ABQ Graphic Novel Book Club discussion

This book is a light one. It won't take long to read so those of us on a summer vacation can fit it into our schedules.

Sorry I couldn't make it; had three things scheduled and could only make the other two.

I did like the book. Seems the author had some serious problems, and the pharmaceutical industry wasn't helping her much. Seems to speak to the problem of over-medicating people to the point where they can't get out of the cycle. It's a good point to make. It's good that the author has a warts-and-all attitude with her writing, so we could see that it wasn't all on just the doctors and Big Pharm; she really did have a serious problem pursuing her dreams, and staying out of trouble, and had a tendency to blame other people more so than trying to take charge of her life.
Eventually she admits that the world is not a conspiracy of people trying to stifle creativity, and not everyone that she comes into contact with is against her; that some people do care about her. It's a realization that pops up suddenly at the end, without much explanation, presented in a serious of one-line notes that look like resolutions from a 12-step program or just group therapy sessions. But she manages to pull off her goals of writing and art in the form of a graphic novel about this aspect of her life. So, graphic novels as therapy. Yes. Many traditional novelists have thought so too, so she's in good company.

“RX: A Graphic Memoir” was well received by the reading club, earning an average score of 7.5 out of 10 points.

Observations:

Readers noted the tight focus on just one episode in Lindsay’s life—she had mentioned other incidents with her bipolar disorder, but the book benefits from staying focused on this particular hospitalization and its aftermath.

Hiding the truth is a theme that came through. Lindsay conceals her illness from her employer, as there is definitely stigma associated with mental illness.

The book has similarities to Lorina Mapa’s “Duran Duran, Imelda Marcos and Me,” in that the crisis in the text spurs the author to become a graphic novelist. However, Mapa’s text includes broader social commentary that Lindsay’s story lacked. Readers mentioned wanted more historical context, since there is a long history of women being committed against their will, for reasons that may or may not be justified. “Bitch Planet” is a comic that plays with this trope.

This book is very lean—brief and concise, with a frenetic urgency that is maintained. Similarly, the art is very stark and simple.

The drawings show the author’s mental state—big saucer-like eyes during the manic phase. Interesting that Lindsay included an image from an early draft, which showed a much more realistic (but less punchy) drawing style. It’s appropriate that this book is in stark black and white. This book invites comparisons to the Netflix comedy “Lady Dynamite.”

Lindsay’s portrayal of the struggle to get her life back is memorable. There’s a loss of control that is poignant, as she hates other people making decisions for her. It’s understandable that she wants to start over. Comparisons are made to Kay Redfield Jamison, whose work Lindsay mentions in the acknowledgements. “Touched by Fire” is a notable work by Jamison.

Question: What’s the dividing line that makes what happened to Rachel justify her hospitalization. Think about how subjective the criteria are for evaluating mental illness. It may also be that gender is an issue in whether it is deemed necessary to commit a patient. Lindsay is wrestling with her need for autonomy in this book. She relates that she was doing everything right—seeing her psychiatrist and taking her medication---yet she still ended up in the “prison,” as mental illness is an “unwanted guest at the table. Coping with mental illness is almost like a classic grief cycle: denial, anger, sadness, acceptance.

Another point of comparison: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Readers talked about the idea of the “panopticon”—if you think that there are eyes on you, you’ll discipline yourself to appear compliant, or to seem like everyone else. You create your own prison through your awareness of the omnipresent gaze of others.