Review of Keys to Harmony
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Ashley Mendez-Kestler
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- Latest Review: Keys to Harmony by Margalit Jakob
Review of Keys to Harmony
[Following is a volunteer review of "Keys to Harmony" by Margalit Jakob.]
Keys to Harmony is an extremely well-edited memoir by Margalit Jakob that explores her struggle with depression and ultimately her journey to becoming the therapist she needed.
The memoir is divided into parts (Harmonic Progressions) that center around a unifying theme or focus for that portion of Jakob's life. During the first part of the memoir, we are given a bit of an overview of her early life and family history. We learn that Jakob is Jewish and that her family survived the Holocaust. We also learn that it is because of this that she is in Israel auditioning for a place in a graduate program. In this section, there are time jumps that feel a bit confusing. As Jakob makes these time jumps, there are also jumps in tense, further adding to the confusion. Jakob sprinkles information about Jewish culture throughout this section, which really adds to the story.
About halfway through Part 2, the story picks up and becomes quite a bit more enjoyable to read. It is during this part that we get to see her interactions with the various mental health professionals she sees as she struggles with depression. During this section of the book, Jakob does an excellent job of calling out the stigma associated with mental illness, and especially the stigma around medications for mental illness. She also does a great job of showing how that stigma prevents people from seeking help for things like depression.
It is also during the second section of the memoir that we are given a powerful but brief glimpse into what life is like in a war-torn country. Additionally, Jakob lets us see into her thoughts, showing the internal turmoil caused by depression. This technique really allows the reader to feel what Jakob was feeling.
The fifth section is filled with wonderful insights into the mind of someone with depression or anxiety. For example, Jakob has a friend who points out that had Jakob not announced that she wasn’t doing well, no one would have noticed. This is such a good reminder for individuals suffering from depression that they are their own worst critics, and most people would rather support them than judge them. Jakob further expands on this theme, stating “I had no time to give in to these imagined comments that I projected onto others.” This quote is a beautiful example of a common occurrence for depressed individuals.
At times, the book feels quite repetitive with the same thought being expressed in multiple ways, especially when Jakob is describing her experience with depression. Sometimes the repetitiveness draws the reader out of the story and takes away from the experience. However, the book is filled with wonderful insights and is a story worth being told. These factors considered, I give Keys to Harmony 4 out of 5 stars.
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Keys to Harmony
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Keys to Harmony is an extremely well-edited memoir by Margalit Jakob that explores her struggle with depression and ultimately her journey to becoming the therapist she needed.
The memoir is divided into parts (Harmonic Progressions) that center around a unifying theme or focus for that portion of Jakob's life. During the first part of the memoir, we are given a bit of an overview of her early life and family history. We learn that Jakob is Jewish and that her family survived the Holocaust. We also learn that it is because of this that she is in Israel auditioning for a place in a graduate program. In this section, there are time jumps that feel a bit confusing. As Jakob makes these time jumps, there are also jumps in tense, further adding to the confusion. Jakob sprinkles information about Jewish culture throughout this section, which really adds to the story.
About halfway through Part 2, the story picks up and becomes quite a bit more enjoyable to read. It is during this part that we get to see her interactions with the various mental health professionals she sees as she struggles with depression. During this section of the book, Jakob does an excellent job of calling out the stigma associated with mental illness, and especially the stigma around medications for mental illness. She also does a great job of showing how that stigma prevents people from seeking help for things like depression.
It is also during the second section of the memoir that we are given a powerful but brief glimpse into what life is like in a war-torn country. Additionally, Jakob lets us see into her thoughts, showing the internal turmoil caused by depression. This technique really allows the reader to feel what Jakob was feeling.
The fifth section is filled with wonderful insights into the mind of someone with depression or anxiety. For example, Jakob has a friend who points out that had Jakob not announced that she wasn’t doing well, no one would have noticed. This is such a good reminder for individuals suffering from depression that they are their own worst critics, and most people would rather support them than judge them. Jakob further expands on this theme, stating “I had no time to give in to these imagined comments that I projected onto others.” This quote is a beautiful example of a common occurrence for depressed individuals.
At times, the book feels quite repetitive with the same thought being expressed in multiple ways, especially when Jakob is describing her experience with depression. Sometimes the repetitiveness draws the reader out of the story and takes away from the experience. However, the book is filled with wonderful insights and is a story worth being told. These factors considered, I give Keys to Harmony 4 out of 5 stars.
******
Keys to Harmony
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Keys to Harmony by Margalit Jakob
