Book Review: Born Mad by Robyn Wheeler

Title: Born Mad
Author: Robyn Wheeler
Genre: Nonfiction; Self-Improvement
Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Balboa Press
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-1452536408

BOOK SUMMARY:

Follow Robyn on her journey from fits of rage as an angry child, blunders and setbacks as an adult in deep denial, to her quest for awareness and enlightenment. Robyn takes you inside her deepest thoughts and fears, as well as her chronic anger and thoughts of suicide. After being diagnosed with a “bad state of mind” called dysthymia, Robyn wrote Born Mad to help others who may be unaware that they might be suffering from a low-grade chronic depression that will make l ife difficult, ruin relationships, and contribute to a negative and hopeless outlook on life. Born Mad includes symptoms of dysthymia and copies strategies, as well as the story of how Robyn came to believe in God, defeat chronic anger, and become the person she was meant to be. Read about her courage and determination to be happy and how her life has changed after having a “brain transplant.” If you or someone you know suffers from constant mood swings, angry thoughts, and extreme worry or anxiety, Born Mad might shed light on the reasons why and how to fight your way through to hope, peace and happiness.

REVIEW:

Robyn Wheeler felt her childhood was full of anger.  Not anger directly because of outside influences; in fact, she said she had a happy childhood.  It was an anger within.  It was as if she had no control over it and it eventually had a name – dysthmia.  To back up, she recollects there were times she was the brunt of many practical jokes and later hearing her parents argue.  The parents ended up splitting up but she says she was happy it happened because it was better than hearing screaming all the time.  “As a child of divorce,” she says, “I much preferred shuttling back and forth between two houses than listening ot the bickering.  If two adults can’t get along, it isn’t healthy for their kids to witness this.”

She later tells us that because of all the bickering, it affected her throughout her own marriage and it went on for many many years.  Throughout her adult life, she found herself cowering when someone yelled at her.  People would tell her she had a bad attitude and that no one enjoyed being around her.  I mean think about it, would you want to be around someone who was negative all the time or someone who smiled and laughed and made you feel good to be around them?  “I often wonder why I had any friends,” she wrote.  “I couldn’t have been fun to be around.  I wasn’t someone I wanted to be around, so how could I expect others to want to be around me?”

Robyn goes on to tell us about different instances in her life which included childhood tantrums and adult denial.  She didn’t see what others saw nor did she care what they thought.  Her intentions on telling us this back story was in the hopes of helping others who may be behaving in a similar way and have no idea why.  Born Mad was written for those who feel angry all the time and have no reason why nor do they have any idea on how to snap out of it.

I chose this book to review mainly because I do have someone in my life who is constantly not happy with the world and I wondered if, after reading Robyn’s story, I would come away with some hope that this person might get some help.  I will definitely be passing this book down to him/her.
I will say that after finishing the book, I came away with a new knowledge of a disease that could happen to anyone.  If you know someone who is habitually angry all the time, you’ve definitely got to check out Born Mad by Robyn Wheeler.  Read her story of how she beat the demons that were plaguing her whole being and became the person she truly wanted to be.