Where The White Lies Help

In "Where The White Lies Help", G.R. Santiago walks you through personal parts of her life, giving you insight on how white lies have saved her. The novel demonstrates how brutal honesty can damage an individuals mental health or journey of recovery. Santiago often says that readers who carry the habit of judging a book by its title without actually reading the book often misinterpret her book as a self help guide, but she says it's the absolute opposite. Surprisingly, Santiago says that she advises people who are currently dealing with any mental health obstacles and/or in the process of recovery to not read her book. She continues by saying that someone who is struggling may grasp on to the distorted views of body image or mental health that Santiago displays in the book. Santiago says she would love to believe that people who are struggling with mental issues would look on the positive side realizing that they're not alone and that there's help out there, but she says she knows that that's not reality. She says that she wrote her book for the family and friends of a person with the problem, saying that she wants people who haven't experienced mental health obstacles or trauma to be able to have some insight into how a person in these types of situations think. Santiago says the title of the book comes from the exact message she wants to spread. She says that the worst thing to hear when you're recovering is that people don't see a difference. She says that white lies can boost confidence and motivate a normally depressed and lethargic person. She says that when it comes to telling a mentally unstable person a positive white lie, that it's not really a lie but masked encouragement. Santiago continues by saying that flat out encouragement goes through one ear and out the other when it comes to a person who numb and lonely, and that it can make the person feel worse and like they don't know what's best for them or that they're crazy.