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Title: Absorbing Account of Life in a Mental Institution
Review: I agree that this is an interesting, personal perspective on life in a public mental hospital in the era before before deinstitutionalization. The book is easy to read and hard to put down. It avoids the trite idealization of the all-knowing therapist and complete, explainable recovery that you see in the movie- a more realistic portrayal of mental illness and its treatment is provided instead. Still, keep in mind that even this more realistic version of "Juniper Hill" has much better conditions than most public institutions of the day. The author makes this point herself in her follow-up book, Counterclockwise.
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