Review of Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age
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Chiara Fontana
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Review of Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age
[Following is a volunteer review of "Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age" by Elliott B. Martin, Jr..]
This is the first book I have written a review on...and I could not have chosen a better one to start with! As a psychology student, I was interested immediately because the title already sounded incredibly intriguing. Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age by Elliot B. Martin Jr. offers a broad description of the vision and development of the various conceptions about mental illness and topics such as suicide, addiction and the influence of social media in the representation of mental illness that is increasingly spreading, including historical, medical and cultural notions at a fast and lively pace.
In fact, it is precisely the author's way of writing that allowed me to pleasantly and rapidly read this book: most of the texts and manuals on these subjects that I have consulted, presented a courtly and complex vocabulary that made them hard to follow. In this instance, although I believe it is also necessary to have some basic knowledge of psychology and general culture, the sarcastic language adopted, combined with the use of some “slang” terms and the use of examples that everyone can comprehend, made the book enjoyable and full of a humour that never bored me. The choice of words and the complex composition of the sentences, in my opinion, made the book as a whole very interesting.
Another thing I really appreciated was the incredible amount of personal thoughts and considerations made by the author, fully representing his way of thinking: he did not just describe facts but included a lot of personal knowledge about literature, general culture, history and medicine. In some parts, it is as if he was able to figure out what questions I would have asked myself after reading a certain paragraph, therefore he wrote a digression to answer in advance certain questions a reader might ask.
As for possible negative notes, I would say that this book might seem heavy to read for some readers due to the complexity and composition of the sentences. It is a matter of taste, I appreciated this aspect but understandably, it cannot please everyone.
In some cases, I would say the digressions are too long, slowing down the pace of the book even though for the most part I found them interesting.
I would recommend this book to those who appreciate manuals of this type, that deal with subjects that are complex themselves and who already know some notions about mental illness and are interested in following a book that is not particularly light and not to be read without thinking at all. However, it is about psychology and psychiatry, so it is not intended for people who do not appreciate or find these topics interesting. Personally I'd give it a 4/4.
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Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
This is the first book I have written a review on...and I could not have chosen a better one to start with! As a psychology student, I was interested immediately because the title already sounded incredibly intriguing. Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age by Elliot B. Martin Jr. offers a broad description of the vision and development of the various conceptions about mental illness and topics such as suicide, addiction and the influence of social media in the representation of mental illness that is increasingly spreading, including historical, medical and cultural notions at a fast and lively pace.
In fact, it is precisely the author's way of writing that allowed me to pleasantly and rapidly read this book: most of the texts and manuals on these subjects that I have consulted, presented a courtly and complex vocabulary that made them hard to follow. In this instance, although I believe it is also necessary to have some basic knowledge of psychology and general culture, the sarcastic language adopted, combined with the use of some “slang” terms and the use of examples that everyone can comprehend, made the book enjoyable and full of a humour that never bored me. The choice of words and the complex composition of the sentences, in my opinion, made the book as a whole very interesting.
Another thing I really appreciated was the incredible amount of personal thoughts and considerations made by the author, fully representing his way of thinking: he did not just describe facts but included a lot of personal knowledge about literature, general culture, history and medicine. In some parts, it is as if he was able to figure out what questions I would have asked myself after reading a certain paragraph, therefore he wrote a digression to answer in advance certain questions a reader might ask.
As for possible negative notes, I would say that this book might seem heavy to read for some readers due to the complexity and composition of the sentences. It is a matter of taste, I appreciated this aspect but understandably, it cannot please everyone.
In some cases, I would say the digressions are too long, slowing down the pace of the book even though for the most part I found them interesting.
I would recommend this book to those who appreciate manuals of this type, that deal with subjects that are complex themselves and who already know some notions about mental illness and are interested in following a book that is not particularly light and not to be read without thinking at all. However, it is about psychology and psychiatry, so it is not intended for people who do not appreciate or find these topics interesting. Personally I'd give it a 4/4.
******
Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill
