Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel

So here's the skinny on "Prozac Nation": It's long, depressing, lacks a specific plot, and is basically just a bunch of whining from a pretty fortunate kid.

People who have already read and hated this bestselling memoir would probably agree with the above statement. Right now they're nodding their heads, happy to have found that one more person has realized the ridiculousness in Wurtzel's memoir about "struggling" with "depression".

I, on the other hand, have chosen not to look at this very personal piece in such a negative light, though it would be easy to dimiss Wurtzel's problems for teenage angst, self-centeredness, and an overall unjustified disatisfaction with her many privileges.

Personally I do not have clinical depression, so I cannot likely understand how it feels or why it's so difficult to get out of. But Wurtzel's memoir tries to describe depression to her readers in a way that they can understand. By midway, it becomes very clear that she is depressed and that nothing can get her out of it except medication. It is unfair to label her as an immature whiner just because of the fact that it seems she has "so many things to be happy about." Wurtzel is obviously well aware of what she has and yet it isn't enough to fix it. I think this is the point of her depression.

Wurtzel begins her story at early childhood, detailing her relationship with her parents as well as their problems. Her family life was not as great as many, but also not as bad as others I have known about. Later she gets into drugs, gets into Harvard, and gets into boys -- or rather, they get into her (sorry, couldn't help myself). She goes to a regular therapist while struggling to keep up her grades and force herself out of bed each day. She even ends up finding an awesome journalist position in Texas, but it's not enough to make her happy.

This book is probably the closest I will ever get to understanding what it's like to live with real depression. To some degree Wurtzel's memoir is probably relatable to everyone, as we've all been depressed at one point or another. To others her experience may seem completely foreign, and to more it could be frighteningly dead on. In any case, if you're interested in hearing a first hand experience of living with depression, "Prozac Nation" will surely show you the way, whether you like it or not.