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UnderratedReads is devoted to discovering underrated books and under-represented authors. We highlight hidden gems from around the world–honest reviews only, never pay-to-play.
Tag Archives: mental illness
The Night Swimmer – Simon J Houlton
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Bill Eckersley, in his late thirties, drifts through life in the working-class seaside town of Hastings, England. He’s the kind of character who reminds us of the troubled, unstable writers we’ve all read about—but without the … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged dark humor, England, mental illness
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My Bully, My Aunt, and Her Final Gift – Harold Phifer
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Hal endured a tumultuous upbringing under the cruel hand of his Aunt Kathy. While his mother suffered from severe mental illness, it was Aunt Kathy who had to step in to raise him and … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Non-fiction
Tagged abuse, death, family dysfunction, mental illness
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An UnderratedRead Revisited- Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD – Jason Kander
(Reviewed by JD Jung) One would think that Jason Kander had it all. He completed his law degree from Georgetown University and was married to Diana, a girl he met when they were both seventeen. He served in the U.S. … Continue reading
Posted in Revisited
Tagged Afghanistan, memoirs, mental illness, politics, PTSD, veterans
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Forgottenness – Tanja Maljartschuk, translated by Zenia Tompkins
(reviewed by JD Jung) “I was an inconsequential being who had suddenly become deathly afraid of life.” Our present-day narrator suffers from mental/psychological disorders: frequent panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder, substance abuse, and changing levels of agoraphobia. Eventually she breaks … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, Slavic Literature, World Literature
Tagged history, mental illness, political activism, politics, Ukraine
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The Flowers of Buffoonery – Os Amu Dazai, (translated by Sam Bett)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “A man crushed by reality puts on a show of endurance.” This is exactly the case with twenty-five-year-old Yozo Oba, who is sent to a seaside sanitarium to recover from injuries due to failed suicide … Continue reading
Posted in Far Eastern Literature, Lost and almost forgotten
Tagged Japan, mental illness, short books, suicide
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Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD – Jason Kander
(Reviewed by JD Jung) One would think that Jason Kander had it all. He completed his law degree from Georgetown University and was married to Diana, a girl he met when they were both seventeen. He served in the U.S. … Continue reading
Posted in American Politics, Bios and Memoirs, Politics and Social Justice
Tagged Afghanistan, mental illness, PTSD, veterans
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An UnderratedRead Revisited: The Patient – Jasper DeWitt
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Patient additionally shows a high propensity toward violence and sadism. Patient has assaulted numerous members of staff and has had to be restrained. Despite relative youth, patient seems intuitively aware of which parts of the human … Continue reading
Posted in Revisited
Tagged contemporary fiction, mental illness, Psychiatry
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Do You Follow?: A Thriller – J.C. Bidonde
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned Twenty-two-year-old Alexa has just been arrested for killing her boyfriend. She insists that the real murderer is her twin sister, Beth. This is where the story begins. The author then takes us back three months … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged mental health issues, mental illness, Psychiatry, psychological thriller, social media
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The Professor’s Wife – Marina DelVecchio
Reviewed by JD Jung) “She was not what she had promised, what she had led him to believe. And he couldn’t help but feel deceived. Tricked, somehow. Bitterness coursed through his bloodstream like an invisible worm consuming him from the … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged mental illness, Romance, sex, short books
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An UnderratedRead Revisited: Torment – H.D. Hunter
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “I wish I could tell them how hard it was. How hard it still is. I wish I could tell them that just because a person doesn’t understand what it means to be broken doesn’t mean … Continue reading
Posted in Revisited
Tagged mental illness, modern literary fiction, short books
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