Normally when one sits down to write their memoirs they want to write about the best of themselves. They definitely don't want skeletons falling out of the closet for everyone to see. Yet that is exactly what Small Fingernails: Even Less Love by J. Peters is all about. The author dares to bare his truth for all the world to see.
There exist a stigma around those who suffer from mental health issues. If someone walks around talking about their high blood pressure for example, this is perfectly acceptable. People may even inquire about their medication(s) and what they are doing to take better care of themselves. But if someone begins discussing their mental health struggles they may find others staying far away from them. Heaven forbid that anyone actually starts discussing any medications or what steps they are taking to take better care of themselves. And there in lies the real tragedy. Not in having a mental health condition but not getting adequate help for it as needed.
The author begins his story along the time line in which he can first pinpoint feelings of anxiety, stress, the peer pressure to be liked and accepted. You guessed it, that wonderful time in everyone's life know as adolescence and highschool. But as readers become all to aware something isn't quite right. Yes, the author discusses things such as dying his hair blue, cutting classes, and smoking. Normal teenager angst, right. However, there are the beginnings of behavioral patterns, such as stalking others, that begin to emerge. What lengths will Peters go to be liked? What happens when his methods of coping fail him?
Through the pages of this book readers join the author in his journey. Not his journey at Wales Highschool, (Wales being one of the wealthiest counties in one of the wealthiest states in England). Nor his life experience at the New England University perse. Rather, this is about traumatic events and unfortunate twists and turns that can overshadow one's appreciation of the collateral beauty of not only friendship but love.
I really appreciated the cover of the book as well. The dessert with both knives and pills on it reminds me of just how delicate and fragile life can be. Both bitter and sweet at the same time. A reminder that both our mental and emotional health states are just as important if not more so than our physical health. Small Fingernails: Even Less Love sheds light on such issues and dares to cross societal stigma lines in order to do so. Peters even provides confidential psychiatric records from his hospitalizations.
I give Small Fingernails: Even Less Love by J. Peters 4 out of 5 stars. Sometimes, when reading the book the chapters and circumstances meander and are told out of sequence (which can be a little hard to follow). However, this is one book definitely worth the read!
