Nonfiction – Page 12 – The Relentless Reader

Sharp by David Fitzpatrick
Publisher: William Morrow/Harper Collins
Publication Date: August 2012
Categories: Personal Memoir, Self Harm
Source: William Morrow/Harper Collins

Description:
Sharp is the story of a young man who began his life with a loving family and great promise for the future. But in his early twenties, David Fitzpatrick became so consumed by mental illness it sent him into a frenzy of cutting himself with razor blades. In this shocking and often moving book, he vividly describes the rush this act gave him, the fleeting euphoric high that seemed to fill the spaces in the rest of his life. It started a difficult battle from which he would later emerge triumphant and spiritually renewed.

Fitzpatrick’s youth seemed ideal. He was athletic, handsome, and intelligent. However, he lived in fear of an older brother who taunted and belittled him; and in college, his roommates teased and humiliated him, further damaging what sense of self-esteem he still carried with him. As he shares these experiences, Fitzpatrick also recounts the lessons learned from the broken people he encountered during his journey—knowledge that led to his own emotional resurrection.

My Thoughts:

Sharp is far from an easy breezy read. It is full of self-harm and self-hate with an unhealthy dose of self-pity thrown into the mix. David Fitzpatrick gives us a horrifying account of his spiral into mental illness and cutting that took over his life for more than 15 years.

Even though David’s story was heartbreaking I had too many issues with the book to fully enjoy it. I didn’t sense a lot of honest story telling. The dialogue rang false. His brother seemed like the mildest sort of bully. His college roommates sounded like assholes but not dangerous ones. After over 15 years of being in and out (mostly in) of group homes and hospitals David is almost miraculously cured? I didn’t buy it.

As with every book I read, I wanted to like this. I wanted to feel empathy for the author. I wanted to come away from this with a better understanding of mental illness. Those things didn’t happen.

On the Map: A Mind-Expanding Exploration of the way the World Looks by Simon Garfield
Publisher: Gotham
Publication Date: December 2012
Categories: Cartography, Nonfiction
Source: Gotham Books

Description:

Cartography enthusiasts rejoice: the bestselling author of the Just My Type reveals the fascinating relationship between man and map. Simon Garfield’s Just My Type illuminated the world of fonts and made everyone take a stand on Comic Sans and care about kerning. Now Garfield takes on a subject even dearer to our fanatical human hearts: maps. Imagine a world without maps. How would we travel? Could we own land? What would men and women argue about in cars? Scientists have even suggested that mapping—not language—is what elevated our prehistoric ancestors from ape-dom.

Follow the history of maps from the early explorers’ maps and the awe-inspiring medieval Mappa Mundi to Google Maps and the satellite renderings on our smartphones, Garfield explores the unique way that maps relate and realign our history—and reflect the best and worst of what makes us human. Featuring a foreword by Dava Sobel and packed with fascinating tales of cartographic intrigue, outsize personalities, and amusing “pocket maps” on an array of subjects from how to fold a map to the strangest maps on the Internet, On the Map is a rich historical tapestry infused with Garfield’s signature narrative flair.

My Thoughts:

If you would have told me that maps are romantic and fascinating I probably would have smiled at you politely and rolled my eyes behind your back. Maybe even to your face. It’s not that I’m that full of snark, it’s just that I wouldn’t have believed you. After reading On the Map I now know that maps are romantic and fascinating.

This book is just what I love: Nonfiction packed with strange and wonderful facts. Simon Garfield has written a humorous presentation of history told through maps. From cave markings, Lewis & Clark to the maps of the future…I was enthralled from start to finish.

On the Map contains dozens of gorgeous photographs. A sampling: