Words on Bathroom Walls

well would you look at that... i finished a book while DEEP in a reading slump

I read this because i wanted to watch the movie but now a huge bill just slapped me across the face so now i can no longer afford to liiiiiiive let alone stream or rent a movieeee

so i guess i aint watching the movie

This story is about Adam. A sixteen year who is suffering from schizophrenia. Adam is placed in a clinical trial on an experimental drug for his illness. The medicine is what he calls a miracle drug because he finally feels like he is in control of himself. During the time he is on this drug, he starts to interact with his environment more. He attends a new school, finds a girlfriend, makes a friend, and has sex for the first time. Then tragedy strikes, he is becoming immune to the drug and he is thus removed from the clinical trial. He is then taken off the drug incrementally. Then everything turns bleak.

However, there is always beauty for our ashes.


Why did I pick it up?

I picked up this book because I wanted to know more about schizophrenia.

Describe the book in 5 words

Interesting, Heartfelt, Funny, Honest, and a little Crazy.

Who would LOVE Words on Bathroom Walls

Anyone who wants to know more about schizophrenia through a story rather than reading a nonfiction book.

Are there illustrations?

None.

Overall thoughts

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The story unfolded at a good pace. This book really provided me with a good sense of what it would be like to suffer from schizophrenia.

I went back and forth on the rating for this book. On the one hand, we need more books that help reduce the stigma of mental illness, especially a severe illness like schizophrenia. The book is well-written, and it conveys a positive message that people with any kind of disability should and can find love.

But on the other hand, if you're going to write a book about a teen with schizophrenia, shouldn't you at least do a bit of research? Consult a few teens or young adults who are living with schizophrenia? It doesn't appear that Julia Walton did much more than talk to the two doctors she mentions in the book's acknowledgements, and her lack of knowledge shows. Schizophrenia is not just visual or auditory hallucinations. The illness almost always includes emotional and cognitive changes, neither of which Adam displays. And the hallucinations don't usually feature a permanent cast of named characters, like Adam's stalwart Rebecca or naked Jason. The picture that Walton paints suggests that if Adam can just stop hallucinating, everything else will be just ducky, which is misleading.

So in good conscience I can't recommend this book. Unfortunately, it was made into a terrible 2020 movie of the same name, with even less clinical accuracy. Not every book about living with a disability has to be #OwnVoices, but Walton should have done her homework and sought out at least one mental health consumer who would have helped her craft a more realistic portrayal.