Words on Bathroom Walls

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.