This was a memoir about an addict's wild journey towards recovery with the help of an unconventional therapist and the support of the group. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The characters were very well developed and if I ever need group therapy, this will be the group I would like to be in!

Title: Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life
Author: Christie Tate
Genre: Nonfiction - Memoir
Rating: 3.5 stars
Pub Date: October 27 2020

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

T H R E E • W O R D S

Emotional • Raw • Unconventional

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Having just been named the top student of her law class and having control over her disorder eating, Christie Tate couldn't figure out why she was fantasizing about her own death. Group is Christe's memoir recounting her journey through group therapy and a group of stranger what would change her life forever.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I want to start out by saying I understand there is much controversary surrounding this book, from ethical boundaries to privilege to oversharing, there are certainly issues here that deserve to be recognized and discussed. At times the book left me feeling extremely uncomfortable in some of the therapy practices used and the disclosure of personal information of some of the author's groupmates.

Controversary aside, I have to commend the author for staring vulnerability in the face and sharing her story. I certainly hope the process of writing it was therapeutic in itself. What I personally want to take away from this is the power of connection. When Christie started group, all she wanted was to be 'fixed' but what she will learn is the need to put in hard work, all the time knowing her groupmates will always be there to support her through whatever goes on in her life.

If this book can do anything, I hope it is that it helps normalize therapy and helps remove the stigma surrounding mental health. Therapy, though proven beneficial, remains inaccessible to many for both financial and shame culture reasons.

If you do decide to embark on the journey of reading this book, keep it mind it must be taken with a grain of salt. After reading reviews and more about the author, I've come to question whether the content truthful or not. In no way is this an accurate portrayal of what group therapy always looks like or is like for everyone.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• book clubs

⚠️ CW: disordered eating, bulimia, mental health, suicidal ideation, death, sexual content, self-harm, toxic relationship, body shaming

A good and eye opening view into the world of therapy and the relationships formed. I enjoyed the journey and humour

I heard about this book from the Reese Witherspoon’s book club. This book is a non-fiction about the author’s experience with group therapy. It explains on a detailed way, what is said and done in those sessions. It’s a very emotional book,

I can’t in good faith recommend this book to folks (unless you're simply looking for non-fic that can be taken with a hefty grain of salt). This was salacious and entertaining and…. kind of iffy.

Tate is a crassly funny narrator, and this book presents a no-holds-barred account of her experience with group therapy and coming to terms with traumatic memories and eating disorder recovery. I liked the metaphor of the scored heart that she uses throughout the book. Just like how one scratches hatch marks on pieces of clay that you intend to join together, Tate’s heart is in need of scoring: its slick, unmarred surface is no good for connecting with others’. Hopefully, group therapy—and baring/facing all the gory bits of her life, from childhood pinworms to her present-day sex life—will help with this.

I’d say that my first red flag went up when Tate discussed her first group session, during which she was informed by everyone present that there would be “no secrets”—aka zero confidentiality. In addition to this, there were other elements that I found outrageous and a little ethically dubious, like how all the clients, Tate included, adhered near-unquestioningly to Dr. Rosen’s bizarre “prescriptions” (e.g., telling a guy she was attracted to that she's a "cocktease," and getting the words "I hate my breasts" henna-tattooed on her stomach). Again, I’d urge you to take these parts with a HEFTY grain of salt.

And though this book does contain self-help-y components that could—if removed from the context of this book—be of use, I find myself thinking about all the ways I could’ve gotten the message without having to sift through all the parts that made me feel icky.

I found Group to be a very interesting novel at the least. I'll start off with the positives.
I loved how the format of the novel was so interactive and edgy, we got to see the slight character improvement of the author through each chapter and it helped me stay at the edge of my seat. I slid past the book with zero difficulties! I liked how all of the people in the book were so unique, and helped us notice how people can have flaws no matter what they seem like on the outside. It was also a great display of showing that there will always be setbacks in your life, and reminding us to not worry about it, you'll get through it no matter what!

I personally have plenty of mental and physical health issues. I am constantly in pain either on the inside or outside, and I like how Ms. Tate didn't try to hide that fact when writing about herself and her peers. This book was very unique in the sense that the characters didn't even seem REAL at some points. Just knowing that this was a memoir of sorts made me mesmerized by the human experience, and how different people survive through all of their difficulties.
I am so happy that Christie Tate chose to share her experiences with us, and I would advise all of you to read this book when it comes out! The sweet, and the sad. The bad, and the ugly. They all came together to form this beautiful masterpiece of a memoir.

And if you're wondering where the negatives are, there aren't any. 😊
4.5 overall!