Esmé Weijun Wang, "The Collected Schizophrenias"

Esmé Weijun Wang discusses her book, "The Collected Schizophrenias", at Politics and Prose. Drawing on her personal experience as both a onetime lab researcher at Stanford and a person diagnosed with a schizoaffective disorder, Wang examines how mental illness is perceived by the medical community, by society, and by patients themselves. Writing with the immediacy and honesty that earned her a spot as one of Granta’s Best of Young American Novelist sin 2017, Wang discusses doctors’ disagreements about diagnosing mental illness, describes her work at a camp for bipolar children, recounts a harrowing stay in a mental hospital, and reflects on how her condition could be an asset rather than a burden. Together these powerful essays dispel myths about mental illness even as they illuminate the challenges of living with one. https://www.politics-prose.com/book/9... Founded by Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade in 1984, Politics and Prose Bookstore is Washington, D.C.'s premier independent bookstore and cultural hub, a gathering place for people interested in reading and discussing books. Politics and Prose offers superior service, unusual book choices, and a haven for book lovers in the store and online. Visit them on the web at http://www.politics-prose.com/ Produced by Tom Warren