My Depression ─ A Picture Book

A poignant look at one woman's fight for herself, told in expressively scrawled drawings and commentary. Author Elizabeth Swados takes us on an intimate journey through her long-time struggle with depression that is by turns tender, funny, and uplifting, and will resonate with everyone affected by depression and those who love them. Through the author's charming and frenzied drawings, readers get a unique look into the experience of severe depression, from the black cloud forming in the horizon, to the strained relationships, the side effects of anti-depressants, and the difficulty getting out of bed and functioning. For the many people who suffer from depression, this is a reminder that they are not alone and that their experiences are legitimate and deserve to be part of mainstream awareness. This is an engaging and uplifting story of an illness that has been stigmatized for too long.

ELIZABETH SWADOS is the author of six children's books, three novels, and one collection of poetry. She has composed, written and directed theater for over thirty years and is perhaps best known for her Broadway and international hit Runaways. Her works include the Obie Award winning Trilogy at La Mama and Alice at the Palace with Meryl Streep at the New York Shakespeare Festival. Swados teaches in the drama department at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and at The New School's Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts as a visiting artist. Her articles have been published in the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Vogue, and O. My Depression: A Picture Book received the Ken Award and the New York Public Library Award when it was first published in 2005. Her other awards include five Tony nominations, three Obie Awards, a Guggenheim Fellowship, Ford Fellowship, Helen Hayes Award, Lila Acheson Wallace award, and a Special International PEN Citation.