Death & Grief
![Courtney Cook - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B092KQB947.jpg)
The Way She Feels: My Life on the Borderline in Pictures and Pieces
Named a Debut Book to Look Forward to This Summer by Bustle
"Audaciously human and raw. The Way She Feels is a rainbow during the rain." ―Mara Altman
A witty and one-of-a-kind debut graphic memoir detailing and drawing the life of a girl with borderline personality disorder finding her way―and herself―one day at a time.
What does it feel like to fall in love too hard and too fast, to hate yourself in equal and opposite measure? To live in such fear of rejection that you drive friends and lovers away? Welcome to my world. I'm Courtney, and I have borderline personality disorder (BPD), along with over four million other people in the United States. Though I've shown every classic symptom of the disorder since childhood, I wasn't properly diagnosed until nearly a decade later, because the prevailing theory is that most people simply "grow out of it." Not me.
In my illustrated memoir, The Way She Feels: My Life on the Borderline in Pictures and Pieces, I share what it's been like to live and love with this disorder. Not just the hospitalizations, treatments, and residential therapy, but the moments I found comfort in cereal, the color pink, or mini corndogs; the days I couldn't style my hair because I thought the blow-dryer was going to hurt me; the peace I found when someone I love held me. This is a book about vulnerability, honesty, acceptance, and how to speak openly―not only with doctors, co-patients, friends, family, or partners, but also with ourselves.
"Audaciously human and raw. The Way She Feels is a rainbow during the rain." ―Mara Altman
A witty and one-of-a-kind debut graphic memoir detailing and drawing the life of a girl with borderline personality disorder finding her way―and herself―one day at a time.
What does it feel like to fall in love too hard and too fast, to hate yourself in equal and opposite measure? To live in such fear of rejection that you drive friends and lovers away? Welcome to my world. I'm Courtney, and I have borderline personality disorder (BPD), along with over four million other people in the United States. Though I've shown every classic symptom of the disorder since childhood, I wasn't properly diagnosed until nearly a decade later, because the prevailing theory is that most people simply "grow out of it." Not me.
In my illustrated memoir, The Way She Feels: My Life on the Borderline in Pictures and Pieces, I share what it's been like to live and love with this disorder. Not just the hospitalizations, treatments, and residential therapy, but the moments I found comfort in cereal, the color pink, or mini corndogs; the days I couldn't style my hair because I thought the blow-dryer was going to hurt me; the peace I found when someone I love held me. This is a book about vulnerability, honesty, acceptance, and how to speak openly―not only with doctors, co-patients, friends, family, or partners, but also with ourselves.
Editorial Reviews
"A tender, relatable book from a commanding new voice."
― Bustle
"Candid.... depicts [mental health issues] with humor and vulnerability."
― Publishers Weekly
"Candid and endearing. . . . In addition to a moving personal story, Cook provides a funny, heartfelt guide to borderline personality disorder and a distillation of adolescent tortures many readers will recognize. A poignant debut from a promising writer and illustrator."
― Kirkus, Starred Review
"The Way She Feels is a lifeline to anyone who's ever felt alone."
― Piper Weiss, author of You All Grow Up and Leave Me
"Audaciously human and raw. The Way She Feels is a rainbow during the rain."
― Mara Altman, author of Gross Anatomy
"Moving.... [Cook's] work makes the disorder a little less scary, taboo, and misunderstood. She writes candidly about her experiences with self-harm, dermatillomania (obsessive skin-picking), and numerous hospitalizations in an astounding way that feels like reading a friend's diary. In fact, it often feels like she was one of my friends in high school. The book is raw, but also full of humor, heart, and oh so many bright colors."
― Book Riot
"A brave unveiling of the reality of borderline personality disorder."
― Paperback Paris
"Pack[s] a powerful emotional punch."
― Early Bird Books
"Informative and necessary."
― New Letters
"A smart, funny graphic memoir about living with BPD."
― Marbles Magazine
"A brutally honest look at living with mental illness. Very relatable (and reassuring) for those of us who've been/are there."
― School Library Journal
― Bustle
"Candid.... depicts [mental health issues] with humor and vulnerability."
― Publishers Weekly
"Candid and endearing. . . . In addition to a moving personal story, Cook provides a funny, heartfelt guide to borderline personality disorder and a distillation of adolescent tortures many readers will recognize. A poignant debut from a promising writer and illustrator."
― Kirkus, Starred Review
"The Way She Feels is a lifeline to anyone who's ever felt alone."
― Piper Weiss, author of You All Grow Up and Leave Me
"Audaciously human and raw. The Way She Feels is a rainbow during the rain."
― Mara Altman, author of Gross Anatomy
"Moving.... [Cook's] work makes the disorder a little less scary, taboo, and misunderstood. She writes candidly about her experiences with self-harm, dermatillomania (obsessive skin-picking), and numerous hospitalizations in an astounding way that feels like reading a friend's diary. In fact, it often feels like she was one of my friends in high school. The book is raw, but also full of humor, heart, and oh so many bright colors."
― Book Riot
"A brave unveiling of the reality of borderline personality disorder."
― Paperback Paris
"Pack[s] a powerful emotional punch."
― Early Bird Books
"Informative and necessary."
― New Letters
"A smart, funny graphic memoir about living with BPD."
― Marbles Magazine
"A brutally honest look at living with mental illness. Very relatable (and reassuring) for those of us who've been/are there."
― School Library Journal
Readers Top Reviews
index
Comprehensive and recommended read for anyone with BPD and/or family and friends. Lovely illustrations!
GroverKS
Did not like comic book format. Grade school level
krn22
Raw, vulnerable and real. A look into the life of navigating mental health and striving for the balance of survival. A gripping experience that leaves you wanting expansion of many of the chapters. Amazing illustrations and dynamic read.
DePlume
So beautifully written and illustrated. Engaging and evocative. I love and appreciate the way she is able to show the humanity of a person with BPD. I now recommend this to all my colleagues and friends in mental health care to help them see past the horror stories of BPD we are fed in grad school. So grateful for her vulnerability and the gift it brings to help create a more rich understanding of the variety of experiences of a person with BPD.
