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The ABCs of My Neuroses: Tales from an Anxious Life
Embark on a riveting journey of self-discovery with Midwestern millennial, Justine Cadwell, in her groundbreaking new book, The ABCs of My Neuroses - Tales from an Anxious Life. Daringly honest, deeply relatable, and laced with touches of humor, Cadwell's work offers a refreshing perspective on anxiety disorders and their impacts on daily life.
Each chapter, arranged alphabetically, unravels the complex tapestry of the author's own neuroses, forging a path that blurs the line between endearing quirks and debilitating mental illness. Woven with extracts from her personal journals, love letters, and text message conversations, Cadwell paints a vivid portrayal of the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of living with anxiety. It resonates with anyone who's ever felt their heart race at the thought of the unknown.
But Cadwell's story isn't just about navigating mental illness—it's about surviving modern life, exploring universal topics such as sex and body image hang-ups, parenting woes, and the slippery slope from the need for external validation to consumerism and codependency.
The ABCs of My Neuroses is a must-read for those seeking to understand the multifaceted nature of mental health. It's an exploration, a conversation, and ultimately, a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.In The ABCs of My Neuroses, Justine Cadwell masterfully traces the tensions—between thought and feeling, interior and exterior landscape, past and present, other and self—that shape the contours of not only her own life but also human life itself. The playful yet serious use of a strict narrative structure gives shape and clarity to experiences, which are, by their very nature, amorphous and oblique. In this book, marked by humor, candor, and keen insight, Cadwell proves to be a wise and compassionate guide through the complexity, absurdity, and surprising beauty of what it is to be alive. — Marya Hornbacher, author of Wasted and Madness
In this highly engaging, entertaining, and informative memoir, Justine Cadwell takes the reader on her journey through different mental, emotional, and health issues. Veering from a straight, linear sort of telling, the dynamic and experimental structure of The ABCs of My Neuroses help to convey that the ways in which we experience any life challenges aren’t always on a straight-forward path. With enlightening prose and hilarious quips, Cadwell shows us the different ways in which we can navigate the various neuroses we encounter in life with both grace and humor. - Chelsey Clammer, author of Human Heartbeat Detected and Circadian
Each chapter, arranged alphabetically, unravels the complex tapestry of the author's own neuroses, forging a path that blurs the line between endearing quirks and debilitating mental illness. Woven with extracts from her personal journals, love letters, and text message conversations, Cadwell paints a vivid portrayal of the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of living with anxiety. It resonates with anyone who's ever felt their heart race at the thought of the unknown.
But Cadwell's story isn't just about navigating mental illness—it's about surviving modern life, exploring universal topics such as sex and body image hang-ups, parenting woes, and the slippery slope from the need for external validation to consumerism and codependency.
The ABCs of My Neuroses is a must-read for those seeking to understand the multifaceted nature of mental health. It's an exploration, a conversation, and ultimately, a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.In The ABCs of My Neuroses, Justine Cadwell masterfully traces the tensions—between thought and feeling, interior and exterior landscape, past and present, other and self—that shape the contours of not only her own life but also human life itself. The playful yet serious use of a strict narrative structure gives shape and clarity to experiences, which are, by their very nature, amorphous and oblique. In this book, marked by humor, candor, and keen insight, Cadwell proves to be a wise and compassionate guide through the complexity, absurdity, and surprising beauty of what it is to be alive. — Marya Hornbacher, author of Wasted and Madness
In this highly engaging, entertaining, and informative memoir, Justine Cadwell takes the reader on her journey through different mental, emotional, and health issues. Veering from a straight, linear sort of telling, the dynamic and experimental structure of The ABCs of My Neuroses help to convey that the ways in which we experience any life challenges aren’t always on a straight-forward path. With enlightening prose and hilarious quips, Cadwell shows us the different ways in which we can navigate the various neuroses we encounter in life with both grace and humor. - Chelsey Clammer, author of Human Heartbeat Detected and Circadian
- GenresMental HealthMemoir
258 pages, Paperback
Published November 8, 2023
2 people are currently reading
1854 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 22, 2024
One wouldn’t think that a sixty-four-year-old woman with a daughter the age of the author could necessarily relate to this book -- or that she would enjoy it enough to recommend. Nothing could be further from the truth.
One of the more beautiful things about this book is that although there are anecdotes, behaviors, and experiences that one might not be familiar with or fully understand, the author’s skilled description of her struggles, insights, and efforts speak volumes, not only about the effects on her life, but about her obvious self-awareness. This book is a deeply moving, intimate, and informative peek into her journey and, despite what she may believe, I think there are many others who can relate deeply.
