IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY

"It's terrific: funny, incisive, disarming."
NEW YORK MAGAZINE

"Insightful and utterly authentic . . .
this is an important book."
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Ambitious New York City teenager Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life - which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job. But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself.

Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.

Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, created a remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness.

"Funny . . . [Vizzini] supplies personal
insights and a clever, self-depreciating tone
that make the book an entertaining read."
THE WASHINGTON POST

"A book about depression that's
not the least bit depressing."
TEEN VOGUE