“LJT’s fictionalized memoir Practical Blasphemy portrays bipolar disorder in sensitive, harrowing technicolor. Entering Amelia’s troubled mind with grisly realism, the book takes off when Amelia is rescued by EMTs and is hospitalized for her safety. Intense, brief chapters chronicle her initial resistance to group therapy and other patients. Though some are written large, their outbursts don’t turn into spectacles. Mental illness is treated with frank empathy… There’s no easy healing for a lifelong condition, but Practical Blasphemy ends on a realistic note. Fear, and the pressurized chemistry among patients who are bound by private pains, adds up to a brutal, valuable portrait of day-to-day survival.”
-Karen Rigby, Foreword Reviews
“This book blew me away and the world needs to read it. It’s intense. The book is not an ‘easy read,’ as far as how it feels to read it. But it is an easy read in that I couldn’t tear my eyes or mind away from it. It moves at a rapid pace that is chaotic, exhilarating, frightening, and, strangely, funny. Yes, I laughed, a lot actually. One moment you’re biting your lip, the next you’re cackling.”
“I loved it. LJT is a poet who knows her shit. I didn’t know most of the musical terminology, but I got the gist. It’s a nice pick-me-up, if you’re a dark, distorted person, which we all are, on the inside. Highly recommend. Goes well with cucumbers and hummus, cigarettes, The Bell Jar, and Go Ask Alice.”
“When was the last time you read a piece of fiction that stunned you? When was the last time you took a walk in the shoes of someone you don’t understand? When was the last time you read a book that made you uncomfortable while filling you with love and hope? This book won’t take much of your time. But it will sit with you for hours, days, weeks. LJT has written something exceptional and revisited a harrowing part of her existence to do it. I urge you to pick it up, devour it, and share it. The stigma around mental illness needs to be lifted. This book is a start. It’s also powerful, unique fiction.”
“There is a deep, painful and disconcerting dive into the minds of the mentally ill here. At St. Thomas Hospital we are given insight into the interactions of the innocents who suffer from psychosis, mania, depression, addiction, anorexia, and the desire to die. We are also treated to the best descriptions of music I’ve ever read. I don’t know how LJT put the essence of music into words like that. Truly astounding. And as Amelia fights her way back to ‘normal’ we are part of a fascinating battle between believers, nonbelievers, and wanna-believers. Into that silent and lonely place that often greets artists, scholars and seekers when they let go and arrive at the door of their new normal.”
“As for the prose, it is strange and elegant, fast and profane. Those who are comfortable with stream of consciousness, poetry, foreign films, and their own dreams (however dark) will be delighted and challenged. All readers should just let go and marvel at the ride that is Practical Blasphemy… It is moving, it is enlightening, and it is unique.”
“Practical Blasphemy is a brutal, excellent book. The best way I can describe this book is a pinch of Chuck Palahniuk, a hint of Sylvia Plath, and a dash of I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, all set to a musical score that’s expansive and full of beautiful cacophony. In short, Amelia Adams survives a suicide attempt and is sent to a psychiatric facility. The reader sees what Amelia sees and experiences her desperation and frustration as she endures her treatment there. At the same time, Amelia finds a way to cope with her mental illness. I enjoyed the constant music references throughout.”
“This was one of the most raw, honest depictions of mental illness I’ve ever experienced. No fluff, just pure honesty. Hard not to love Amelia’s character, and as someone who struggles with mental illness, I was able to relate to her character. I recommend this book to anyone, with or without mental illness. We need to come together! Also, just a damn good book.”
“Even as many will process its subject matter as heavy and intense, Practical Blasphemy rewards readers who can get past socially-normalized worries, fears and judgments surrounding mental health issues and is, ultimately, an entertaining, illuminating, and important read. Author LJT has gifts for writing and for music and uses both, effectively and efficiently, to communicate with and engage in the world around her. In Practical Blasphemy, she uses these tools as she takes readers inside her head and her heart to share her journey as she receives initial mental health treatment, following a suicide attempt. It’s a story worth hearing, whether you have needed and/or received mental health support, or not. It provides a view of what life can be like for people with the specific disorders and circumstances that LJT elaborates on. It gives readers cause for introspection about their own mental health. And it simultaneously shines a light on how much we all have in common, as well as how wildly different we can be from one another.”
Practical Blasphemy: 