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A Kind of Magic

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A Kind of Magic

By: Anna Spargo-Ryan
Narrated by: Anna Spargo-Ryan
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About this listen

Where do mental illness stories begin?

Anna's always had too many feelings. Or not enough feelings—she's never been quite sure. Debilitating panic. Extraordinary melancholy. Paranoia. Ambivalence. Fear. Despair.

From anxious child to terrified parent, mental illness has been a constant. A harsh critic in the big moments—teenage pregnancy, divorce, a dream career, falling in love—and a companion in the small ones—getting to the supermarket, feeding all her cats, remembering which child is which.

But between therapists' rooms and emergency departments, there's been a feeling even harder to explain … optimism.

In this sharp-eyed and illuminating memoir, award-winning writer Anna Spargo-Ryan pieces together the relationships between time, mental illness, and our brain as the keeper of our stories. Against the backdrop of her own experience, she interrogates reality, how it can be fractured, and why it's so hard to put it back together.

Powerfully honest, tender and often funny, A Kind of Magic blends meticulous research with vivid snapshots of the stuff that breaks us, and the magic of finding ourselves again.

©2022 Anna Spargo-Ryan (P)2022 W. F. Howes Ltd and Ultimo Press Anxiety Disorders Indigenous Creators Medical Mental Health Mental Health Awareness Professionals & Academics Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Health Funny
All stars
Most relevant
Anna’s amazing writing and honesty in this book incredibly resonated with me and my family members in regards to mental illness.
Her wit and skill will have you enthralled!
Again thank you Anna for writing this book!!!!

Absolutely the best autobiography I’ve read on mental health

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The true magic of this book is not in the words and phrases (although they’re pretty damn good) but in the essence of Anna that brought them to life. And, of course, the narration by Anna could not be anything but perfect. It will stay with me for a long time.

Magical!

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Anna weaves a personal story of mental illness in such a way that you think you a talking to a friend really well written!

A memorial memoir

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Anna Spargo-Ryan is smart, funny, fun and kind. Her razor sharp wit is as much a part of her as her skin, and how much of a friend she is to all of us traversing the laneways of mental illness. This is a triumphant book about the nuances of memory, trauma and hope - Spargo-Ryan is the victor in this book: buoyed with love and a desire to live.

My sentences are all running together because I have too many thoughts and it’s not possible to articulate them properly. I feel protected and held, having spent time in this life held in this phenomenal book. I am so very glad Anna wrote this, and it is a shining light of privilege to have been able to hear her read it to me.

A masterpiece

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I absolutely loved this book. As someone who lives with ASD/ADHD there were so many times I was just screaming “Yes! This!” when listening while driving to work. I wish I could get everyone who’s close to me to read this.

Also as a health professional, it was both saddening but not surprising the barriers spoken about for receiving the right help. Between the narrators own personal struggle to seek it “Am I even sick enough”; to the socio-economic barriers that come with even getting a diagnosis; to the fundamental misunderstanding of mental illness by a lot of health professionals - this is something I think all health professionals need to read. I often find myself trying to advocate for clients in letters to their GP but feel it falls on deaf ears.

Thank-you.

Raw look at mental health

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