The ABCs of My Neuroses

A book review of The ABCs of My Neuroses: Tales From an Anxious Life by Justine Cadwell

Stars: ****

Library Tales Publishing (2023)
Mental Health/Memoir
250 pages

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.

Summary: Embark on a riveting journey of self-discovery with Midwestern millennial, Justine Cadwell, in her groundbreaking new book, The ABCs of My Neuroses – Tales from an Anxious Life. Daringly honest, deeply relatable, and laced with touches of humor, Cadwell’s work offers a refreshing perspective on anxiety disorders and their impacts on daily life.

Each chapter, arranged alphabetically, unravels the complex tapestry of the author’s own neuroses, forging a path that blurs the line between endearing quirks and debilitating mental illness. Woven with extracts from her personal journals, love letters, and text message conversations, Cadwell paints a vivid portrayal of the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of living with anxiety. It resonates with anyone who’s ever felt their heart race at the thought of the unknown.

But Cadwell’s story isn’t just about navigating mental illness—it’s about surviving modern life, exploring universal topics such as sex and body image hang-ups, parenting woes, and the slippery slope from the need for external validation to consumerism and codependency.

The ABCs of My Neuroses is a must-read for those seeking to understand the multifaceted nature of mental health. It’s an exploration, a conversation, and ultimately, a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

The ABCs of My Neuroses

In this unusual memoir you will get to know the author well but in an alphabetical way. She goes through the alphabet picking a word related to her life that starts with that letter and then she expands on that. Some of the titles are Beauty, Depression, Kindergarten, Night, Pain, Religion, Umbilical Cord and Zen.

She discusses her past and present in a bare everything type way. There is swearing and sex talk so if that’s not for you, take note. However it’s an eye opening look into the life of someone with anxiety. Obviously anxiety is different for different people. I have anxiety so I could identify with a lot of what the author said, but not all. That’s to be expected.

I’m not the biggest fan of books that are chronological though so that bugged me a bit. However I like that it’s because it’s alphabetical, and not just seemingly random.

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