Good Books - Part Deux, Summer 2015

I am so happy to be teaching Good Books again this summer. I am using the same books as I did in Summer 2013. With 33 new students in this section, I am hoping to learn even more with and from them about The Quiet Room, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, The Lovely Bones, My Friend Dahmer, The Hour I First Believed, She's Come Undone, and I Know This Much is True.

As I am reading their individual blogs, I am reminded of the power of words, images, and sounds. Many students are posting links to video clips, ads, and music; others are writing in response to questions and already integrating what they are learning from the literature with what they already know or have learned by beginning to investigate the topic of mental illness, the theme we are exploring in Good Books.

Just two years ago,  "President Obama proclaimed May as National Mental Health Awareness Month and brought the issue of mental health to the forefront of our nation’s thoughts." 
  http://www2.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=May_is_Mental_Health_Month

The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that "the number of adults with any diagnosable mental disorder within the past year is nearly 1 in 5, or roughly 43 million Americans.^"
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/director/2015/mental-health-awareness-month-by-the-numbers.shtml

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a web site dedicated to helping promote conversations about mental illness and ways to help those living with anxiety disorders, behavioral disorders, substance use disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, and suicidal behavior. http://www.mentalhealth.gov/index.html

One of my favorite sites is Bring Change 2 Mind. "Bring Change 2 Mind is a national anti-stigma campaign aimed at removing misconceptions about mental illness. The idea was born out of a partnership between Glenn Close and Fountain House, where Glenn volunteered in order to learn more about mental illness, which both her sister, Jessie Close, and nephew, Calen Pick, live with."
http://bringchange2mind.org/

Thanks for listening.
Kia Jane

Source for image: National Alliance on Mental Illness