Mental Health Giveaway Hop!

Welcome to my stop on the Mental Health Giveaway Hop! This hop is being hosted by I Am A Reader & Reading in Twilight, and will run from March 20th until midnight on March 27th. Make sure to check out the linky at the bottom of the post to enter more awesome giveaways!

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know by now that I personally suffer from mental illness, along with my stance on mental health and society. I believe that the topic is still taboo in our culture and not enough understanding and information is being presented about the various forms of mental illness. Those of us who suffer on a daily basis from these illnesses know the embarrassment and (sometimes) shame that you feel when people find out. 

In my opinion, one of the most taboo and misunderstood forms of mental illness is self-harm or self-mutilation. Self-harming is a coping mechanism that people with a wide variety of mental illnesses use. There are tons of myths surrounding self harm, including the belief that people who self-harm are attempting suicide or that they self-harm for attention. In reality, the majority of self-harm is done in secret with nobody ever finding out. Also, it's not a suicide attempt - it is a coping mechanism used for temporary relief of overwhelming feelings such as depression, anxiety, or anger. I know this personally because I self-harm due to my mental illnesses. There are sites on the Internet that deal with self-harm and I encourage you to learn more about it if you aren't familiar with it or if you know someone who does self-harm.

Anyways, in light of my stance on self-harm, which often takes the form of cutting, I will be giving away (1) ebook copy of Scars by Cheryl Rainfield or Cut by Patricia McCormick - winner's choice. Both of these books feature cutting and other mental health issues. Click on the covers to go to the Goodreads page and then enter below!

   

Rules:

1. This giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY as long as you can receive an ebook from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

2. NO CHEATING! I check all entries and anyone caught cheating is immediately disqualified.

3. The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Cover Reveal: Stained by Cheryl Rainfield

 

Stained

Author: Cheryl Rainfield

Genre: YA Thriller

Expected Release Date: November 19, 2013

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  

Description:

Sometimes you have to be your own hero.

In this heart-wrenching and suspenseful teen thriller, sixteen-year-old Sarah Meadows longs for "normal." Born with a port-wine stain covering half her face, all her life she’s been plagued by stares, giggles, bullying, and disgust. But when she’s abducted on the way home from school, Sarah is forced to uncover the courage she never knew she had, become a hero rather than a victim, and learn to look beyond her face to find the beauty and strength she has inside. It’s that—or succumb to a killer.

Author's Note:

Like I did with SCARS and HUNTED, I drew on some of my own experiences of bullying, abuse, and trauma to write STAINED and to give it greater emotional depth. Like Sarah in STAINED, I experienced abduction, imprisonment, periods of forced starvation, mind control, and having my life threatened. And like Sarah, I tried hard to fight against my abuser, keep my own sense of self, and escape. I hope readers will see Sarah's strength and courage, and appreciate her emotional growth as she reclaims herself.

Watch the Book Trailer:

 

Available For Pre-Order on:

Amazon (hardcover): http://www.amazon.com/Stained-Cheryl-Rainfield/dp/0547942087 (well, it says you can get an email when avail)

Amazon (kindle): http://www.amazon.com/Stained-ebook/dp/B00AUZS5VG/

Amazon.ca (hardcover): http://www.amazon.ca/Stained-Cheryl-Rainfield/dp/0547942087

Amazon.ca (ebook): http://www.amazon.ca/Stained-ebook/dp/B00AUZS5VG/

Amazon.co.uk (hardcover) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stained-Cheryl-Rainfield/dp/0547942087/

Amazon.co.uk (ebook) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stained-ebook/dp/B00AUZS5VG/

The Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9780547942087/?a_aid=allbookstorescom&selectCurrency=USD

Powell's: http://www.powells.com/biblio/:new:0547942087:?&PID=7355

Books a Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9780547942087?AID=42121&PID=520726

What do you think of the cover? Leave a comment!

Review: Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

Scars

Author: Cheryl Rainfield

Genre: Contemporary YA

Release Date: March 24, 2010

Summary:

Kendra, fifteen, hasn't felt safe since she began to recall devastating memories of childhood sexual abuse, especially because she still can't remember the most important detail-- her abuser's identity. Frightened, Kendra believes someone is always watching and following her, leaving menacing messages only she understands. If she lets her guard down even for a minute, it could cost Kendra her life. To relieve the pressure, Kendra cuts; aside from her brilliantly expressive artwork, it's her only way of coping. Since her own mother is too self-absorbed to hear her cries for help, Kendra finds support in others instead: from her therapist and her art teacher, from Sandy, the close family friend who encourages her artwork, and from Meghan, the classmate who's becoming a friend and maybe more. But the truth about Kendra's abuse is just waiting to explode, with startling unforeseen consequences. Scars is the unforgettable story of one girl's frightening path to the truth.

Review:

I honestly don't know where to start with this review. This book is one of the best I've read so far this year - maybe one of the best I've ever read. It completely and absolutely blew me away. I applaud Cheryl Rainfield for her remarkable writing and the compassion with which she wrote the story.

Scars is a deeply moving story about Kendra, a fifteen year old girl who has suffered at the hands of a sexual abuser since she was a very little girl. To deal with the pain and the flashes of memories that flood her, she cuts herself. She does this to cope - not to try to commit suicide. Along with not fitting in at school and not being able to connect with her parents, Kendra also must deal with the fact that she is a lesbian. Her parents believe it might be a phase or a product of her sexual abuse. Then Kendra meets Meghan, who teaches her to believe in herself and makes her finally feel happy again.

This story deals with really heavy and serious subjects such as sexual abuse and self-harming in the form of cutting. Self-harm is a very stigmatized subject in our society and the fact that Rainfield talks about it in such a compassionate way really moved me. In her author's note, Rainfield discloses to the reader that she used to be a cutter herself. I believe that it is due to this fact that she was able to write about cutting with such poignancy and tact. People shy away from the subject, but Rainfield introduces the reader to the real reasons people cut and what makes them do so. Readers will get an insider look at the thoughts and emotions that people who cut deal with. It is such a compassionate look at this problem and I cannot praise Rainfield enough for writing about it in such an amazing way. 

On top of the subject of self-harm is the very difficult subject of sexual abuse, and in this case, of a child. The reader is immediately empathetic to Kendra and her difficult life. We cheer her on to stay strong and to remember who abused her so she will find justice. In the end, Kendra and the reader discover who the abuser was, and it is terrifying and liberating at the same time. My heart literally ached for Kendra and her pain in this novel. It is written with such heartfelt insight and from such a deeply personal level that it was hard not to completely lose myself in the story - which I did. The storyline was fresh and dealt with very difficult topics, but it was amazingly well written and the storyline was filled with tension, which keeps the reader eagerly turning pages until the very end. Truthfully, I couldn't stop thinking about this book long after I read it. It had a very personal and powerful effect on me and it will be a book I re-read many times throughout my life. I highly highly recommend this book to anyone who knows someone that has dealt with abuse and/or self-harm, as well as to anyone who personally deals with those same issues. It will open your heart and your eyes to some very real problems going on in our world today and you will come away with a new understanding and compassion for those who suffer from them.