Title: Her
Author: Felicia Johnson
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA/Fiction
Publisher: 8th Street Publishing
Release Date: June 2013
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print (Soon to be
a Movie)
Trigger Warnings: Borderline Personality Disorder, Eating Disorders,
Depression, Child Abuse, Self-Harm
Blurb/Synopsis:
In many ways, Kristen Elliott is a normal,
seventeen-year-old girl. Kristen loves her family. She works hard academically,
and tries to please her mother. She takes on the additional responsibility of
caring for her twin siblings, Nick and Alison. She idealizes her best friend,
Lexus, who not only seems to lead the perfect life, but also catches the
attention of John, the boy Kristen secretly loves. However, as is the case with
many teenagers, Kristen feels frustrated, isolated, and confused.
In other ways, Kristen is not like other kids her age. She
knows something is wrong with her. Kristen feels like an utter failure. She is
unable to please her abrasive mother, and scared to confront Jack, her abusive
stepfather. She is also unable to protect Nick from Jack, making her fell all
the more helpless. Adding to her problems, she knows she will never be as
beautiful as her best friend Lexus. Kristen finds solace in self-injury, and
the company of Mr. Sharp, her imaginary friend who encourages her feelings of
self-loathing.
After a failed suicide attempt, Kristen is placed in the
Bent Creek mental hospital, where she is diagnosed with Borderline Personality
Disorder. While in the hospital, she meets a group of peers suffering with
their own mental illnesses, and a compassionate staff of doctors and
counselors. From there, Kristen begins her journey to survival. She discovers
the circumstances that brought her to this breaking point, struggles to
understand her mental illness, and fights to be a survivor against her own
worst enemy: her self-blame.
Kristen’s tale of endurance illustrates the complex illness
of Borderline Personality Disorder. Readers – including those suffering from
BPD and their friends and family – can glean insight into the illness from
Kristen’s humanity. Her story is an example of how, if we try to push the past
away, we are either doomed to repeat it or let it haunt us to our graves.
Stop and think, and you’ll discover that you
probably know someone who is going through this right now. Yes, 1 out of every
4 people struggles with mental illness – the dark secret so many live with.
One of the
most corrosive aspects of living with mental illness is the urge to keep it a
secret. Felicia Johnson learned that secrets can be lethal, and courageously
shines a light on a diagnosis rarely talked about: borderline personality
disorder, or BPD. Your audience will appreciate her candour and this
opportunity for insight.
In Felicia
Johnson’s book Her, we walk in the
shoes of a girl suffering with borderline personality disorder, share her hopes
and struggles as she desperately tries to understand what is happening. It is
an example of how if we try to push the past away, we are either doomed to
repeat it or let it haunt us to our graves. This powerful and compelling story
enables those suffering from BPD, and their friends and family, to turn the
abstract concept of BPD into a more real understanding.
Meet Kristen Elliott, a normal seventeen-year-old who loves her family and friends and strives for their approval. But Kristen knows something is wrong with her. In her pain and isolation, she finds fleeting solace in self-injury, and the company of Mr. Sharp, her imaginary friend who feeds her feelings of self-loathing.
After a failed suicide attempt, Kristen is placed in a mental hospital and diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). There, she discovers the circumstances that brought her to this breaking point, struggles to understand her mental illness, and fights to be a survivor against her own worst enemy: her self-blame. It is a story of endurance, survival and finding hope from within.
The story
is inspired by Felicia Johnson’s own life of survival and her childhood best
friend, Holly who, at fifteen, committed suicide – a silent victim of untreated
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) stemming from the trauma of childhood
abuse. While Holly lost her battle with depression and BPD and at 15 years old
took her own life, we can make a difference in showing teens that they are not
alone on this journey and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Her also illuminates the harsh reality
of child abuse in the home and the long term psychological effects it has on
everyone involved.”
Through Her, Felicia Johnson helps to bring the
understanding of BPD within reach of many young people and families afflicted
by it, and continues to help many come to terms with mental health issues they
face.
“We need help in
turning this book into a movie, so we can reach thousands more and change the
perception of mental illness and enable those who need the help to get it, help
those going through this and also help families of those going through this to
understand what their loved ones are facing. My goal is to help put an end to
stigma on mental health and provide hope to those who seek help.”
My father would probably have killed my
mother. Theresa probably would have still killed
herself, and I probably would have done it, too.”
“Were you scared?”
“At first I was. When I first got here, I thought I
was being punished. Now I see what being a
survivor really is. It’s not giving up. It’s not
running away. It’s getting through whatever it is
you have to get through to make it. It is allowing
you to grow stronger for whatever is coming
next. It is being brave and choosing to live
through it all so that you can share your story
and help others. That’s what a survivor does. I
don’t want to run away anymore. I just want to
live and make things better. My mom wants to
do the same. I tell you, Kristen, Bent Creek may
seem like the worst place to be right now, but
you’ll see. It’s not.”
He looked straight into my eyes and said, “I’ve
watched you.”
My heart started beating fast. He grabbed my
hand gently and looked down at my bandaged
wrists. His fingers traced the fresh tape that Ms.
Mosley had used for the bandages when she’d
changed them this morning. I closed my eyes
and let myself feel this moment between us.
“You seem so sad and regretful. You can’t just
let it out, can you?”
I shook my head. My eyes were still closed. I
felt tears begin to well up in them. There were
no words to describe that moment. His words
and the feelings inside of me were just too
much. The tears poured out from underneath my
eyelids. He squeezed my hands. I jolted, not
afraid, just feeling too much. “Open your eyes,” he said.
I did open my eyes, and his large, beautiful eyes
stared into mine.
“You know how the old people in here always
have something to say to us? And when they
talk, they think they know everything. You
know?” He chuckled a little. Then his smile
disappeared.
“There are things I keep hearing over and over
that I do believe, though. They sound old–
fashioned, and they are definitely cliché. But
remember this, Kristen,” he told me with his
seriously passionate stare. “This too shall pass,
and what doesn’t kill you will make you
stronger.” He paused. “If you let it. Keep your
head up and your eyes open. That’s how you
will survive. If what you go through doesn’t kill
you, let it make you stronger.”
:Her
Book
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