An upsetting, yet important and thought-provoking first-hand account of a young girl’s struggles with schizophrenia and her hospitalization from 1948 to 1951. Where it succeeds is in humanizing the struggles of those stigmatized by mental illness, and there is strength found in recounting such a traumatic experience. Overall, a highly enlightening read that brought me tremendous insight.

This is an incredibly difficult book to review. I Never Promised You a Rose Garden is by Joanne Greenberg's own words a fictionalized autobiography that is meant to make the reader experience what it is like to go have a mental illness like schizophrenia. I found it very hard to relate to Deborah's story, which I believe is the point. I do appreciate how we got to see the effects of Deborah's illness, not just on her own life, but also as it affected her parents and her sister, the shame that her parents experience and their willingness to lie to those around them to cover up their choice to have her institutionalized. This is a visceral story, that definitely does not shy away from harsh truths. I feel like I gleaned a better understanding through reading this story but I don't think that it is one I would necessarily recommend.

This is a beautiful book based on a true journey as the author was hospitalized for schizophrenia from 1948 to 1951. I want to emphasize how valuable that is- to get the perspective from someone who has actually experienced it. The details provided in this book of how a schizophrenic might construct their mental landscape are fascinating. This book offers insight into the potential world of a mentally ill person, and it allows for more compassion and understanding toward those with mental illness.
The book itself is well written, and the therapist who tends to the protagonist lends a warmth and wisdom that enlightens the reader, pointing out aspects of health and sanity that pertain to us all. I was particularly impressed with how she wrote about suffering from hallucinations. She feels trapped and literally sees a portcullis descend in front of her. Sometimes her hearing stops working, or her vision turns black and white. Her body distances itself from the real world often. Never at her bidding, but she can sometimes feel an episode before it begins. She works with doctor Frieda Fromm-Reichmann and eventually sees how her internal world was once her coping mechanism but eventually became a source of pain for her. I also really enjoyed the character development of the cast of characters in the mental hospital and the unique culture there. The author notes specific manners among patients about how much can be asked without crossing a line. She notes certain outbursts that seem crazy and how they are caused by internal stimuli that all people feel but are exacerbated for the patient.