stress will do that to you

"It's Kind of a Funny Story" may seem like an odd title for a book with such extreme themes as adolescent depression and suicide, until you recall the last time you burst out laughing at an inappropriate moment in this book. Laughter is one way to cope with pressure, and that's what i think Ned Vizzini's novel is all about i think, the kind of pressure teenagers face in a success-oriented society that values product over process, scores over scholarship and extracurriculars.

Craig becomes dysfunctional and severely depressed after driving himself relentlessly to get accepted into Executive Pre-Professional High School, "set up to create the leaders of tomorrow." Graduates of this pressure cooker "end up being, like, president," if they don't end up on the psych ward first. Once he's admitted to the school, Craig realizes that staying there is the true challenge. Just reading about his assignments is anxiety-producing — nine classes, unbearable reading lists, four hours of homework a night. One class requires reading two hefty daily newspapers and analyses of the stock market. Within months Craig has "stress vomiting for the first time." I CANT EVEN IMAGINE THIS. AND I HAVE ANXIETY JUST LIKE HIM. The more behind he gets, the more paralyzed he is, until he contemplates jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge. Instead, he calls 1-800-SUICIDE and checks himself into a nearby hospital. His mom's response when he calls from the E.R. is touching: "I am so proud of you. . . . This is the bravest thing you've ever done."

 

The authors humor is found throughout, focused not only on the comic impact of any given line, but on the role of humor itself, the necessity of laughter and the realization that it's O.K., even necessary, to lighten up when things seem bad. AND I LOVE THAT.... When Craig starts to share a laugh about a fellow patient, he stops himself. "I bite my tongue. I can't help it. I shouldn't be laughing at any of these people . . . but maybe it's O.K., somewhere, somehow, because we're enjoying life?" i think its important to laugh even though things might be going horribly wrong.

 

One of the most disturbing realities present in this novel is the many characters who need meds to cope with getting through school. This is an important book, not only because it will help teenagers recognize unhealthy expectations and know there are alternative choices.