It's Kind Of a Funny Story
About The Author
Ned Vizzini was an American author who was born on April 4, 1981 and died on December 19, 2013 when he comitted suicide in his Brooklyn appartment. Vizzini suffered from depression and spent time in a psychiatric ward during his early 20's. Several of the author's works focus on depression as a major theme because of his experience with the illness. Vizzini first began his career as a writer for the New York Press; while working there he wrote about many different topics such as family vacations and urban streeet life. The author's first novel, Be More Chill, was published in 2004. It's Kind of a Funny Story is one of Vizzini's most celebrated novels which is based on the time he spent in a psychiatric ward, and was published on April 2, 2006.
About The Novel
It's Kind of a Funny Story is based on the five days that Ned Vizzini spent in a phsychiatric hospital when he was trying to cope with his depression. This novel follows the life of Craig Gilner, the narrator, as he deals with depression which is caused by a buildup of stres in his life. Craig attends the prestigious Executive Pre-Profeshional High School when he passes an admittance test which he studied endlessly for. Craig quickly becomes overwhelmed with the amount of academic pressure in his life which leads to an eating disorder, the use of pot, poor sleeping habits, and suicidal thoughts. Together all these things lead to Craig's depression. When Craig stops taking the medication prescribed by his psychiatrist his depression worsens. One night Craig decides that he wants to kill himself, this scares him so he calls a suicide help line and is directed to go to the nearest hospital. His family is very supportive of him, but they do not know how bad Craig's depression has really gotten until they are notified that he is at the hospital because of suicidal thoughts. Craig spends five days at the adult psychiatric hospital because the teen wing of the hospital is closed for renovations. While at the hospital Craig meets many different people which influence him very positively, and also re-visits his favourite childhood pastime: drawing maps insde of people's heads. This experience helps Craig realize the causes of his depression, and how to deal with them. While at the hospital Craig's therapist suggests he transfer to an art school which excites him very much. By the time Craig returns home he has undergone a mental shift and is able to deal with the stress in his life.
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