Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a teacher turned author. I’ve spent hours in middle and high schools watching students struggle because they couldn’t get the support they need. And hours listening to the experiences of child and adult victims my husband brought home from work. When we as a society begin to treat mental illness as simply illness, we’ll be on the right track to giving our society the support it needs.


I wrote

Stronger Than You Know

By Jolene Perry,

Book cover of Stronger Than You Know

What is my book about?

I wrote Stronger Than You Know because we don’t talk often enough about what happens after the rescue. At fifteen,…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Watch Over Me

Jolene Perry Why did I love this book?

There’s something about the paranormal slant of this book that allows it to highlight so much of the journey from ignoring the past and moving forward, to re-remembering the past and learning to accept it and move forward with it rather than running away from the events that shape us.

Brilliant writing. Great for anyone who has gone into a new situation feeling completely out of place. Deals with PTSD/Repressed memories in such a thoughtful way.

By Nina Lacour,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Watch Over Me as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

A modern ghost story about trauma and survival, Watch Over Me is the much-anticipated new novel from the Printz Award-winning author of We Are Okay

"Gripping; an emotion-packed must-read." -Kirkus, starred review
"A painfully compelling gem from a masterful creator." -Booklist, starred review
"Moving, unsettling, and full of atmospheric beauty." -SLJ, starred review

Mila is used to being alone.

Maybe that's why she said yes. Yes to a second chance in this remote place, among the flowers and the fog and the crash of waves far below.

But she hadn't known about the ghosts.

Newly graduated from high school, Mila…


Book cover of Darius the Great Is Not Okay

Jolene Perry Why did I love this book?

First, and very selfishly, I specialized in middle east studies in college, so I loved every piece of this story that takes place in Iran. My other favorite thing is that Darius suffers from clinical depression and it’s not due to an accident or past trauma, it’s simply how his body functions. This book showcases so well that mental illness is like any other illness—and it’s done by using the blocks that so many people on medications face from people who don’t understand this basic principle.

By Adib Khorram,

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked Darius the Great Is Not Okay as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He's a Fractional Persian - half, his mum's side - and his first-ever trip to Iran is about to change his life. Darius has never really fit in at home, and he's sure things are going to be the same in Iran. His clinical depression doesn't exactly help matters, and trying to explain his medication to his grandparents only makes things harder. Then Darius meets Sohrab, the boy next door, and everything changes. Soon, they're spending their days together, playing soccer, eating…


Book cover of Turtles All the Way Down

Jolene Perry Why did I love this book?

Does John Green need me to recommend his book? No, he does not. However. I’ve talked to so many teens about this book who have said – He gets how my brain works and that’s a fabulous thing. As a parent, I loved this inside into how my oldest was struggling, and as a human, I loved what I learned. There’s no glorification of her mental health, nor is it used to aid another character in their own story. Turtles All the Way Down is brutally honest about the mistakes and ups and downs that come from having any type of illness.

By John Green,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Turtles All the Way Down as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

The critically acclaimed, instant #1 bestseller by John Green, author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and The Fault in Our Stars

"A tender story about learning to cope when the world feels out of control." -People

"A sometimes heartbreaking, always illuminating, glimpse into how it feels to live with mental illness." - NPR

John Green, the award-winning, international bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed, returns with a story of shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship.

Aza Holmes never intended to pursue the disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there's a…


Book cover of Suicide Watch

Jolene Perry Why did I love this book?

This is a lesser-known book, and I wish more teens had it in their library. There is no shirking behind any kind of veil or safety as Vincent weaves his way through his suicidal ideations, finds friendships, and navigates his health back to safety. This is a quiet novel that’s brutally honest about how one continues on when they’re not sure why they should.

Bonus for animal lovers as Vincent spends a lot of time at the local animal shelter.

By Kelley York,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Suicide Watch as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Vincent has spent his entire life being shuffled from one foster home to the next. His grades suck. Making friends? Out of the question thanks to his nervous breakdowns and unpredictable moods. Still, Vince thought when Maggie Atkins took him in, he might've finally found a place to get his life--and his issues--in order. When Maggie dies, it all falls apart. A year ago, Vince watched a girl leap to her death off a bridge. He's starting to think she had the right idea. Through a pro-suicide forum, Vince meets others with the same debate regarding death: cancer-ridden Casper would…


Book cover of Wintergirls

Jolene Perry Why did I love this book?

When I teach writers about how seemingly simple scenes can hold huge tension, I talk about the opening of Wintergirls. Huge emotion and many pages dedicated to only a few minutes within Lia’s day. It’s heartbreaking and honest but so full of hope. This also showcases how hard it is to find that hope when an illness has taken over your thoughts and when grief clouds everything else. The language of this book is a masterclass in emotion and showcases so well what it’s like when your life is consumed by an eating disorder.

By Laurie Halse Anderson,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Wintergirls as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

"Dead girl walking," the boys say in the halls.
"Tell us your secret," the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend's restless spirit.

In her most emotionally wrenching,…


Explore my book 😀

Stronger Than You Know

By Jolene Perry,

Book cover of Stronger Than You Know

What is my book about?

I wrote Stronger Than You Know because we don’t talk often enough about what happens after the rescue. At fifteen, Joy has been “rescued” from her abusive mother and is desperately struggling to find a new normal in a house and family that feel too perfect to be real. My inspiration came from the heartbreaking cases my husband brought home from his job as a prosecutor and victim’s advocate. The trauma isn’t over when the trauma ends—healing takes time, no matter how ideal the new situation is.

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The Bloomsbury Photographs

By Maggie Humm,

Book cover of The Bloomsbury Photographs

Maggie Humm Author Of Radical Woman: Gwen John & Rodin

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Why am I passionate about this?

Author Woolfian Gym devotee World-traveller

Maggie's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

An enthralling portrait of the Bloomsbury Group’s key figures told through a rich collection of intimate photographs. Photography framed the world of the Bloomsbury Group. The thousands of photographs surviving in albums kept by Virginia Woolf, Vanessa Bell, Dora Carrington, and Lytton Strachey, among others, today offer us a private insight into their lives.

Maggie Humm brings together a curated selection of these photographs to offer us a fresh portrait of the Bloomsbury Group, showing them in a new, domestic intimacy. She brings to life the texture of Bloomsbury: their pastimes, children, clothes, houses, servants, pets, and holidays.

The Bloomsbury…

The Bloomsbury Photographs

By Maggie Humm,

What is this book about?

An enthralling portrait of the Bloomsbury Group's key figures told through a rich collection of intimate photographs

Photography framed the world of the Bloomsbury Group. The thousands of photographs surviving in albums kept by Virginia Woolf, Vanessa Bell, Dora Carrington, and Lytton Strachey, among others, today offer us a private insight into their lives.

Maggie Humm brings together a curated selection of these photographs to offer us a fresh portrait of the Bloomsbury Group, showing them in a new, domestic intimacy. She brings to life the texture of Bloomsbury: their pastimes, children, clothes, houses, servants, pets, holidays. Several photographs are…


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Interested in best friends, Northern California, and mental disorders?

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Mental Disorders 181 books