Mental Health Reads
October 4-10 is Mental Illness Awareness week. Check out these reads this week and beyond!
Americanah
By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
Length: 17 hours 29 minutes
From the award-winning author of Half of a Yellow Sun, a dazzling new novel: a story of love and race centered around a young man and woman from Nigeria who face difficult choices and challenges in the countries they come to call home. As teenagers in a Lagos secondary school, Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love. Their Nigeria is under military... Read more »
Anxious People
By Fredrik Backman
Narrated by: Marin Ireland
Length: 9 hours 53 minutes
Anxious People
“This book made me feel all the feels! It was sad, it was funny, it was hopeful, it was everything. The character development is incredible at revealing what’s inside each of the characters, and the way their stories link and interconnect is genius. It’s a story about sadness and hope and human connections. I couldn’t put it down and barreled to the end, but now I am sad it’s over. Anxious People is truly the best thing I’ve read in a long time!”
Lisa Driban, Hockessin Book Shelf
Harley in the Sky
By Akemi Dawn Bowman
Narrated by: Ali Ahn
Length: 9 hours 4 minutes
The Greatest Showman meets This Is Us by way of Sarah Dessen in this heart-wrenching, hopeful contemporary novel about a multiracial teen who risks it all to follow her dreams by joining the circus, from the critically acclaimed author of Starfish. Harley Milano has dreamed of becoming a trapeze artist for as long as she can remember. With... Read more »
Black Girl Unlimited
The Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard
By Echo Brown
Narrated by: Echo Brown
Length: 8 hours 29 minutes
This program is read by the author
"Just brilliant."—Kirkus Reviews
Heavily autobiographical and infused with magical realism, Black Girl Unlimited fearlessly explores the intersections of poverty, sexual violence, depression, racism, and sexism—all through the arc of a transcendent coming-of-age story for fans of Renee Watson's Piecing Me... Read more »
A Breath Too Late
By Rocky Callen
Narrated by: Imani Jade Powers
Length: 5 hours 8 minutes
For fans of Girl in Pieces, All the Bright Places, and Girl, Interrupted comes a haunting and breathtaking YA contemporary debut novel that packs a powerful message: hope can be found in the darkness.
This program includes an author's note read by the author
“Achingly poignant . . . a love letter and a life raft to the brokenhearted.” –New York... Read more »
Eat a Peach
A Memoir
By David Chang & Gabe Ulla
Narrated by: David Chang
Length: 9 hours 6 minutes
Eat a Peach
“Unapologetically honest and raw, "Eat a Peach" is David Chang's no holds barred account of his rise to fame in the culinary world. David writes candidly about his complicated upbringing, mental illness, crippling anxiety and self doubt, and major anger management issues as he dishes up subversive, accessible food to the masses. I appreciated how Chang's praise of his peers, mentors and aspiring chefs was peppered throughout the book. "Eat A Peach" doesn't shy away from anything, including Chang's fight against racism and his answer to the #meetoo movement. If you are a foodie or enjoy a look behind the scenes of a business, you'll devour this memoir!The audio narrated by David Chang is excellent!”
Jessica, Main Street Books Davidson
Notes on a Silencing
A Memoir
By Lacy Crawford
Narrated by: Lacy Crawford
Length: 11 hours 5 minutes
“Erudite and devastating… Crawford's writing is astonishing… Notes on a Silencing is a purposefully named, brutal and brilliant retort to the asinine question of 'Why now?'… The story is crafted with the precision of a thriller, with revelations that sent me reeling…” —Jessica Knoll, New York Times
A Best Book of 2020: Time, NPR, People, Real... Read more »
Freshwater
By Akwaeke Emezi
Narrated by: Akwaeke Emezi
Length: 6 hours 42 minutes
An extraordinary debut novel, Freshwater explores the surreal experience of having a fractured self. It centers around a young Nigerian woman, Ada, who develops separate selves within her as a result of being born "with one foot on the other side." Unsettling, heartwrenching, dark, and powerful, Freshwater is a sharp evocation of a rare way of... Read more »
Social Purpose Annual Report
As we look to the future as a Social Purpose Corporation, we’re committed to serving readers and independent bookstores. Read our 2020 Annual Report to see an overview of the year.
Read the Report
How It Feels to Float
By Helena Fox
Narrated by: Candice Moll
Length: 9 hours 33 minutes
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best of the Year
"Profoundly moving . . . Will take your breath away." --Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces
A stunningly gorgeous and deeply hopeful portrayal of living with mental illness and grief, from an exceptional new voice.
Biz knows how to float. She has her... Read more »
How to Make Friends with the Dark
By Kathleen Glasgow
Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie & Kathleen Glasgow
Length: 12 hours 41 minutes
From the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces comes a novel about love and loss and learning how to continue when it feels like you're surrounded by darkness that Karen M. McManus, the New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying, calls "rare and powerful."
Here is what happens when your mother dies.
It's the brightest... Read more »
Turtles All the Way Down
By John Green
Narrated by: Kate Rudd
Length: 7 hours 11 minutes
FEATURED ON 60 MINUTES and FRESH AIR
“So surprising and moving and true that I became completely unstrung.” – The New York Times
Named a best book of the year by: The New York Times, NPR, TIME, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Entertainment Weekly, Southern Living, Publishers Weekly, BookPage, A.V. Club, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Vulture, and many... Read more »
Transcendent Kingdom
A novel
By Yaa Gyasi
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
Length: 8 hours 40 minutes
Transcendent Kingdom
“Gifty immigrated from Ghana, grew up in Alabama, and is working on a PhD in neuroscience at Stanford, where she experiments with mice. She has always felt she wasn’t cool enough or white enough, and tries to prove her value through her brilliance. She tells her raw and powerful story of racism, addiction, mental illness, and especially faith and prayer, all while trying hard to mend a complicated relationship with her mother. This second novel from the author of the award-winning novel Homegoing is compelling and so, so beautifully written.”
Sally Weitzen, Wellesley Books
Reasons to Stay Alive
By Matt Haig
Narrated by: Matt Haig
Length: 4 hours 18 minutes
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FEEL TRULY ALIVE? Aged 24, Matt Haig's world caved in. He could see no way to go on living. This is the true story of how he came through crisis, triumphed over an illness that almost destroyed him and learned to live again. A moving, funny and joyous exploration of how to live better, love better and feel more alive,... Read more »
All the Things We Never Knew
Chasing the Chaos of Mental Illness
By Sheila Hamilton
Narrated by: Sheila Hamilton
Length: 8 hours 44 minutes
Even as a reporter, Sheila Hamilton missed the signs as her husband David’s mental illness unfolded before her. By the time she had pieced together the puzzle, it was too late. Her once brilliant, intense, and hilarious partner was dead within six weeks of a formal diagnosis of bipolar disorder, leaving his nine-year-old daughter and wife... Read more »
You Should See Me in a Crown
By Leah Johnson
Narrated by: Alaska Jackson
Length: 7 hours 18 minutes
You Should See Me in a Crown
“You Should See Me in a Crown is a quintessential prom story with some twists—namely that the protagonist is a queer Black girl. Liz Lighty dreams of following in her late mother’s footsteps and attending Pennington. But she can’t go to college without financial aid, and the music scholarship she was counting on fell through. She has no other choice but to run for prom queen in the tiny Midwestern town where she’s never fit in, fighting for the cash prize like her future depends on it. Campaign sabotage eventually forces her to stand up for herself and her values, because fairytales aren’t just for white heteros. Read on for Black joy and queer romance!”
Mary, Raven Book Store
Darius the Great Is Not Okay
By Adib Khorram
Narrated by: Michael Levi Harris
Length: 7 hours 33 minutes
Darius doesn't think he'll ever be enough, in America or in Iran. Hilarious and heartbreaking, this unforgettable debut introduces a brilliant new voice in contemporary YA.
Winner of the William C. Morris Debut Award
“Heartfelt, tender, and so utterly real. I’d live in this book forever if I could.”
—Becky Albertalli, award-winning author of... Read more »
We Are Okay
By Nina LaCour
Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie
Length: 5 hours 36 minutes
Winner of the 2018 Michael L. Printz Award — An achingly beautiful novel about grief and the enduring power of friendship.
“Short, poetic and gorgeously written.” —The New York Times Book Review
“A beautiful, devastating piece of art." —Bookpage
You go through life thinking there’s so much you need. . . . Until you leave with only your phone, your... Read more »
The Lucky Ones
By Liz Lawson
Narrated by: Emma Galvin, Robbie Daymond & Liz Lawson
Length: 8 hours 59 minutes
For fans of Thirteen Reasons Why, This Is How It Ends, and All the Bright Places, comes a new novel about life after. How do you put yourself back together when it seems like you've lost it all?
May is a survivor. But she doesn't feel like one. She feels angry. And lost. And alone. Eleven months after the school shooting that killed her twin... Read more »
Everything Here Is Beautiful
By Mira T. Lee
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Emily Woo Zeller, Ozzie Rodriguez, Kim Mai Guest & Paul Boehmer
Length: 13 hours 17 minutes
Everything Here Is Beautiful
“Everything Here Is Beautiful is a remarkable debut about two sisters and the strength of their bond. At the heart of this story is Lucia - a sister, mother, and woman who struggles with mental illness. Told from alternating points of view, Mira T. Lee gives an honest and emotional look at living with mental illness and its impact on not only your own life but the lives of those you love most. Captivating doesn't begin to cover this novel. You will find me eagerly waiting on the edge of my seat for the next book by this talented author.”
Kaitlin Smith, Copperfield's Books
Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune
By Roselle Lim
Narrated by: Catherine Ho
Length: 10 hours 30 minutes
Lush and visual, chock-full of delicious recipes, Roselle Lim’s magical debut novel is about food, heritage, and finding family in the most unexpected places.
At the news of her mother’s death, Natalie Tan returns home. The two women hadn’t spoken since Natalie left in anger seven years ago, when her mother refused to support her chosen career... Read more »