What do readers think of Zig-Zag Boy by Tanya Frank? Write your own review.

I wanted to like this book, but I couldn't get past some glaring issues. Though author Tanya Frank is telling the true story of her son's struggle with schizophrenia in his late teens/early 20s, she mentions only once or twice that she has certain privileges that are not afforded to most people. Many people living with this condition don't have the benefit of excellent health insurance and a ready supply of money to cover many costs that aren't covered by insurance. I lost count of how many houses the author has in various countries.

Additionally, I found it a bit new age/crunchy/woo-woo. This is a family with a chiropractor who makes house calls, bringing sage to cleanse their home of bad spirits. Tanya Frank wanted to find an agricultural commune-type setting for her son to live. She tried to find alternate treatments, including something called "orthomolecular medicine" which is basically just vitamins and supplements, for her son, who refused to take his prescribed medications. She wails about how group homes wouldn't allow him to stay, despite the fact that he refused medication, would not allow staff to enter his room, failed to clean after himself, and damaged the property. Is it really so surprising they'd rather give the space to someone who would stick with the program?

This book isn't what I expected & it would have been a DNF if I didn't have to write a review of it.

I was excited to read this book because of the very real topic of parents dealing with a major psychiatric illness in their adult child.

However, I found this book to be a disappointment. The writing is quite labored and is difficult to settle into. I found it to be overly dramatic, but not at the places where true drama is presented. Every part of the book was over the top, including parts where a lighter hand could have been effective.

The author begins this journey with clear personal points of view (e.g., pharmaceutical treatments). While part of her own journey, it would have been more interesting to discuss the rationale for her position. I am not saying that she is incorrect for her situation, but I think the memoir would have more breadth if we knew the author's motivation and underlying thinking as she goes through a difficult situation.