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I'm Not as Well as I Thought I Was

AuthorRuby Wax

NarratorThe Author

Duration6h 12m

CategoriesAdult Non-Fiction, Biography and Autobiography, Mind, Body and Spirit, Self Help

PublisherPenguin Random House Audio Publishing

VersionUnabridged

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Brought to you by Penguin.
Checking into a psychiatric institution wasn't exactly on Ruby Wax's agenda for 2022 - writing about it wasn't either, but here we are. These days, trying to stay sane in a completely chaotic world makes life incredibly difficult, especially if you're struggling with your mental health. While searching for inner peace and equanimity amidst global chaos, Ruby realises that, ultimately, the most challenging gauntlet we all must face is ourselves.
I'm Not as Well as I Thought I Was is Ruby's most honest and raw book to date - an insight into the depths of her psyche, and a stark exploration of what trauma can do to someone. Reflecting on years of personal and professional experience, she opens up to readers about her struggles with mental health and different treatments over the years, hoping to provide reassurance and guidance to anyone confronting their own anticipated, or unanticipated, struggles with mental health.
©2023 Ruby Wax (P)2023 Penguin Audio

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Anonymous 8 Aug 2024

An Honest & Raw Account of Depression That Gets A Little Lost in Anecdotes

This is my first time reading or, should I say, listening to a Ruby Wax memoir. Her seventh book starts in a psychiatric ward. It's honest and raw, and she is very vulnerable in her memoir. Ruby discusses her relationship with her loving second husband Ed, her children, spiritual retreats at Spirit Rock, Monastries, Fame, Jealousy, famous friends on the comedy circuit—including the late Alan Rickman, Dawn French, and Jennifer Saunders—and her TV days. Ruby discusses therapy, her parents and her past with biting honesty.

Ruby's accounts in the psychiatric ward are the most interesting, but in exploring her travels and flashbacks, her memoir gets a little discombobulated, and the true meaning of what she is trying to say gets lost. Admittedly, this is essentially her diary, and maybe the non-linear structure is representative of her mental illness at the time of writing, but for me, it could be a true gem if it was distilled a bit further.

Ruby has done a great job of writing, but I think the editing could have been more refined.

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