Cleverly taking the reader through the alphabet of her ‘neurosis’, Ms. Cadwell offers something for everyone. Although not everyone will have experienced the exact challenges as Ms. Cadwell, most of us can see ourselves in, say, the insecurities in ‘Beauty’, the feeling of hopelessness in ‘Depression’, the heartbreak in ‘First Love’, the despair of ‘Loneliness’, or the confusion so well-described in ‘Religion’. All twenty-six chapters are amazing and insightful deep dives into how one mind (many minds?) can work. Each chapter held some nugget of relatability and/or insight for me. I even found myself searching YouTube for videos she referenced, as well as researching pop culture tidbits she dropped, to get a deeper understanding of things she described.
While I reserve my five-star readings for truly exceptional, one-of-a-kind, classic reads, The ABC’s of My Neurosis: Tales from an Anxious Life gets my ‘Damn near 5-Stars’ rating for originality, subject matter, poignancy, and significance. Kudos to Ms. Cadwell. I’m a richer person for having read this book.
One of the more beautiful things about this book is that although there are anecdotes, behaviors, and experiences that one might not be familiar with or fully understand, the author’s skilled description of her struggles, insights, and efforts speak volumes, not only about the effects on her life, but about her obvious self-awareness. This book is a deeply moving, intimate, and informative peek into her journey and, despite what she may believe, I think there are many others who can relate deeply.
Cleverly taking the reader through the alphabet of her ‘neurosis’, Ms. Cadwell offers something for everyone. Although not everyone will have experienced the exact challenges as Ms. Cadwell, most of us can see ourselves in, say, the insecurities in ‘Beauty’, the feeling of hopelessness in ‘Depression’, the heartbreak in ‘First Love’, the despair of ‘Loneliness’, or the confusion so well-described in ‘Religion’. All twenty-six chapters are amazing and insightful deep dives into how one mind (many minds?) can work. Each chapter held some nugget of relatability and/or insight for me. I even found myself searching YouTube for videos she referenced, as well as researching pop culture tidbits she dropped, to get a deeper understanding of things she described.
While I reserve my five-star readings for truly exceptional, one-of-a-kind, classic reads, The ABC’s of My Neurosis: Tales from an Anxious Life gets my ‘Damn near 5-Stars’ rating for originality, subject matter, poignancy, and significance. Kudos to Ms. Cadwell. I’m a richer person for having read this book.
March 20, 2024
A bit blown away by this.
Cadwell's book is touching, insightful, and incredibly vulnerable. She discusses mental wellness, sexuality, neuroticism, and family with a clarity I would expect from a book published by a large publishing house (not what seems to be a small indie-release).
There's great potential here for relatability and revelation. Anyone who has experienced or loved someone that has dealt with a mental health struggle, addiction, or lived through the pandemic (so, all of us), can find something worthwhile here.
It's not something I would necessarily recommend as self-help; as Cadwell presents herself as a real person, highlighting the imperfect ways she deals with OCD and anxiety. Better to describe it as a place to go if you're in need of shared experience.
If I had bought this at Barnes and Noble I would have been pretty damn pleased. For a debut novel I found at a pop-up book sale, it's a revelation.
Cadwell's book is touching, insightful, and incredibly vulnerable. She discusses mental wellness, sexuality, neuroticism, and family with a clarity I would expect from a book published by a large publishing house (not what seems to be a small indie-release).
There's great potential here for relatability and revelation. Anyone who has experienced or loved someone that has dealt with a mental health struggle, addiction, or lived through the pandemic (so, all of us), can find something worthwhile here.
It's not something I would necessarily recommend as self-help; as Cadwell presents herself as a real person, highlighting the imperfect ways she deals with OCD and anxiety. Better to describe it as a place to go if you're in need of shared experience.
If I had bought this at Barnes and Noble I would have been pretty damn pleased. For a debut novel I found at a pop-up book sale, it's a revelation.
April 6, 2024
In this unusual memoir you will get to know the author well but in an alphabetical way. She goes through the alphabet picking a word related to her life that starts with that letter and then she expands on that. Some of the titles are Beauty, Depression, Kindergarten, Night, Pain, Religion, Umbilical Cord and Zen.
She discusses her past and present in a bare everything type way. There is swearing and sex talk so if that’s not for you, take note. However it’s an eye opening look into the life of someone with anxiety. Obviously anxiety is different for different people. I have anxiety so I could identify with a lot of what the author said, but not all. That’s to be expected.
I’m not the biggest fan of books that are chronological though so that bugged me a bit. However I like that it’s because it’s alphabetical, and not just seemingly random.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
She discusses her past and present in a bare everything type way. There is swearing and sex talk so if that’s not for you, take note. However it’s an eye opening look into the life of someone with anxiety. Obviously anxiety is different for different people. I have anxiety so I could identify with a lot of what the author said, but not all. That’s to be expected.
I’m not the biggest fan of books that are chronological though so that bugged me a bit. However I like that it’s because it’s alphabetical, and not just seemingly random.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
January 28, 2024
An excellent read! Justine’s words are laced with honesty, compassion and wit and make for an interesting and insightful book. By sharing her candid story she makes us all feel like we’re a little less alone.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews