Stitched: A Memoir

by Marissa Carney

Self-mutilation is an addiction that affects millions of people. Not everyone can understand its power and control, but Marissa does. A cutter for more than seven years, she had to hit rock bottom before she could claw her way back up. In this unique autobiography, Marissa takes you into the mind and soul of a self-mutilator through journal entries and narration. She shows you the love and devotion of family and friends. In the end, it is the strength of her own unbroken spirit that ends up saving her.

Genres: Mental Health, Mental Illness, Nonfiction, Memoir, Psychology

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 8, 2005

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well-written, managing to articulate some very complicated ideas. But the typos are horribly distracting. At first, I wrote them off as a part of the original journal entries that make up a large part of the book. But the informational parts had the occasional typo, too. Distracting.

[Booklover Butterfly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stitched is a memoir of self-mutilation, specifically cutting. It is presented in the form of journal entries with extra sections of further explanation, and occasional poems. This memoir deals with struggling for self-control, friendship, trust, and realizing your self-worth. I could relate to the author's insecurity, self-doubt, and tendency to be a perfectionist. I have a lot of respect for Marissa Carney for opening up about her struggle with self mutilation.

I liked some parts of this book, but overall I got the feeling that something was being left unsaid. The author never glamorizes her problems or struggles, but I felt like there were details that were being avoided or points that were being skimmed over. I would have liked the memoir to be longer and to explore the situation more, be more thorough.

Stitched was a quick, easy read. It flowed well, but I did notice a few spelling mistakes in it that broke my focus on the story. I would recommend this memoir to anyone who is interested in, or possibly suffers with, self-mutilation.

[Amy Webster-Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

good but really sad i had a hard time with it, it just made u stop and think, really think, about how happy u are and how happy those around u are

[stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

keep forgetting i finished this one too. the writing was so paltry that i couldn't get into it - couldn't care about her or anyone else. this is of course, super hard for me to deal with, but really. i am glad there are more memoirs about self-injury out there, but can we please get some with quality writing out there??