Reflections on "The Quiet Room"

What did this book bring to my life?

When I started to read, The Quiet Room I felt I had a fairly good grasp on what it meant to be mentally ill. After finishing the book I can tell you without a doubt, that my presumptions were dead wrong. I still find it difficult to wrap my head around the adversity that this young woman (Lori Schiller) faced on a day to day basis. The daily struggles she endured just trying to do something as simple as; hold down a conversation with a friend or loved one. The constant and ever relentless tormenting from the voices in her head would have driven anyone of us out of our minds. I feel that this was the aspect of mental illness that I truly never understood until finishing this book; the constant never ending, never fading, tormenting of the voices in her head. I asked myself, what would I do if I couldn't sleep through the night without being jolted awake by the screaming of voices inside my own head? What if I heard voices that nobody else could hear or understand; voices that would belittle you and tell you to do unthinkable things 24/7? What it must have been like to live like this for years, is unimaginable to me.

It completely changed my outlook on what someone suffering from a mental illness goes through on a daily basis. Also, the type of commitment it takes to learn to live with a mental illness in the face of overwhelming adversity. At so many points throughout her story, I couldn't blame her for wanting to take her own life. I believe that any less of a person would have taken their own life in her situation. And through all the turmoil and unimaginable circumstances; she persevered. I found the story to eye opening as well as uplifting. 

Would I recommend this book to a friend?

This story deserves to be told, and I have already recommended this to a few of my friends; and I hope they found it as provocative as I did. I was able to take away from this book; a better understanding of the power mental illness can have over one’s mind and the perseverance of the human spirit. It was a pleasure reading this book, and I feel better after having read it; I hope others feel the same.

If I wrote a sequel to The Quiet Room, what would it be about?

I feel if I were to write a sequel to this book, I would call it: Free from Within. And it would tell the story of Lori Schiller after she gets a grip on schizophrenia, and the challenges she faced trying to live a "Normal" life. I would tell the story of her 3 and half years at the Search for Change home, trying to adjust to life outside of the hospital.