What is your opinion on how the book addresses mental illness and Post-Traumatic Stress?

[Melisa Jane]

This is a discussion topic for the September 2025 Book of the Month, "Kalayla: Unraveling Tangles" by Jeannie Nicholas

What is your opinion on how the book addresses mental illness and Post-Traumatic Stress?

[Lawal Sulaiman Mohammed]

The book handles mental illness and PTSD in a sensitive way, showing the struggles honestly while also giving hope for healing and support.

[Kutloano Makhuvhela]

I didn't think it dove deeper into the topic for me to have an opinion on it. Yes, Clarence had suffered so much, but didn't seek help so now he was bleeding on wrong people.

[Obiageli Udeh]

I did not think it delved deep but even from the surface conversations, I think readers would learn lots if they read it.

[Faith Aye]

Mental stress and PTSD are often underlooked but this book raises an awareness concerning it. It is applaudable.

[Rebecca De Figueiredo]

The characters in the book all have different parts to play. With traumatic past experiences sometimes it’s difficult to know how to act, but, although it is touched on, PTSD isn’t given a huge amount of spotlight here. The characters do what fits with their persona.

[Prince Padova]

It did but this isn't the core message of the book. It only exposed the basics of mental illness.
Anyone looking forward to exploring mental illnesses should get a proper book on it.

[D Sonntag]

I agree with some of the posts above; while the book addresses mental illness and PTSD, it doesn't expand upon it. Clarence seemed like an afterthought and his resolution felt rushed. While I understood why he did what he did and what it represented, his arc felt squished near the end of the novel and not naturally brought up throughout the story. I really thought he was in love with Maureen, not that he saw her representing the white kids who traumatized him when he was a child.

[Miracle Chizaramekpere Chukwuemeka]

I would say that it was average. Especially from Kalayla's life, I witnessed the effects and damage that post-traumatic stress could cause and how it could influence one's thinking and future behaviour.

[Maria Loukaidou]

I think that the book addresses very well mental illness and post-traumatic stress. I understood everything about them from just reading the book. It is a very nice book that addresses very well both of them. Kalayla’s life is a very good example showing how one’s mental health might become during all that.

[Promise Kalu Odike]

The book touches on mental illness and trauma with sensitivity. It shows characters struggling, coping, and healing without judgment, reminding us that recovery is messy but possible.