Sectioned

by John O'Donoghue

Book by John O'Donoghue

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

294 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

John O'Donoghue is the author of Sectioned: A Life Interrupted (John Murray 2009) and the poetry collecions Letter To Lord Rochester (Waterloo Press, 2004); The Beach Generation (Pighog Press, 2007); and Brunch Poems (Waterloo Press, 2009).

Sectioned: A Life Interrupted was awarded Mind Book Of The Year 2010.

John lives in Brighton and teaches Creative Writing at the University of Westminster.

Reviews

[Sarah Stirrup · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hard review to write. I have so many emotions from finishing this book. This book is very personal to me and some of the subjects have hit home. I find the ending so positive. It's telling everyone out there suffering from mental illness that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how long the tunnel is.

This book is very different to the other books of this genre out there. First of all, it's the first British book that I've read about this. I felt like I could connect with John much better because he was living in places in London that I had lived near as well.

At no point was he complaining about his circumstances. You get so many books like this that just cry about how they're having sadness difficulties, and they get so popular. It's sad that this book isn't as popular as it should be.

All in all, this is an amazing read. It opens up peoples eyes to the world of mental illness before it became cool by Americans.

[Evelina]

I started to read this but did not like it therefore I put it away.

[Marion Urch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what you might call a classic survival memoir. It is about how easily individuals can fall through the gaps and lose themselves, but most of all it is about how people survive against the odds – in this instance, with the sustaining power of poetry and perhaps ultimately, love. ‘Sectioned’ is an understated memoir leavened with wry humour. It documents a lost world of 1980’s squats, homelessness, hostels, half way houses, prison - interrupted by four stints in the type of vast old asylums that no longer exist. For me, it recalled Samuel Beckett’s novel ‘Murphy’, a story of life adrift in the 1950’s. Three decades later, life on the margins is a similarly desultory trawl.

This is what happens to the rootless, to those without a wider support structure. This is also a story about immigration. John’s parents were Irish. When John’s father dies, the family falls apart. The wider supports structures have already been ruptured by immigration. Identity is fragile. It is no accident that there are higher incidences of mental illness among minority communities. Who are we? What shall we be? In John’s case, the death of his father comes at that most fragile of times, adolescence. It is not really a surprise that the centre cannot hold.

It is also a London-Irish story, with a fondness for the city and intimate knowledge of its hidden, intimate places - shot through with trips to Ireland, to a life that could never be. ‘Sectioned’ is a story about rupture and healing, most of all it is about the triumph of the human spirit. It would be easy to see a young man like John on the street and dismiss him as a loser, a hopeless case, yet he is now a university lecturer. He has validation now yet he was always a poet.

People break down when their sense of identity isn’t sustainable. Given the circumstances, the story makes perfect sense. How easily we allow people to fall by the wayside, to disappear. The endless trawl becomes a search for a way of being. This is a story about holding on and letting go, of finding a way to make sense of the past, of the transforming power of creativity.

[Catherine Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have rated this book 5 stars, because I thoroughly enjoyed it and feel it deserves to be read by others. I felt that the story was truly honest without being full of self-pity. I was relieved that things ended well and I felt that this book highlighted the difficulties of the transition from life in an institution to community care and the continued difficulties of maintaining suitable care. This issue is something I feel quite strongly about due to my line of work. It can be hard to find a book of this nature that is so well-written, so I was pleased to find Sectioned! I would recommend reading this book for an enjoyable story and also allow it to open your eyes to the daily struggles faced by people (both socially and mentally) who are considered to be 'on the edge of society'.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sad book, and made me realise how easy it was at the time for people to just drift in and out of mental institutions and eventually homelesness, into hostels which were just unofficial institutions. You see John drifitng through life with severe mental problems but with his writing he still offers clarity to thses times. It does end well, he gets settled in a relationship and you feel happy for him in the end, but it is a long struggle.

Makes me question what the real solution is to mental health in society, the institutuions weren't ideal, but neither is care in the community.

[Naomi Costley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found the way this book has been written difficult to follow in the beginning, towards the middle it was a little easier and I could actually begin to get into the content. However due to the narrative jumping back and forth to past & present I did not enjoy. The story overall is of great interest to me I wish it was written in a different style.

[Chantelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

A slightly messy read which came to a rather abrupt ending. Not one I'd be in any hurry to look up again to be honest.

[Louise Bawden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read

Brilliant read, thought provoking and humbling. Very relatable, looking at the harder realities of life. Great job by John O'Donoghue

[Amy W-J · Rating 5 out of 5]

It hit home for me a lot, I could relate from a patient point of view being subjected to sectioning under the mental health act and also as a professional and the patients I nurse.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Johns story was so sad to read but such an inspirational read.

Seeing how he struggled and how the system failed him time and time again but did manage to make it out the other sign was incredible.

Would recommend if this is a type of book you’re looking for.

[Rachael · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a couple of things about this that frustrated me during reading:
A rambling narrative that jumped all over the place. It made it very hard to follow what was going on
The character of the author- I don’t feel that the insight into his mental state was as clear as it could have been.
The timescale- the end was very quick while other sections were covered in much more detail.

All in all, this wasn’t really for me

[Alan Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book however would have loved to have read about his emotional reactions to events rather then a descriptive one, and for his poetry which played such a strong force in his life to have featured stronger

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic. I have read this book twice now and loved it even more the scond time. Wonderful writer who makes a difficult subject accessible and understandable for the reader. Felt so sad when it came to an end.

[Jinxstarr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down. It doesn't really go in to how John feels about his illness and where he ends up but you kind of know that he gets quite poorly. It shows how society has moved on in some ways but certainly not in others.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This bookis heart wrenching! It showed how easily someone can get institutionalised and become a victim of the system caught on a merry go round. I couldn't put this book down and recommend it to anyone interested in mental health.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth a read, incredibly interesting throughout with many different directions. Highly recommended! :)

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

John writes in a realistic way, lots of description and info. I bought this book for research for my YA novel that is set in a Psychiatric Unit and found this helpful and a genuinely good read.

[Josie · Rating 1 out of 5]

couldnt wait to finished this, found it realy boring and didnt hold my interest at all

[Naoise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and insightful account of mental illness, homeless and a man struggle to cope