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Stephen: From the Inside Out
Winner of the 2019 Impress Prize for New Writers
In our love, however little, we create a web that breaks a person's fall.
"Susie, my life has been a complete and total waste of time."
In 2012 when Stephen said this, he believed it to be true. But was it? And how do we decide?
From the outside, it may have looked like this. Stephen spent 25 years inside British psychiatric wards, was finally diagnosed with autism in his late forties and never felt acceptable in the ‘normal’ world.
From the inside, though, here was a man with powerful convictions, deep longings, wide interests and an incapacity to be anything other than himself, whatever the cost.
This is his story, inside and out; a story of grave injustices, saints and bigots, a faithful dog, a wild woman, a fairy godmother and angels hidden in plain sight.
It is also the story of the author, Susie, who started off by wanting to 'help' Stephen 'get better', and instead found herself profoundly challenged by a friendship she did not expect.
Idiosyncratic, unorthodox, tragic, yet at times hilarious this book not only tells a compelling and important story but will be vital reading for anyone who cares about mental health in our contemporary world or who might just be open to a different way of from the inside out.
In our love, however little, we create a web that breaks a person's fall.
"Susie, my life has been a complete and total waste of time."
In 2012 when Stephen said this, he believed it to be true. But was it? And how do we decide?
From the outside, it may have looked like this. Stephen spent 25 years inside British psychiatric wards, was finally diagnosed with autism in his late forties and never felt acceptable in the ‘normal’ world.
From the inside, though, here was a man with powerful convictions, deep longings, wide interests and an incapacity to be anything other than himself, whatever the cost.
This is his story, inside and out; a story of grave injustices, saints and bigots, a faithful dog, a wild woman, a fairy godmother and angels hidden in plain sight.
It is also the story of the author, Susie, who started off by wanting to 'help' Stephen 'get better', and instead found herself profoundly challenged by a friendship she did not expect.
Idiosyncratic, unorthodox, tragic, yet at times hilarious this book not only tells a compelling and important story but will be vital reading for anyone who cares about mental health in our contemporary world or who might just be open to a different way of from the inside out.
- GenresMental Health
320 pages, Unknown Binding
Published April 2, 2021
4 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 21, 2021
When I got this book, I was doing so because I personally know the author & thought I’d do her a favour to support her book. Little did I know I would become completely submerged into Stephens life & the struggles he encountered in his life. Susie has captured every detail you need to know to truly have an understanding of the very real (still) and sad way people are treated in “the system.” How she didn’t give up being there for him years ago is admirable. This book has everything, raw, sad, hopeful, loving, frightening at times & humbling. Absolutely fantastic Susie. Can’t wait for the next book!
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May 1, 2021Stephen from the Inside Out’ is a story told with love and compassion; about Stephen, who has endured a life with mental illness and Susie, whose circumstances are more fortunate. ….. but together they form a friendship which helps them both to experience and share the ‘joys and woes”
of life.
Stephen at times, displays infuriating demands and idiosyncracies which require the utmost patience and endurance. But with commitment and good humour Susie is there for Stephen throughout.
Stephen’s difficulties are impacted by the failings of the so called ‘care in the Community’, underfunded for decades and individuals failed with the most basic of needs. Even the Mental Health Capacity act fails Stephen. The misfortunes he endures are an indictment of the failures of many Governments to recognise and provide for those on the margins of society.
But through the coming together of these two people, the reader is reminded of the difference an individual person can make in another person’s life. In offering friendship and vigilance an enhancement in both lives is revealed and confirmed.
This a beautifully written book, quite a ‘page turner’ and one we recommend everyone should read.
Kathy & Hugh Turner
of life.
Stephen at times, displays infuriating demands and idiosyncracies which require the utmost patience and endurance. But with commitment and good humour Susie is there for Stephen throughout.
Stephen’s difficulties are impacted by the failings of the so called ‘care in the Community’, underfunded for decades and individuals failed with the most basic of needs. Even the Mental Health Capacity act fails Stephen. The misfortunes he endures are an indictment of the failures of many Governments to recognise and provide for those on the margins of society.
But through the coming together of these two people, the reader is reminded of the difference an individual person can make in another person’s life. In offering friendship and vigilance an enhancement in both lives is revealed and confirmed.
This a beautifully written book, quite a ‘page turner’ and one we recommend everyone should read.
Kathy & Hugh Turner
April 13, 2021
This book was funny and harrowing, challenging and uplfiting and all things in between. As an Autistic person I related in many ways to Stephen but also to Susie in the frustrations she felt with his behaviour. Susie berates herself throughout the book for her sense of frustration but it is impossible to read this without also seeing the deep love and compassion she showed for this person. I really feel I have got to know and care about these people and having finished it I feel quite bereft. A really important book with some harrowing parts which questions and challenges everything we think we know about mental health and disabilities. Everyone should read it.
July 16, 2021
For me, reviewing this book presented a dilemma: should I judge it on its literary qualities or on the effect of the subject matter on me as a reader? In the end I chose both options.
The first is easy: Susie Stead has demonstrated, in her first published full length book, that she is a talented writer. She relates Stephen's story in a way that cannot fail to draw the reader into his extraordinary life, at the same time, revealing a great deal about herself.
As for subject matter, I need to begin by defining genre. In the strictest sense this is a biography: Stephen is a real person and this is his life story. But the biographies that most people read, that most publishers are only interested in, are of people who have already caught the public imagination. 'Celebrities' of one kind or another, however well deserved their celebrity. As the author reminds us in her final paragraph, "[Stephen] said his life was a waste of time but he lived it as if every particle of it mattered."
It is also, in part, Susie's autobiography as she compares her own early life with Stephen's and as her personal life changes in profound ways, independently of, but in parallel with the later years of Stephen's.
So who, then, was Stephen? Why is his life story important - much, much more important than that of any 'sleb'?
When the author first met him, in 2000, she was a vicar's wife residing in the Home Counties of England. Stephen was a 45 year old inmate of a psychiatric hospital, attending a day centre which Susie and a group from her husband's Church had decided to visit. Susie struck up a conversation with Stephen. Her friendship and advocacy for him continued until his death in 2018. In 2014 she decided to write her book about him. He agreed to allow this. The book is peppered with his responses to sections of the book she read back to him as his story progressed.
But this is not just the story of one disturbed individual's tangles with authority, it is also the story of changing attitudes to, awareness of, and treatments for autism/Asperger's, schizophrenia and mental illness in general. By 2000, Stephen had spent most of his adult life in institutions, 18 of them in the same psychiatric hospital. For most of that time his status was that of 'voluntary patient' - except that he was informed that, should he discharge himself, he would immediately be 'sectioned', meaning that he would still be a patient but now subject to release only when the professional staff deemed it 'safe' to do so.
Official policy on the treatment of mentally ill people in the UK changed significantly between 1955 and 2000, with a plan to significantly reduce the number of individuals detained in this way. Most were henceforward to be cared for in a community setting. Stephen's story tells us a great deal about the practical implications of such a policy when pursued without adequate resources.
The book raises many questions about personal autonomy and the freedom to choose how one lives one's life. Under the most recent legislation in the UK, every patient/client of a care organisation has to have his/her views, and those of family and informal carers, taken into consideration when decisions are made about when/where/if they should be admitted to a care home. What if such views are unrealistic in regards to the safety of the patient/client in their own home? Where do you draw the line between a desire to achieve the best outcome for someone, based on compassion, and unwarranted interference in that person's chosen way of life?
Whilst considering these questions I was struck by something else. In addition to Susie, Stephen had a number of individuals who not only cared about his welfare but were able to articulate their concerns to the professionals and to assist him as he negotiated the labyrinthine bureaucracy they tend to hide behind. There are many who are not so fortunate, who either do not have anyone to speak up on their behalf, or whose close relative(s) that may wish to do so lack the confidence and determination such advocacy requires.
Stephen's story, as told by Susie, is full of highs and lows. There are many farcical episodes that brought a smile to my face. Other incidents that made me sad or angry by turns.
It is said that autistic people experience the world differently from most of us. That is a statement with which I have some difficulty. I have similar reservations about a term I have recently seen used in articles by and about people diagnosed with Asperger's: 'Neuro-typical'. The implication of both is that the majority of people, those without such a diagnosis, all perceive the world in exactly the same way. My own opinion is that we all exist on a spectrum somewhere between 'sanity' and extreme mental illness, between 'normal' and 'batty' in our habits and foibles.
Stephen's view of the world is certainly unique. He has an understandable fear of hospitalisation. He believes that various individuals and organisations are out to get him. And yet he is capable of holding perfectly rational conversations about politics and religion. He writes poetry. By the end it is his physical disabilities, rather than his mental illness, that proves to be his downfall.
Long before the end I came to regard Susie, and the other men and women who care about Stephen's welfare, as something of a saint for the way she and they put up with Stephen's constant demands, expressed in phone calls the frequency of which would have driven me to distraction.
The same goes for the professionals who are legally responsible for his care and treatment. At least most of them are able to move on as their careers progress or the care contract expires. Not that Susie sees herself in that light. On the contrary, she clearly wishes there was more she could have done for him.
I could not help feeling guilty at my own inadequacies as a son and brother. What might my own response be should any of my siblings, my wife or son find themselves in Stephen's predicament?
Why is the book important? Because it demonstrates how knowing someone like Stephen teaches the importance of compassion, empathy, or just plain kindness. Perhaps we all need a Stephen in our lives. As Nick Knowles says at the end of every episode of "DIY SOS: the big build", 'perhaps you know someone who needs your help.' Read this book and be inspired.
The first is easy: Susie Stead has demonstrated, in her first published full length book, that she is a talented writer. She relates Stephen's story in a way that cannot fail to draw the reader into his extraordinary life, at the same time, revealing a great deal about herself.
As for subject matter, I need to begin by defining genre. In the strictest sense this is a biography: Stephen is a real person and this is his life story. But the biographies that most people read, that most publishers are only interested in, are of people who have already caught the public imagination. 'Celebrities' of one kind or another, however well deserved their celebrity. As the author reminds us in her final paragraph, "[Stephen] said his life was a waste of time but he lived it as if every particle of it mattered."
It is also, in part, Susie's autobiography as she compares her own early life with Stephen's and as her personal life changes in profound ways, independently of, but in parallel with the later years of Stephen's.
So who, then, was Stephen? Why is his life story important - much, much more important than that of any 'sleb'?
When the author first met him, in 2000, she was a vicar's wife residing in the Home Counties of England. Stephen was a 45 year old inmate of a psychiatric hospital, attending a day centre which Susie and a group from her husband's Church had decided to visit. Susie struck up a conversation with Stephen. Her friendship and advocacy for him continued until his death in 2018. In 2014 she decided to write her book about him. He agreed to allow this. The book is peppered with his responses to sections of the book she read back to him as his story progressed.
But this is not just the story of one disturbed individual's tangles with authority, it is also the story of changing attitudes to, awareness of, and treatments for autism/Asperger's, schizophrenia and mental illness in general. By 2000, Stephen had spent most of his adult life in institutions, 18 of them in the same psychiatric hospital. For most of that time his status was that of 'voluntary patient' - except that he was informed that, should he discharge himself, he would immediately be 'sectioned', meaning that he would still be a patient but now subject to release only when the professional staff deemed it 'safe' to do so.
Official policy on the treatment of mentally ill people in the UK changed significantly between 1955 and 2000, with a plan to significantly reduce the number of individuals detained in this way. Most were henceforward to be cared for in a community setting. Stephen's story tells us a great deal about the practical implications of such a policy when pursued without adequate resources.
The book raises many questions about personal autonomy and the freedom to choose how one lives one's life. Under the most recent legislation in the UK, every patient/client of a care organisation has to have his/her views, and those of family and informal carers, taken into consideration when decisions are made about when/where/if they should be admitted to a care home. What if such views are unrealistic in regards to the safety of the patient/client in their own home? Where do you draw the line between a desire to achieve the best outcome for someone, based on compassion, and unwarranted interference in that person's chosen way of life?
Whilst considering these questions I was struck by something else. In addition to Susie, Stephen had a number of individuals who not only cared about his welfare but were able to articulate their concerns to the professionals and to assist him as he negotiated the labyrinthine bureaucracy they tend to hide behind. There are many who are not so fortunate, who either do not have anyone to speak up on their behalf, or whose close relative(s) that may wish to do so lack the confidence and determination such advocacy requires.
