The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork (Epub)

Description

“When Vicky Cruz wakes up in the Lakeview Hospital Mental Disorders ward, she knows one thing: After her suicide attempt, she shouldn’t be alive. But then she meets Mona, the live wire; Gabriel, the saint; E.M., always angry; and Dr. Desai, a quiet force. With stories and honesty, kindness and hard work, they push her to reconsider her life before Lakeview, and offer her an acceptance she’s never had.

But Vicky’s newfound peace is as fragile as the roses that grow around the hospital. And when a crisis forces the group to split up, sending Vicky back to the life that drove her to suicide, she must try to find her own courage and strength. She may not have them. She doesn’t know.

Inspired in part by the author’s own experience with depression, The Memory of Light is the rare young adult novel that focuses not on the events leading up to a suicide attempt, but the recovery from one — about living when life doesn’t seem worth it, and how we go on anyway.”

User’s Reviews

From School Library Journal Gr 7 Up—Vicky Cruz never expected to wake up. She planned her suicide attempt so nobody would find her until well after the pills did their job, but she was saved by her family’s housekeeper’s cat and woke up in Lakeview Hospital. There, she meets three other teens who also have mental illness. Mona copes with losing custody of her child by imagining getting her back, but when that doesn’t work, she cuts and uses drugs. E.M. is always angry, but there are compassion and caring buried underneath the surface, and Gabriel, who has a kindness that penetrates Vicky’s despair, hears God’s voice and may be suffering from schizophrenia. They, along with Dr. Desai, a quiet, empathetic psychiatrist, become the force she needs to get through her chilling and near-fatal depression. After her mother died from cancer and her more successful sister left for college, Vicky has felt abandoned, including by her emotionally remote father. Vicky’s connection with the others allows her not only to begin a slow, painful return to believing that life is worth living, but to find the strength to be there when she is needed, and to stand up to her father when it’s most important. This is an excellent fictional look at teen depression, made even more so by narrator Frankie Corzo’s pacing, steadiness, and inflection. VERDICT A stellar choice for any library serving teens. [“A beautiful read that adds essential depth to the discussion of teens and mental illness”: SLJ 2/16 starred review of the Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine book.]—John R. Clark, Hartland Public Library, ME –This text refers to the audioCD edition. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. From The Memory of Light:”What happened, mi niña? Why you do something so horrible? Something happen in school?””No, no.” “Do you miss your mamá? I miss her too. Your mamá wouldn’t want you to do this.””I know,” I say, rubbing my eyes with my hands. “Who hurt you, mi niña? Tell me.””No one, Nana, no one hurt me. It just hurts inside, I don’t know why.””Is it Barbara? Is that what happen?””No . . .” I have no answers to these questions, no explanations that make any sense. I feel my head shrinking, tightening with pressure, as if I were taking an exam in a foreign language on a subject I never even knew existed. “She okay. She tries. She needs learn to smile. So serious always. But she not bad inside. Your father, he loves you also. They sometimes confused about how to love. But they okay.”It is so painful to hear Juanita’s voice. Why? “Nana, I have to go. I wanted to let you know I’m okay. This thing I did. Taking the pills. It doesn’t mean I don’t love you.””I know that, my niña, I know. I no never have doubts. Don’t worry. I be here waiting for you. Diosito didn’t want you to die.” “I have to go now, Nana.””Don’t cry, my little baby. Everything okay. You see.”The call ends. I lie there for I don’t know how long, my hand on the telephone, as if I’m afraid to let go of the voice that flowed through it. It is possible, I realize, to have people in your life who love you and who you love, and to still want to kill yourself. It’s almost as if part of the reason you’re doing it is for them, because you are not worthy of their love, and you want to stop being a burden to them, contaminating their lives with your moodiness and grumpiness and miserableness. I feel Juanita’s love now. And it makes me feel so much worse. –This text refers to the hardcover edition. Review Praise for The Memory of Light: “…this important story of a teenager learning to live with clinical depression is informative and highly rewarding.” ― Booklist, starred review”…Stork further marks himself as a major voice in teen literature by delivering one of his richest and most emotionally charged novels yet.” ― Kirkus, starred review“[I]t’s a subject that needs the discussion Stork’s potent novel can readily provide.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred reviePraise for The Memory of Light: “…this important story of a teenager learning to live with clinical depression is informative and highly rewarding.” ― Booklist, starred review”…Stork further marks himself as a major voice in teen literature by delivering one of his richest and most emotionally charged novels yet.” ― Kirkus, starred review“[I]t’s a subject that needs the discussion Stork’s potent novel can readily provide.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred revie –This text refers to the audioCD edition.

