Season 2, Episode 9: Let’s Talk Mental Health

Marisa and Mary are back with a new episode of The Book Jam! This month’s book theme is all about mental health. Our mental health affects how we think, feel, and act-and how we handle stress, relate to others, and how we make choices. It is no wonder that so many good teen books are tackling this topic. The books we talk about in this episode could be triggering. Marisa’s book, The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf, features a music loving teen girl who has OCD who struggles to do everything she can to find her way back to her mother during the historic race riots of 1969 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mary’s book, Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan, is a modern day Romeo and Juliet retelling with a twist. Two teens from feuding families who fall in love in an indie comic book store. September is National Suicide Prevention Month and it is important to discuss mental health year-round to help try and reduce the stigma. The NAMI Information HelpLine can be reached by calling 800-950-6264, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.– 8p.m., ET. If you are in an emergency call 911 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Check out the Books Mentioned below to add even more books to your To Be Read pile. Marisa’s book: The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf. Teen, Grades 8+. Published by Salaam Reads, part of Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 2/5/19. Mary’s book: Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan. Teen, Grades 8+. Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons, part of Penguin Random House, 4/21/20. Books we talked about this episode: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone Click’d by Tamara Ireland Stone History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera Turtles All the Way Down by John Green The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan As Far As You’ll Take Me by Phil Stamper She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen Lost In the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton Slay by Brittney Morris So Many Beginnings by Bethany C. Morrow A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson