I don't have a lot to say about Jonathan Harnisch's autobiographical stream of consciousness book Glad You're Not Me. First, this short book offers a window into the mind of someone "diagnosed with several mental illnesses from schizoaffective disorder to Tourette's syndrome." I would assume that most people with these conditions have difficulty communicating their feelings and thoughts. Harnisch says he writes "to attain an ounce, a moment of seemingly impossible peace of mind, through complete honesty and selflove, by any means necessary."
He is a writer and self-described "all-around artist" so his developed ability to express himself must be a gift for him, a release. He also says he has helped on a couple of movies to train actors to pretend to have Tourette's. To me that shows a high level of self-awareness that many with mental illness don't have.
One of the best things about Glad You're Not Me is its brevity. Despite the potential for insight here, it's almost unreadable. I am glad I'm not Hamisch, and I appreciate his self-effacing writing and striving for understanding. But I wasn't all that glad to be reading Glad You're Not Me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
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The frame of reference that is of Jonathan Harnisch is defined by the structure of associated responses which integrates the various ego-states in response to specific stimuli. It provides the individual with '...an overall perceptual, conceptual affective and action set, which is used to define the self, other people and the world...' Jonathan Harnischs' world. It is a filter on reality. The schizophrenic lens through which Jonathan views is very different to yours or mine. It seems my learned friend above filtered out parts of the scene that did not apply to him.
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