Stephen's story, as told by Susie, is full of highs and lows. There are many farcical episodes that brought a smile to my face. Other incidents that made me sad or angry by turns.
It is said that autistic people experience the world differently from most of us. That is a statement with which I have some difficulty. I have similar reservations about a term I have recently seen used in articles by and about people diagnosed with Asperger's: 'Neuro-typical'. The implication of both is that the majority of people, those without such a diagnosis, all perceive the world in exactly the same way. My own opinion is that we all exist on a spectrum somewhere between 'sanity' and extreme mental illness, between 'normal' and 'batty' in our habits and foibles.
Stephen's view of the world is certainly unique. He has an understandable fear of hospitalisation. He believes that various individuals and organisations are out to get him. And yet he is capable of holding perfectly rational conversations about politics and religion. He writes poetry. By the end it is his physical disabilities, rather than his mental illness, that proves to be his downfall.
Long before the end I came to regard Susie, and the other men and women who care about Stephen's welfare, as something of a saint for the way she and they put up with Stephen's constant demands, expressed in phone calls the frequency of which would have driven me to distraction.
The same goes for the professionals who are legally responsible for his care and treatment. At least most of them are able to move on as their careers progress or the care contract expires. Not that Susie sees herself in that light. On the contrary, she clearly wishes there was more she could have done for him.
I could not help feeling guilty at my own inadequacies as a son and brother. What might my own response be should any of my siblings, my wife or son find themselves in Stephen's predicament?
Why is the book important? Because it demonstrates how knowing someone like Stephen teaches the importance of compassion, empathy, or just plain kindness. Perhaps we all need a Stephen in our lives. As Nick Knowles says at the end of every episode of "DIY SOS: the big build", 'perhaps you know someone who needs your help.' Read this book and be inspired.
June 4, 2021
This was an outstanding read and approached a difficult subject, mental health from a different perspective. Most books on this subject are looking in and in some cases looking down on.
Susie has approached this subject in a different way. She introduces Stephen and in meeting him learns a lot about him and his life. How he views his world and how it views him.
People who suffer from mental health problems see the world differently from so called normal people. Is that because they're many different types of mental health and many people suffer from a combination of more than one, eg. Autism and Schizophrenia; and are also misdiagnosed.
What is different about Stephen's story it is told from his perspective, looking out and trying to make sense of a world at times seems confusing and cruel and frightening.
This book will give an insight into the world of mental health and the frustrations it causes so called normal people. Susie teaches us as she learns to traverse the minefield that is mental health.
Susie has written a book that in someway lets have an insight into a difficult world. But more importantly gives Stephen a voice as he looks out from the inside. She wraps up this book in such a way that has you angry, frustrated and happy all in the space of a few words. Though at times a very sad book it also gives glimpses of humour along the way. Stephen lives in a black and white world with no understanding of the grey areas most of us inhabit. Bur this can be crossed by a, to Stephen's mind, with a logical answer. When he tells a nurse he would like to stab her she counters that if he did who would feed him. In Stephen's words "Fair point"
A beautiful book that the reader will love, highly recommended and thankyou Susie for telling Stephen's story.
Susie has approached this subject in a different way. She introduces Stephen and in meeting him learns a lot about him and his life. How he views his world and how it views him.
People who suffer from mental health problems see the world differently from so called normal people. Is that because they're many different types of mental health and many people suffer from a combination of more than one, eg. Autism and Schizophrenia; and are also misdiagnosed.
What is different about Stephen's story it is told from his perspective, looking out and trying to make sense of a world at times seems confusing and cruel and frightening.
This book will give an insight into the world of mental health and the frustrations it causes so called normal people. Susie teaches us as she learns to traverse the minefield that is mental health.
Susie has written a book that in someway lets have an insight into a difficult world. But more importantly gives Stephen a voice as he looks out from the inside. She wraps up this book in such a way that has you angry, frustrated and happy all in the space of a few words. Though at times a very sad book it also gives glimpses of humour along the way. Stephen lives in a black and white world with no understanding of the grey areas most of us inhabit. Bur this can be crossed by a, to Stephen's mind, with a logical answer. When he tells a nurse he would like to stab her she counters that if he did who would feed him. In Stephen's words "Fair point"
A beautiful book that the reader will love, highly recommended and thankyou Susie for telling Stephen's story.
April 25, 2021
Two quotes from the book sum it up perfectly: “Stephen (people with mental issues, disabilities) are screwed by a system which simply didn’t include the possibility of kindness when things became challenging...” BUT ... “in our love, however little, we create a web that breaks a person’s fall”
Stephen is an autistic man who forms a wonderful friendship with Suzie, dialogue often peppered with humour- sometimes unintentional, as Stephens view of the world is simply black and white
I enjoyed the book especially that it provides insight into the daily struggles of people living with disabilities and mental issues, that are often passed off in society as a nuisance or inconvenience. I hope this book helps others see these issues from this perspective.
Stephen is an autistic man who forms a wonderful friendship with Suzie, dialogue often peppered with humour- sometimes unintentional, as Stephens view of the world is simply black and white
I enjoyed the book especially that it provides insight into the daily struggles of people living with disabilities and mental issues, that are often passed off in society as a nuisance or inconvenience. I hope this book helps others see these issues from this perspective.
May 5, 2021
A page turner I won't forget
Stephen from the Inside Out gives us a roller-coaster ride through the usually hidden internal journey of a man with autism trapped in the mental health service, and a minister's wife who sees a need and doesn't turn away.
The honest, sensitive writing beautifully conveys the 'hurricane within' of loss, pain, desperation, longing, betrayal, despair, overwhelm, rage, revenge and joy. It is a book that reminds us of our humanity, our innate courage, our responsibility
Stephen from the Inside Out gives us a roller-coaster ride through the usually hidden internal journey of a man with autism trapped in the mental health service, and a minister's wife who sees a need and doesn't turn away.
The honest, sensitive writing beautifully conveys the 'hurricane within' of loss, pain, desperation, longing, betrayal, despair, overwhelm, rage, revenge and joy. It is a book that reminds us of our humanity, our innate courage, our responsibility
June 3, 2021
Wow, this was such a heart wrenching story about the struggles Stephen went through in his life.
Stephen had a lot going on in his life and coping seemed to be challenging for him. Stephen coped - or tried to - in the best possible way for him. He was a very direct, straight to the point man.
Susie was such an amazing friend to Stephen, cared for him so much and stood by him.
The book focuses on mental health and the struggles that people face daily. It was a touching story and a beautiful tribute to Stephen. This book touched my heart and one I will remember for a while.
Stephen had a lot going on in his life and coping seemed to be challenging for him. Stephen coped - or tried to - in the best possible way for him. He was a very direct, straight to the point man.
Susie was such an amazing friend to Stephen, cared for him so much and stood by him.
The book focuses on mental health and the struggles that people face daily. It was a touching story and a beautiful tribute to Stephen. This book touched my heart and one I will remember for a while.
January 5, 2022
"Susie, my life has been a complete and total waste of time."
In 2012 when Stephen said this, he believed it to be true.
From the outside, it may have looked like this. Stephen spent 25 years inside British psychiatric wards, was finally diagnosed with autism in his late forties and never felt acceptable in the ‘normal’ world.
From the inside, though, here was a man with powerful convictions, deep longings, wide interests and an incapacity to be anything other than himself, whatever the cost.
I am unsure how to articulate my feelings into a coherent review, Suzie and Stephen have held me captive the last few days, even when I wasn’t reading they stayed with me in my thoughts.
The story of their lives are told from three time perspectives, primarily before and after they met but there is also the reaction from Stephen throughout this narrative as he hears Suzie read parts of the book back to him. I thought this was so clever and unique and really allowed me to form a deeper connection to Stephen. The words were Suzie’s but Stephen certainly made himself heard and boy did he have a wicked sense of humour.
The treatment throughout his life by those entrusted to care for him is heartbreaking. I was furious at points at the lack of understanding and compassion. With the exception of a few individuals it is clear this is the under funded system which has failed him not the people employed within but still so many times I was left angered and puzzled.