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ This is not only a good book, it’s more than that. I think it should be a MUST READ for parents, teachers, counselors and youngsters. Potential spoiler review.It starts off AFTER a young girl tries to take her own life which important bc it doesn’t glorify suicide or focus one’s attention & instinct to blame. When things go wrong in our lives, we seek to understand & place blame somewhere. The reality is that most cases of suicide are NOT done bc of one single thing – it’s all those single hurts that add up until one can no longer hold on.While considered s YA book, it does an excellent job of explaining how a suicidal mind thinks. And those thoughts & feelings are not just the woes of teenagers; but rather shed light on the feelings of anyone who has seriously considered suicide.Given that suicide is the #1 killer of teens, this book is important for PARENTS to read as well. It gives the warning signs of a depressed teen (much of which can translate to an adult.) Teens and other suicidal people often talk about committing suicide, but not all do.Instead there may be s tendency to withdraw from the world. Vicki (main character) talks about the blissful silence she felt/heard before and after she takes the pills from her stepmother. (Keep such items locked away as teens are holding “M&M” parties where they bring in all the prescription meds found in their homes, mix them up in a bowl and, not even knowing what they are for, will take a handful!)This book is also about accepting ones feelings, allowing space in our hearts to grieve the loss of someone, be it a parent or friend.Our culture is so disconnected from death bc it has become “sanitized” by bright white hospitals and then the timeline on how long you’re allowed to grieve is on. Are you done grieving yet? Are you done yet? Done yet? Reality is that when someone loses a loved one, as Vickie lost her mother, one never really STOPS grieving. Instead we learn to live with it and incorporate it into our own personal stories.Suicide is a difficult thing to comprehend if you’ve never felt the hopelessness and loneliness that a suicidal person can feel. Often times, after weeks or months of displaying depressive feelings, they suddenly cheer up. That, on the outside looks like a good thing. But, it may also happen bc the suicidal person has a workable plan in place and the heavy, wet blanket that has been holding him/her down has been lifted as they accept dying as their way out.The ONLY reason I couldn’t give this book 5 stars is because Vickie’s “ recovery” takes place over the course of 3 weeks and she has a family supporting her to the best of their ability. Chronic clinical depression with a suicide attempt is not “fixed” in the span of 3 weeks and I wish Stork had somehow ended the story on a more reality-based scenario.Finally, if someone you know is talking about suicide, do NOT fall into the mistaken belief that s/he won’t do it. Do NOT leave that person alone and at the very least, take all medication and guns from the residence. Encourage them to talk about WHY they feel that way and ask how you can best be of service to him/her. LISTEN to what they have to say. Don’t try to cheer them up with worn out cliches or try to solve the problem right this second. Ask them to commit in writing that they will not hurt themselves in the next 24 hours. Repeat as needed until professional help becomes available.I believe that everyone could benefit by reading this book. It gives readers a lens through which they can experience the world of someone who is suicidally depressed. This is likely the single, most important book you will ever read.

⭐ There are few things as unsettling as having a young person attempt to take their life. Conversations about suicide and mental illness in general are often difficult for families to have, so having books that address these issues are important and will hopefully help to start the discussion.Teens love reading dystopian novels as is evidenced by the plethora of dystopian novels and movies flooding the YA market. Teens love talking about these books, but are less inclined to talk about their own feelings.There are plenty of things I like about this novel – the characters are believable, it rings true with what we know about mental illness, characters are from different ethnic backgrounds, etc. What I like best, however, is that suicide is not glorified and it shows that the path to recovery or well-being isn’t an easy one, but there IS a path.It is nice to read a book that tackles these important issues in an engaging manner. We need more.

⭐ I love Francisco Stork books and this fictional book about depression, suicide attempts, recovery and friendship was so moving. I also read this book as part of our May twitter chat we will have on YA/student instabilities they face 5/24 AT 8pm with #yabookchat. Vicky is a teen who has tried to commit suicide and spends time in a mental health facility where she meets and bonds with 3 other mentally ill teens- E.M., Mona and Gabriel. Vicky has a very supportive Doctor in Dr. Desai and a father, sister and step mom who do not understand why this has happened. As Vicky talks in group (gets to know her “friends”), and works in the hospital, she becomes more aware by talking and confronting her feelings that she suffers from depression. What I liked is how Stork shows Vicky and her family being totally shocked that Vicky was in fact depressed, did not understand what depression is, and how she must continue to talk and learn how depression can and will affect her and what tools she will need to keep with her to deal with this throughout her life. I liked the baby steps Vicky took to become mentally strong and how she continued to slowly look at the light and the sun as growth in her life and pledge not to be afraid or lonely anymore. I think this book should be read by all teens, guidance counselors, teachers and parents should read and learn from this book. Stork has taken his own experiences with depression and attempting suicide and woven a stark, realistic, and moving story about overcoming and living day to day with mental illness – highly recommended.

