Customer Reviews

Nobody's Child

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nobody's Child is a powerful and extremely engaging nonfiction novel. It focuses on the life of Marie Balter, a rigorously troubled woman. Marie begins her life as an adopted child and shortly after becomes mentally ill. She spent the first twenty years of her life traveling from mental institution to mental institution. The novel focuses on her experiences while being hospitalized. It is powerful and bleak, but at the same time, it is also an encouraging and uplifting story. Marie later goes on to recover and earn her Master's degree from Harvard University.

The book features black and white images of Marie's adoptive family, herself, and some of the hospitals in which she had stayed.

It was a very grim awakening for me, and I wouldn't recommend the book to everyone. Those who enjoyed books such as Prozac Nation and Girl, Interrupted would enjoy this captivating novel.

In 1986 Marlo Thomas went on to star as Marie Balter in a made-for-television movie, also titled Nobody's Child.

I love how Marie describes her struggles with mental illness and how she finds the strength within herself to overcome her problems. She does this without blaming or resenting the people in her life who mistreated her, like her parents and the people in the hospital. She gives hope for the hopeless.

Marie Balter is an example for all who have mental illnesses. She was able to pick herself up with the support of friends and faith in herself and in God. Buy it for the ones who really need to hear that all is not lost, that they can survive and thrive even with a mental illness.

Marie Balter's 1987 memoir tells the story of a life spent in mental institutions. At age 17, an indigent, directionless, orphaned Marie entered a mental hospital that would become her home for the next 20 years, save for a few brief periods on the outside. The story, co-authored with psychologist Richard Katz, is told from a childlike perspective. The 20-year-old Marie is no more self-aware than a child, and certainly no more fit for the world. She likes the routine of the hospital, enjoys helping the staff in exchange for cigarettes, but makes progress sporadically. During her tenure at the Castle in the 1950's and 1960's, she was subjected to experimental drug treatments before finding her way, finishing high school and college, getting a job, and preparing for graduate school.

Balter doesn't consider those 20 years to be "lost," and now uses her experiences as a guest lecturer on the subject of treatment for the mentally ill. Balter's memoir is an excellent counterpoint to Susanna Kaysen's Girl, Interrupted, which is a short memoir about that author's 1967 stay in a mental hospital in the greater Boston area (Balter, too, is from the area).

After reading Marie's encounters, it gave hope to all MI. Coming from a family with MI and working with MI population, it reminded me of the purpose of my life's work. I think that the depiction of the struggle was accurate and can provide insight for family members of the MI. I recommended this book to a friend and she finished it in less than a week and had a hard time putting it down. It is a must read!

This is an excellent story of the human spirit. I couldn't put the book down.

I absolutely loved this book, it gives a voice to those looking for hope in overcoming and triumphing over a mental illness!

Truly a voice of inspiration!!!

Dr. Katz and Mrs. Balter portrayed her account beautifully!! how very courageous!

I would like to mention that this very inspirational book concerning mental illness will finally be released on DVD on August 9,2005 starring Marlo Thomas also titled"Nobody's Child".So check it out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!