So-Called Normal

A Memoir of Family, Depression and Resilience

De: Mark Henick

Narrado por: Sean Patrick Hopkins

“Mark Henick is a powerful storyteller.” —Rosie O’Donnell

“So-Called Normal is a call to arms, yes, but it’s also a call to care, highlighting the power of kindness. Required reading for anyone working with children and teens.” —The Globe and Mail

A vital and triumphant story of perseverance and recovery by one of Canada’s foremost advocates for mental health

When Mark Henick was a teenager in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, he was overwhelmed by depression and anxiety that led to a series of increasingly dangerous suicide attempts. One night, he climbed onto a bridge over an overpass and stood in the wind, clinging to a girder. Someone shouted, “Jump, you coward!” Another man, a stranger in a brown coat, talked to him quietly, calmly and with deep empathy. Just as Henick’s feet touched open air, the man in the brown coat encircled his chest and pulled him to safety. This near-death experience changed Henick’s life forever.

So-Called Normal is Henick’s memoir about growing up in a broken home and the events that led to that fateful night on the bridge. It is a vivid and personal account of the mental health challenges he experienced in childhood and his subsequent journey toward healing and recovery.

Excellent memoir

A testament to this author's strength and hope. Also a sad reflection on society 's inability to help kids in trouble. Read this book. For anyone who is contemplating suicide or if you know someone who is, it's tremendously helpful. Narration is excellent. Very well written. Moving. Hopeful in the end.

Mental Health there's always hope!

A true inspiration! I struggled with suicide when I was young. Thank you for sharing!

The narrator put so much feeling into Mark's words. It was easy to be able to put myself in Mark's life experiences. I felt a part of his story.

LOVED EVERY MINUTE

This was an incredible story of triumph and resilience created through enormous struggle. It gave me encouragement and hope for my precious daughter who has walked (and is still walking) through the valley of mental illness. Narrator was perfect—a comforting voice who told this story well. Highly recommend!

Real, Courages, Inspiring

Mark Henick's story is authentic, courageous, and inspiring. He's using his struggles with major depressive disorder, social anxiety disorder, suicide attemps, and the bumby road to recovery to help others feel less alone. I've read dozens of memoirs and this is the best. it is well written and captivating.