⭐ 4.5 stars, actually.I don’t have direct experience with clinical teenage depression– although I did watch a friend go through it in high school. Francisco Stork writes with great insight and sensitivity– and here he takes on the touchy subject of a variety of mental illnesses with trademark sensitivity.But more than just presenting a realistic spectrum of the way bipolar, schizophrenia, and depression may shape teens, Stork gives us a bonus spectrum: a variety of Latino characters of various economic and immigration status backgrounds.Vicky Cruz is the third generation-American, rich daughter of an ambitious businessman, and she just tried to commit suicide. She finds herself in an emergency hospital bed attended by Dr. Desai (a female psychiatrist of East Indian background) and forced into group therapy every day.Only the members of the group become a source of support and acceptance to each other, and ultimately Vicky finds reasons to live intricately bound up with her relationship to the others in the group.We meet the group, they seem fine, they go to a ranch to explore their therapy a bit more– and things explode. I really liked how Stork presented the characters in their more “normal” phases at first and then pulls the rug out from under you by showing how their illness flaring up can really mess up their relationships and lives. Mona, the bipolar, almost dies because she stops taking medication and becomes obsessed with her sister. Gabriel, presented more or less as the normal, wise one from the beginning, descends into a particular kind of madness that it would be hard to follow him into as a caring friend.Vicky manages it. She also manages to learn to stand up to her family’s expectations and deal with the loss of her mother.So I know this is a novel. I know there has to be some kind of hope woven through the story. But I kept having to suspend disbelief about the nuggest of wisdom each character had, as well as the overall path towards wellness Vicky took (she didn’t even have to take medication). Not that it couldn’t happen this way in real life, but just that I wondered if there was some way to convey through the story the daily grind, the many moments of wrestling with illness that I saw in my high school friend in Vicky’s story.Regardless, this is an important book for teens. It does a superb job of unpacking stereotypes about mental illness and latino culture.

⭐ I have been fascinated by anxiety and depression since I was little. Both have plagued my family for years, and suicidal thoughts and attempts have been a part of that at times. And so often, when something tragic and horrible like that happens, that is our focus for years. That moment of decision becomes what we think when we think of that person or that time. It is sort of like a focal point. We tend to not think of the after, the improvement, the getting better. That is why Francisco Stork’s work in Memory of Light is so important in this world today. His voice is one that needs to be heard. Young people, especially, need to know Vicky’s story. I also love that Mr. Stork created a background for her in which she was “privileged.” It shows that kids from all walks of life are allowed to feel this way, to feel that their life is pointless and that they do not want to be a part of this world anymore. They are still worthy to be saved. Mr. Stork’s perspective was refreshing in that sense, and in the fact that suicide is no longer the focal point. For once, someone is showing the world of recovery. Someone is providing proof that what you did or tried to do or want to do does not define who you are. Vicky is so much more than what she did, and Mr. Stork illustrates that beautifully. And her story needs to be read in all middle schools and junior highs and high schools across the nation. We need it. Our children need it.

⭐ I’m not sure where I found this book and why I bought it. It has sat for a bit now on my kindle waiting for me to read it. Yesterday, with two hours of time to kill, I started reading. And reading and reading.I’m not religious (at all) and at first I wondered if this was going to be a big problem. The characters often refer to God. It wasn’t.The writing is spectacular and the characters are people I’ll never forgetBravo

⭐ Wonderful characterization of four teens who suffer mental health issues. Privileged Vicky opens up and actually learns coping mechanisms from the others. Although they cannot always help themselves, they manage to support each other. Essential reading for any teen who suffers depression ordeals with a family member or friend who does. Outreach bibliography included.

⭐ A compelling read that is both powerful and empowering. I was viscerally moved and held captive by the images and feelings evoked by the honesty and clarity of the author’s writing. This is a book that is not just read, but experienced fully. As a mental health counselor, I was challenged to examine many of my beliefs around suicidal ideation, and discovered buried wells of empathy within that have changed not only how I perceive my clients, but how I see myself as well. I would consider this to be required reading for anyone in helping professions. It will open your eyes and your heart to the struggle faced by a growing population of disenfranchised people who are living broken, bleeding and ignored in their search for release from their pain.

⭐ Absolutely one of my favorite books of all time. It’s definitely a hard read, and might be a bit triggering to those who are sensitive to the material, but I feel like everyone who is struggling with depression needs to read this. There are so many different perspectives and coping mechanisms mentioned in this book. It honestly helps, even if it is hard to get through.

⭐ Easy to read and such a great book. I work in mental health and it was a pretty accurate description of what happens there. Most importantly I really enjoyed that I got a glimpse of what the patients think, feel and go through while in a mental facility! Totally recommend it

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