrupted , starring Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie. "Not since Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar has a personal account of life in a mental hospital achieved as much popularity and acclaim" TIME "Intelligent and painful" Guardian "Poignant, astonishing memoir" New York Times In 1967, after a session with a psychiatrist she'd never seen before, eighteen-year-old Susanna Kaysen was put in a taxi and sent to McLean Hospital to be treated for depression. She spent most of the next two years on the ward for teenage girls in a psychiatric hospital renowned for its famous clientele - Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, James Taylor and Ray Charles. A clear-sighted, unflinching work that provokes questions about our definitions of sane and insane, Kaysen's extraordinary memoir encompasses horror and razor-edged perception while providing vivid portraits of her fellow patients and their keepers.

Crazy isn't being broken or swallowing a dark secret. It's you or me amplified. If you ever told a lie and enjoyed it. If you ever wished you could be a child forever. In 1967, after a session with a psychiatrist she'd never seen before, eighteen-year-old Susanna Kaysen was put in a taxi and sent to McLean Hospital to be treated for depression. She spent most of the next two years on the ward for teenage girls in a psychiatric hospital renowned for its famous clientele - Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, James Taylor and Ray Charles. Unflinchingly honest and darkly funny, this bestselling memoir is a sharply vivid portrait of Susanna's fellow patients, the kaleidoscopically shifting world of the late sixties, and how sometimes the only way to stay sane is to go a little crazy. ' Girl, Interrupted is a beautiful, complex story that truly led the way on opening up a new, brave, nuanced approach to talking about women's mental health. An intense and personal story that taps into a universal truth about how the world responds to complicated young women' SCARLETT CURTIS 'Poignant, honest and triumphantly funny . . . A compelling and heartbreaking story' NEW YORK TIMES 'Not since Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar has a personal account of life in a mental hospital achieved as much popularity and acclaim' TIME 'A cool, elegant and unexpectedly funny memoir' SUNDAY TIMES 'Memorable and stirring' VOGUE

Crazy isn't being broken or swallowing a dark secret. It's you or me amplified. If you ever told a lie and enjoyed it. If you ever wished you could be a child forever. In 1967, after a session with a psychiatrist she'd never seen before, eighteen-year-old Susanna Kaysen was put in a taxi and sent to McLean Hospital to be treated for depression. She spent most of the next two years on the ward for teenage girls in a psychiatric hospital renowned for its famous clientele - Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, James Taylor and Ray Charles. Unflinchingly honest and darkly funny, this bestselling memoir is a sharply vivid portrait of Susanna's fellow patients, the kaleidoscopically shifting world of the late sixties, and how sometimes the only way to stay sane is to go a little crazy. ' Girl, Interrupted is a beautiful, complex story that truly led the way on opening up a new, brave, nuanced approach to talking about women's mental health. An intense and personal story that taps into a universal truth about how the world responds to complicated young women' SCARLETT CURTIS 'Poignant, honest and triumphantly funny . . . A compelling and heartbreaking story' NEW YORK TIMES 'Not since Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar has a personal account of life in a mental hospital achieved as much popularity and acclaim' TIME 'A cool, elegant and unexpectedly funny memoir' SUNDAY TIMES 'Memorable and stirring' VOGUE

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - In 1967, after a session with a psychiatrist she'd never seen before, eighteen-year-old Susanna Kaysen was put in a taxi and sent to McLean Hospital. Her memoir of the next two years is a poignant, honest ... triumphantly funny ... and heartbreaking story ( The New York Times Book Review ). The ward for teenage girls in the McLean psychiatric hospital was as renowned for its famous clientele--Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, James Taylor, and Ray Charles--as for its progressive methods of treating those who could afford its sanctuary. Kaysen's memoir encompasses horror and razor-edged perception while providing vivid portraits of her fellow patients and their keepers. It is a brilliant evocation of a parallel universe set within the kaleidoscopically shifting landscape of the late sixties. Girl, Interrupted is a clear-sighted, unflinching document that gives lasting and specific dimension to our definitions of sane and insane, mental illness and recovery.

As a young girl, Tay knew she was created to be set apart. Although she interacted with her peers normally, Tay felt a sense of isolation as if she were living in two worlds. One was filled with everyday experiences, and the other was filled with spiritual insights and revelations that she struggled to articulate. The dreams and visions she experienced were vivid and profound often leaving her with a sense of purpose that she could not fully comprehend. Young Tay approached adulthood with no understanding of who she was in the body of Christ, therefore, she tried to live a life that she thought was normal. She suppressed knowledge that she was gaining in the spiritual realm and left the arc of protection of Jesus Christ. The enemy, known as satan, sent forces to destroy her before she could come into her true identity. Thankfully Grandma Janie, a woman of deep faith and wisdom, kept Tay covered in prayer, with the knowledge that she would be her successor in carrying the mantle the Lord initially gifted her with. As the warfare intensity became unbearable for Tay, the Lord gave her another encounter that changed her life forever. Tay no longer looked at being different as a burden but a blessing. She embraces her uniqueness, and understands that the encounters were not just for her but for the collective healing and empowerment for the Kingdom. Stepping boldly into her God-given purpose, ready to make a difference in the world, Tay now accepts and understands the connection between her and her grandmother.

As a young girl, Tay knew she was created to be set apart. Although she interacted with her peers normally, Tay felt a sense of isolation as if she were living in two worlds. One was filled with everyday experiences, and the other was filled with spiritual insights and revelations that she struggled to articulate. The dreams and visions she experienced were vivid and profound often leaving her with a sense of purpose that she could not fully comprehend. Young Tay approached adulthood with no understanding of who she was in the body of Christ, therefore, she tried to live a life that she thought was normal. She suppressed knowledge that she was gaining in the spiritual realm and left the arc of protection of Jesus Christ. The enemy, known as satan, sent forces to destroy her before she could come into her true identity. Thankfully Grandma Janie, a woman of deep faith and wisdom, kept Tay covered in prayer, with the knowledge that she would be her successor in carrying the mantle the Lord initially gifted her with. As the warfare intensity became unbearable for Tay, the Lord gave her another encounter that changed her life forever. Tay no longer looked at being different as a burden but a blessing. She embraces her uniqueness, and understands that the encounters were not just for her but for the collective healing and empowerment for the Kingdom. Stepping boldly into her God-given purpose, ready to make a difference in the world, Tay now accepts and understands the connection between her and her grandmother.