Vizzini, Ned. It's kind of a funny story, a novel.

VIZZINI, Ned. It's kind of a funny story, a novel. Hyperion, Miramax. 444p. c2006. 078685197-3. $8.99. S

To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, March 2006: This was written by Vizzini in the month following his own five-day experience in the adult psychiatric ward of Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn. His narrator, Craig, falls into a suicidal depression as the stress of a demanding high school and an inadequate social life bring him down, and Craig experiences a brief stay in such a hospital. Most of the 400-odd pages relate his experiences there: poignant, heartbreaking, and funny as well. Craig's parents and little sister are supportive, but the insensitivity of his so-called friends reveals his isolation as an adolescent. However, in the psychiatric ward, Craig actually connects to people. He discovers talents he had forgotten he had, especially his drawing ability, and he also becomes more compassionate and less self-critical. Well, the process is started, in any case. Vizzini doesn't shy away from descriptions of sex, drugs and drinking--nor does he avoid swearwords or raunchy language. Even though there is a lot of destructive behavior going on, Vizzini's characters are basically good kids at sea in a confusing world. Oddly enough, it's in the mental ward that Craig finds some clarity. The ones on the "inside" possess insights, and those on the "outside" are often clueless. At the end of the novel, Craig is ready to make decisions based on his ability to handle stress and his acceptance of his own values instead of those imposed upon him. Claire Rosser, KLIATT

S--Recommended for senior high school students.