This is not just the story of Stephen but of their friendship, and their fierce but temperamental bond. I equally enjoyed learning about Suzie’s life in contrast, I thought it was incredibly humble that she admits to her own failings to understand and apply compassion and the frustrations and fractions that caused between them. There are some moments of self reflection and lessons she learnt from their friendship that I will ruminate on for some time.
If you have an interest in mental health (there is a fascinating history of British Care system included) and true life biographies this is one I would strongly suggest you pick up.
In 2012 when Stephen said this, he believed it to be true.
From the outside, it may have looked like this. Stephen spent 25 years inside British psychiatric wards, was finally diagnosed with autism in his late forties and never felt acceptable in the ‘normal’ world.
From the inside, though, here was a man with powerful convictions, deep longings, wide interests and an incapacity to be anything other than himself, whatever the cost.
I am unsure how to articulate my feelings into a coherent review, Suzie and Stephen have held me captive the last few days, even when I wasn’t reading they stayed with me in my thoughts.
The story of their lives are told from three time perspectives, primarily before and after they met but there is also the reaction from Stephen throughout this narrative as he hears Suzie read parts of the book back to him. I thought this was so clever and unique and really allowed me to form a deeper connection to Stephen. The words were Suzie’s but Stephen certainly made himself heard and boy did he have a wicked sense of humour.
The treatment throughout his life by those entrusted to care for him is heartbreaking. I was furious at points at the lack of understanding and compassion. With the exception of a few individuals it is clear this is the under funded system which has failed him not the people employed within but still so many times I was left angered and puzzled.
This is not just the story of Stephen but of their friendship, and their fierce but temperamental bond. I equally enjoyed learning about Suzie’s life in contrast, I thought it was incredibly humble that she admits to her own failings to understand and apply compassion and the frustrations and fractions that caused between them. There are some moments of self reflection and lessons she learnt from their friendship that I will ruminate on for some time.
If you have an interest in mental health (there is a fascinating history of British Care system included) and true life biographies this is one I would strongly suggest you pick up.
July 20, 2021
I just finished this book and had to say how moving and thought-provoking I found it. I love how honest Susie is about her own processes, and I saw a lot of my foibles in there too - some of it was painful as it rang so true for me! - so I really appreciated the hope from seeing Susie grow through the relationship.
It also brought up a lot about how I see the difficulties in older adult mental health care (where I work). I felt quite inadequate when Paul the CPN first showed up, all shiny-new, keen and proactive, and then by the end was feeling a bit more vindicated, but just as frustrated. I'm lending it to my student nurse as a must-read.
But aside from all that - I thought it was a lovely, loving, portrait of Stephen that painted such a vivid picture of what he was like, and showed how Susie really 'got' him and cared about him. I also loved the poetry and musings, and her style of writing is fab - she took me through a whole gamut of emotions and often made me laugh!
It also brought up a lot about how I see the difficulties in older adult mental health care (where I work). I felt quite inadequate when Paul the CPN first showed up, all shiny-new, keen and proactive, and then by the end was feeling a bit more vindicated, but just as frustrated. I'm lending it to my student nurse as a must-read.
But aside from all that - I thought it was a lovely, loving, portrait of Stephen that painted such a vivid picture of what he was like, and showed how Susie really 'got' him and cared about him. I also loved the poetry and musings, and her style of writing is fab - she took me through a whole gamut of emotions and often made me laugh!
October 2, 2021
Stephen Inside Out is a moving and painfully honest account of a friendship which many of us (despite our best intentions) would have run from, as just too hard. It gives insights into the day to day reality of Stephen's life with autism and his many battles with "the system". This painstakingly recorded biography gives him dignity and significance, despite differing societal measures of success. Susies's own story is woven throughout, providing a gripping, warm and often funny narrative. I loved it Susie - can't wait to read the next one!
September 5, 2021
I deeply admired her patience in dealing with Stephen’s constant and sometimes contradictory demands, as well as her honesty regarding her feelings of frustration and inability to live up to her Christian ideals. https://annegoodwin.weebly.com/annecd...
December 1, 2021
Beautifully written💜📖! Highly recommend!
June 17, 2021
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁
𝗕𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to @annecater14 @sooz_stead and @impressbooks1 for my #gifted copy for #randomttours
"In our love, however little, we create a web that breaks a person's fall."
