Lina had the idyllic childhood—until descending into mental chaos. Caught in a chaotic world of her own making, Lina resorts to recording her teenage thoughts to make sense of her anguish. She shares the details of her life obsessively with her sister and her friends, in millions of words eventually found by their father. Lost in the dark, Lina navigates the childhood evidence later found in her archives. But will her research open a pathway to love —or help her continue down the path of blame, false memories, and spite ? The past and present events are Lina’s direct experience through her eyes and words, faithfully condensed by her father. The future events—Lina’s therapy and mature reflections—were projected by the author and a senior psychologist with access to the source material. Love her or hate her , through Lina's own heart-wrenching language the reader steps into her broken inner world to experience firsthand the emotions, depression, obsessions, irrationality, and ruthlessness of teenage borderline personality disorder. Emo Reality shines a light into the dark corners of adolescent mental illness, proving this disorder is not just a phase and demonstrating its ravages not just upon an individual, but also upon a whole family. ★★★★★ “An unusual book about mental health and family dynamics, strangely compelling, like peeking into a diary. Some readers will bounce off the language, but those who connect will see how mental struggle can affect a family in ripples and crashing waves.”— Amelia J . ★★★★★ “As a mental health therapist I found the mental health representation to be accurate and insightful. A great job of crafting an interesting narrative based on lived experience, and ending with valuable information.”— Stephanie L . ★★★★★ “This book brought me to tears as Lina recounts episodes of hallucinations and misremembering. More than a case study, this is a harrowing exploration of a life living with mental illness.”— Alicia C . ★★★★★ “The reader feels the visceral emotions Lina experiences and the anger, desperation, and isolation she endures. This book is a significant entry into books about mental health and brings the enormity of the psychiatric situation to bear upon the reader.”— Betsy B . Publishers Weekly Booklife Review: Through fictionalized diary entries, online posts, and emails, this firsthand account is told in vivid detail as Lina descends into and contends with the muddled, pitiless thoughts consuming her. Though she is highly intelligent, Lina sabotages her education to spite her parents and rebels against their concerns and advice for her life path. Sharing her story from childhood into her twenties, and exploring family dynamics, self-esteem issues, mood swings, and her feeling that "the whole world was out to get me," this memoir is insightful and educational in explaining the workings of a mind controlled by mental illness, building to hope and recovery in the final pages. A talented writer and singer, in her states of delusion Lina believes the only cause for her lack of success is the overbearing rules of her father, who is often away on business. In truth, Lina and her sister, who is sinking into depression, have little guidance in their lives aside from him. Wrenching in its candidness, Lina's story is touching, heartbreaking, and moving, a stark exploration of mental illness, undiagnosed and unchecked. Emo Reality readers will become immersed in Lina's reflections and understand what borderline personality disorder is like for an individual and a family. Independent Book Review: This biographical novel by Jerold Daniels details his daughter's experiences with mental illness, using her journals as primary source material. Vivid and unapologetically blunt, this book offers an immersive experience, a stunning portrayal of borderline personality disorder, and a powerful call for effective psychiatric treatment and mental health intervention. Lina's passions and rages are intense, ever-changing, and debilitating for her and her family, coloring her perspective and interactions at every turn. She struggles to cope and engages in hateful behaviors with others, self-harm, and suicidal ideation; the challenges of growing up overwhelm her. We witness the devastation that she and her family suffer from her untreated emotional dysregulation. Lina's sister struggles with a less severe disorder, and throughout the book she provides an intriguing counterpoint to Lina's perspective. Lina's erratic, unstable mother and her scholarly yet frequently absent father offer additional insight into Lina's upbringing. Wisdom emerges in Lina's understanding of her experiences as the novel progresses, and her story is a testament to the power of self-awareness, healing, and love. Emo Reality is a poignant story of survival and transformation, impactful for anyone-but especially for those looking to validate the struggles of mental illness and borderline personality disorder.