More or Less Maddy

 More or Less Maddy

Reviewed By  Grasshopper2       February 5, 2025

 

Author  Lisa Genova

Distributor:      Allen and Unwin
ISBN:                 9781761472466
Publisher:         Allen and Unwin
Release Date:   January 2025  

   Website:   https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Lisa-Genova-More-or-Less-Maddy-9781761472466

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Lisa Genova is a neuroscientist who has written about people who “Tend to be ignored, feared and misunderstood because of what is going on in their brain.” She has previously written about Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury and autism, to name a few.

When she spoke at a book launch and said that she would like to research and write about Bipolar disorder; many people came to her and expressed their interest and support. Her beginning research showed that this brain disorder was hidden in plain view and affecting many, many people.

The story of Maddy will be familiar to people who are close to a sufferer. For those who don’t know about Bipolar disorder, this is the reality!

After completing High school with good grades, Maddy finds the pressure of college challenging. Her parents expect high grades and are demanding that she work harder. This begins a series of slip and slides in Maddy’s life, which see her going from doctor to doctor, drinking heavily and doing drugs with friends. The downward slide continues with the young woman becoming suicidal and self-harming.

The way Lisa tells Maddy’s story involves the reader in the day-to-day life experiences faced by the young woman. Not so different to many of our own stories, except for the way Maddy’s brain reacts.

More or Less Maddy makes one feel compassionate and more understanding of this debilitating and horrific complaint. Lisa has done a brilliant job of exposing how the brain reacts, and how we can support people and their careers. She has done a great service to expose and discuss such an expanding issue.

Fiction, General