*Synopsis*
"Susie, my life has been a complete and total waste of time."
In 2012 when Stephen said this, he believed it to be true. But was it? And how do we decide?
From the outside, it may have looked like this. Stephen spent 25 years inside British psychiatric wards, was finally diagnosed with autism in his late forties and never felt acceptable in the ‘normal’ world.
From the inside, though, here was a man with powerful convictions, deep longings, wide interests and an incapacity to be anything other than himself, whatever the cost.
This is his story, inside and out; a story of grave injustices, saints and bigots, a faithful dog, a wild woman, a fairy godmother and angels hidden in plain sight.
It is also the story of the author, Susie, who started off by wanting to 'help' Stephen 'get better', and instead found herself profoundly challenged by a friendship she did not expect.
Idiosyncratic, unorthodox, tragic, yet at times hilarious this book not only tells a compelling and important story but will be vital reading for anyone who cares about mental health in our contemporary world or who might just be open to a different way of seeing: from the inside out.
Stephen from the inside out is mostly about friendship. Not an easy one at times but still and unconditional friendship like no other. When I saw this book I didn't realise that Susie's character was in fact our author, nor that this is actually a true story. The way its written feels like a fiction story, a powerful one at that. It did not feel at all a kind of biography/memoir/fiction book.
My heart breaks for Stephen, being in a mental health unit, being told he has mental health problems, going through all he did. To be misunderstood and if fact is autistic. It really is an eye opener on how much autism isn't known much or understood.
Susie is honestly the most patient, kind loving woman. Her compassion to Stephen is wonderful and so needed. You don't see many people take in autism and still see the person inside, not just the autism itself. Susie saw Stephen inside and out. It was beautiful and just so heartwarming. It gives you faith in humanity.
This story is an emotional rollercoaster ride. There's pain and anguish, suffering, judgement, misconduct. But then there's so much love, kindness, hope, faith, happiness, joy. It's so wonderful and the writing is beautiful and captivating and enotional. It is just such a well done, thoughtful and thought provoking story.
𝗕𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to @annecater14 @sooz_stead and @impressbooks1 for my #gifted copy for #randomttours
"In our love, however little, we create a web that breaks a person's fall."
*Synopsis*
"Susie, my life has been a complete and total waste of time."
In 2012 when Stephen said this, he believed it to be true. But was it? And how do we decide?
From the outside, it may have looked like this. Stephen spent 25 years inside British psychiatric wards, was finally diagnosed with autism in his late forties and never felt acceptable in the ‘normal’ world.
From the inside, though, here was a man with powerful convictions, deep longings, wide interests and an incapacity to be anything other than himself, whatever the cost.
This is his story, inside and out; a story of grave injustices, saints and bigots, a faithful dog, a wild woman, a fairy godmother and angels hidden in plain sight.
It is also the story of the author, Susie, who started off by wanting to 'help' Stephen 'get better', and instead found herself profoundly challenged by a friendship she did not expect.
Idiosyncratic, unorthodox, tragic, yet at times hilarious this book not only tells a compelling and important story but will be vital reading for anyone who cares about mental health in our contemporary world or who might just be open to a different way of seeing: from the inside out.
Stephen from the inside out is mostly about friendship. Not an easy one at times but still and unconditional friendship like no other. When I saw this book I didn't realise that Susie's character was in fact our author, nor that this is actually a true story. The way its written feels like a fiction story, a powerful one at that. It did not feel at all a kind of biography/memoir/fiction book.
My heart breaks for Stephen, being in a mental health unit, being told he has mental health problems, going through all he did. To be misunderstood and if fact is autistic. It really is an eye opener on how much autism isn't known much or understood.
Susie is honestly the most patient, kind loving woman. Her compassion to Stephen is wonderful and so needed. You don't see many people take in autism and still see the person inside, not just the autism itself. Susie saw Stephen inside and out. It was beautiful and just so heartwarming. It gives you faith in humanity.
This story is an emotional rollercoaster ride. There's pain and anguish, suffering, judgement, misconduct. But then there's so much love, kindness, hope, faith, happiness, joy. It's so wonderful and the writing is beautiful and captivating and enotional. It is just such a well done, thoughtful and thought provoking story.
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