Thank you to author L.M. Kugler and to Reedsy Discovery who provided me with an ARC of this book, which I used to write this honest review.
In a testament to the love between father and daughter, L. M. Kugler has created a thoughtfully written, easy to comprehend, annotated account of the lessons she has learned from the short time she had with her father, an Army veteran who suffered from schizophrenia until his sudden death when the author was sixteen.
The book’s pace is leisurely and concepts are clearly explained, using the author’s childhood experiences as illustrations. Her father’s description of what it’s like inside the mind of one person suffering from schizophrenia is eye-opening.
Each chapter, or lesson, of the book has the same format; it opens with a short quote and statement of the lesson, continues with a brief reflection about an event in the author’s life illustrating that lesson – this usually involves her father – and then ends with a few questions for you, the reader, to consider for your own personal growth.
Although the book is written to normalize discussion around mental health and mental illness, as well as to offer growth opportunities to the reader, Lisa is her father’s cheerleader and defender; her love for him is heartwarming.
There are some minor issues with sentence fragments, but it’s clear that these aren’t so much grammatical mistakes as they are simply L.M. Kugler’s style of writing. I stopped paying much attention to this as the book moved on; the message is still clear. There are also some formatting inconsistencies with the self-reflection questions, but it’s possible that I am not reviewing a final proof of the book. The issues don’t impact the reader’s ability to understand the questions.
If you’re looking for a basic aid to your personal development, this short, well-annotated memoir-style guide could be helpful.
Thank you to the author and to Reedsy Discovery for an ARC of this book. I used it to write my honest review.