i recieved this book from my mother when i was going through some major depression last year, before i started to see a councelor.

i didn't read the book right away. i tossed it under my bed with all my other books that i decided not to read, and crawled back into my bed.
a week or so later i decided to pick up the book and to take a lok at it. i started reading the firt couple stories, and then before i knew it, i couldn't put it down and finished the book in 2-3 days.

i can related so much to some of the stories in the books [intoxication/drug use, self-mutilation, depression, feminism, etc.]
it really touched my heart, and made me relize [even though i might have known it all along, but didn't regognize it right away] that i am not alone.

i still suffer from depression-- although it is not as sever as it was. and i still love to pick up the book and re-read stories out of there, and take ourt exerpts from the book, write them down, and paste them on my bedroom walls.