I Never Promised You A Rose Garden review

 At a basic level, I Never Promised You A Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg is the story of a girl who goes to a mental hospital for three years after trying to kill herself.

But it's so much more than just that.  It's an exploration of how a rich imagination and some bad early experiences can cause the mind to create an inner world of such vividness and magnitude that it eclipses the real world entirely.  It's about how a mind can make rules and rituals for itself in an attempt to explain or mitigate the chaos all around, and how such protective measures can turn into self-torture if left to fester.

The style is lyrical and dreamlike, depicting Deborah's world view with such intensity and detail that I found it difficult to pull myself out of the book at times.  Her "sickness" spoke to the conflicts and desires that lie in the deepest corners of my mind, and there was a definite "there but for the grace of God" feel to the narrative for me.

It's amazingly powerful and astoundingly well written.

Dancing Barefoot review

My love of Star Trek had dissipated by the time my fandom obsession kicked in, so I've never been to a Trek convention or been interested in the stars outside of their characters on the various shows.

Wil Wheaton is a bit different, though, since I will unashamedly admit to having loved Wesley Crusher when I was younger, and to being interested in what's happened since to the actor who played him.  Dancing Barefoot certainly makes me want to read his other books - it's a collection of five stories, four of which are about his family or childhood, but the longest of which discusses his relationship with Star Trek.  They're all wonderfully written, but the last one is the real reason for reading the book - funny, sad, self-deprecating, interesting and absorbing.  Well worth a read if you've ever been a fan of Star Trek: TNG.