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| I Don't Want To Be Crazy | 
 enlarge | Author: Samantha Schutz
Publisher: Scholastic
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
Buy New: $4.26
You Save: $3.73 (47%)
New (21) Used (7) from $3.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 226147
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7 x 5 x 0.7
ISBN: 0439805198
Dewey Decimal Number: 811.6
EAN: 9780439805193
ASIN: 0439805198
Publication Date: August 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: GREAT BUY!Brand New From US Distributor! WE ARE A 5 STAR SELLER with OVER 3,500,000 BOOKS SOLD!!! OVER ~ 600,000 FEEDBACKS ~ POSTED!!!
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Product Description
This is a true story of growing up, breaking down, and coming to grips with a psychological disorder. When Samantha Schutz first left home for college, she was excited by the possibilities -- freedom from parents, freedom from a boyfriend who was reckless with her affections, freedom from the person she was supposed to be. At first, she revelled in the independence. . . but as pressures increased, she began to suffer anxiety attacks that would leave her mentally shaken and physically incapacitated. Thus began a hard road of discovery and coping, powerfully rendered in this poetry memoir.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 A window into somewhere you never want to go July 22, 2006
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
Reading this book is almost like reading somebody else's diary. Samantha Schutz is open and honest with the most intimate details of her life during a nightmarish four year period from the end of high school through college graduation.
All the uncertainty of her life is here - leaving the familiarity of home for the first time, her relationships with guys, with her parents, with other girls, and with herself. And through it all a psychological disorder is slowly creeping into her life, undiagnosed at first, then openly destructive, and finally raging out of control. Samantha Schutz struggles between suicidal tendencies and efforts to beat the disorder. The therapy and drugs become a whole separate battlefield where she sometimes wins, often loses, and in some cases ends up worse off than she was before.
Reading the author's account of her journey is sometimes painful, and it was hard for me not to skip to the end to find out how her story ends. I Don't Want to be Crazy would be a compelling drama if it were fiction; the fact that is a true account makes it all the more intense.
The events in this book are written in the form of free verse poetry. Those three words normally send me running for cover, but Samantha Schutz chose this format for a reason. She conveys images and emotions with an intensity that the wordiness of prose cannot deliver. The words are few and carefully chosen, and their emotional impact is much greater because of it. This is free verse poetry written by a poet, and through it she accomplishes beautifully what she set out to do.
According to the book's postscript, anxiety disorders affect more than one in ten children and adolescents in America. Whether you realize it or not, chances are you might already know somebody who lives with an anxiety disorder. I Don't Want to be Crazy gives an inside look at the way they may be experiencing events that for us are merely an unremarkable part of our day. The clarity and candor of this book provide a valuable understanding for those of us who are looking in from the outside. And for anyone who recognizes themselves in these pages, it offers hope for coming to terms with the disorder and carving out a normal life despite the persistent looming threat of another anxiety attack.
I recommend this book to anyone in high school or older, but teens, young adults, and parents of teenagers will find it especially pertinent. And if you do know someone who has an anxiety disorder, you absolutely must read this book immediately!
A true gem! July 12, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Samantha Schutz's book, 'I don't want to be crazy' is an amazing and vivid portrayel of a young woman's struggle with panic/anxiety disorder. I am positive this book will help many young women who are experiencing similar struggle. Further, I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fascinating and impressive read! A wonderful first book for this author; I look forward to more publications.
A beautiful Woman, a Beautiful Book September 4, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Samantha herself gave me a copy of this book, and I cannot tell you what a true gift it was. As a woman who has struggled with my own anxiety disorder for almost 10 years, the honesty and reality of her story moved me often to the point of tears. Everyone who feels alone with their anxiety, or who knows someone who suffers from an anxiety disorder, should read this book, if only to know that THEY ARE NOT ALONE. Knowing Samantha and seeing firsthand what a lovely, sane, compassionate, accomplished woman she has become, in spite of her disorder, makes her book all the more powerful for me, because it shows me that there is hope! I recommend this book to anyone!
 A honest portrayal of a girl's struggle with anxiety disorder June 14, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
When Samantha Schutz first left home for college, she was excited by the possibilities-freedom from parents, freedom from a boyfriend, freedom from the person she was supposed to be. At first, she reveled in the independence-but as the pressures increased, she began to suffer anxiety attacks that would leave her mentally shaken and incapacitated.
This is a very honest portrayal of someone suffering from an anxiety disorder. This story brought back memories of my own attacks when I went away to college. And just like the author shows, each episode is scary and you do start questioning your own sanity.
The free verse style of writing makes the story even more real. The reader can't help but feel for Samantha as she goes through an episode, her experiences with meds, therapists, and how she comes to grips with not only her illness but her own sanity.
I highly recommend this book.
I DON'T WANT TO BE CRAZY is an excellent commentary on pitfalls and stress. December 10, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Samantha Schutz's I DON'T WANT TO BE CRAZY tells of Samantha, who leaves home for college filled with expectations and excitement. As she revels in change, new pressures evolve and she begins to suffer anxiety attacks that threaten her newfound independence. Few stories are written to explore older teens leaving home and the pressures they face: I DON'T WANT TO BE CRAZY is an excellent commentary on pitfalls and stress.
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