In her book, Ten Things I Learned from a Schizophrenic Mechanic, L. M. Kugler states "We don't talk about mental illness nearly enough in our society, not enough about what it's like to be mentally ill, nor what it's like for the families of those who are mentally ill."
In this novella-length work designed for those aged 15 and up, Mrs. Kugler takes readers on a journey through ten different lessons she learned from her father, who was schizophrenic. She uses vivid stories from her life to do so and ends each chapter with a few questions designed to engage the reader with their own autobiographical history.
Through this book, she aims to take away some of the stigma of mental illness by opening the doors of conversation while at the same time, sharing some universal truths we all can benefit from.
In her book, Ten Things I Learned from a Schizophrenic Mechanic, L. M. Kugler states "We don't talk about mental illness nearly enough in our society, not enough about what it's like to be mentally ill, nor what it's like for the families of those who are mentally ill."
In this novella-length work designed for those aged 15 and up, Mrs. Kugler takes readers on a journey through ten different lessons she learned from her father, who was schizophrenic. She uses vivid stories from her life to do so and ends each chapter with a few questions designed to engage the reader with their own autobiographical history.
Through this book, she aims to take away some of the stigma of mental illness by opening the doors of conversation while at the same time, sharing some universal truths we all can benefit from.
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I put two labels front and center on the bookâs title, right there on the cover, precisely because I wanted everybody to take notice of them. I wanted it to feel like I was holding them out in my palms, like two sparkling gems for all the world to see. âHey! Look over here at these words!â Because thatâs what labels tend to make us do when we hear them, donât they? They make us look. They make us take notice.
Yet they arenât sparkly, shiny gems at all. They are mundane things at the best of times. They are simple things like our age. Words like âyoungâ or âoldâ. They are words that tell what race we are, or what sex. They speak to our gender. Maybe they tell us what religion we are. Maybe we get labeled by our outward appearance because we are âtallâ or âshortâ. We get labeled by our relationships: âBrother, sister, mother, daughter, husband, son.â Truly a person can and will get labeled by anything about themselves. Each of those labels only captures a microcosm of the person they are attached to. Nobody is just any one thing. We are all of us more than the sum of our parts.
So, I put those labels out front, precisely because I wanted you to notice them only long enough to tell you to pay them just enough heed that you recognize them for the stereotypes they are. A person might hear âschizophrenic mechanicâ and giggle at first and think, âthat's crazy.â And thatâs ok. As long as the thought passes as quickly as that first giggle. Because âcrazyâ isnât something so easily defined and, like they say, ânormal is only a setting on a dryer.â
People are complicated and this book doesnât shy away from any of those complexities. Though itâs short, it has some very real discussions.
We don't talk about mental illness nearly enough in our society; not about what itâs like to be mentally ill, nor what itâs like for the families of those who are mentally ill. I donât pretend to speak for everybody. I can only give voice to my own limited experience. But by voicing my experience, I can make it easier for the next person to speak their own truth.
           And the truth is, people with mental illness are stigmatized. Marginalized in a way few others will ever be. When they speak, they are often disregarded. Legitimate medical and emotional concerns are often minimized as persons labeled mentally ill are seen as âunreliable narratorsâ in all aspects of their own lives. Can you imagine? Going to the doctor for an illness or in pain and because of a mental diagnosis being dismissed almost out of hand? This can be the experience of people with mental illness. It was certainly my father's experience. I saw it with my own eyes. How, leading up to his death, he complained of chest pains and was sent home from the hospital time and again. He died at 42 of a heart attack.
           I donât even specifically blame the medical professionals in the busy emergency room departments he visited. If anything, I blame a society that learns that when it sees certain words, âschizophrenicâ, âpsychoticâ- those types of labels, it automatically generates certain assumptions about people. I hope that with this book, I can pull back some dark curtains on what it means to be schizophrenic in America, as well as what it means to be the family member of a schizophrenic. Not everything I have to say will be sunshine and rainbows. This illness is tragic and painful. But the way the media typically portrays schizophrenics is neither accurate nor genuine.
 My father was a complicated man, but more than anything, he was not a disposable person. Many would consider him an unlikely fellow to learn anything from, but Iâm here to tell you that I learned from him, all the same lessons you could pick up from any of the great thinkers of the past and present. Perhaps he did not teach me every lesson directly, but I learned them all the same. I want to tell you our story - my fatherâs, and mine. I appreciate you coming along with me as I step into my past, remembering what it was like to grow up with a schizophrenic father, and at the same time, share with you some of the beautiful lessons he taught me.Â
I do recommend you have a small notebook that you can use as a journal to write the answers out to some questions you will find at the end of chapters Two through Eleven. Writing them out will help you the most in challenging yourself to step out of your comfort zone and absorb the lessons.
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In a testament to the love between father and daughter, L. M. Kugler has created a thoughtfully written, easy to comprehend, annotated account of the lessons she has learned from the short time she had with her father, an Army veteran who suffered from schizophrenia until his sudden death when the author was sixteen.Â
The bookâs pace is leisurely and concepts are clearly explained, using the authorâs childhood experiences as illustrations. Her fatherâs description of what itâs like inside the mind of one person suffering from schizophrenia is eye-opening.
Each chapter, or lesson, of the book has the same format; it opens with a short quote and statement of the lesson, continues with a brief reflection about an event in the authorâs life illustrating that lesson â this usually involves her father - and then ends with a few questions for you, the reader, to consider for your own personal growth.Â
Although the book is written to normalize discussion around mental health and mental illness, as well as to offer growth opportunities to the reader, Lisa is her father's cheerleader and defender; her love for him is heartwarming.
There are some minor issues with sentence fragments, but itâs clear that these aren't so much grammatical mistakes as they are simply L.M. Kuglerâs style of writing. I stopped paying much attention to this as the book moved on; the message is still clear. There are also some formatting inconsistencies with the self-reflection questions, but itâs possible that I am not reviewing a final proof of the book. The issues donât impact the readerâs ability to understand the questions.
If youâre looking for a basic aid to your personal development, this short, well-annotated memoir-style guide could be helpful.Â