Just Jennifer

Thanks to Sage’s Blog Tours for putting together this tour, and for letting me be a part of it!

About the Book

This is a book written about my life growing up with bipolar disorder. It closely follows my extensive travels, my days as an Air Cadet, days as a pilot, and the horrible experiences of being locked up in a mental hospital. Richard Van Camp, author of ten books whose latest has been made into a movie, had this to say about “Through The Withering Storm”: Every once in a blessing while, a voice comes out of nowhere that astonishes you with its’ vulnerability and courage. Leif Gregersen is this voice for me. I pray “Through The Withering Storm” finds its’ way to those grappling with mental illness so they can see that they are not alone and that there is support out there, and I pray that this book finds its’ way into the homes of those families who are trying to find insight into what’s happening to someone they love who is battling a mental illness. This book is one I will return to time an time again for humility and empathy. Thank you Leif, for your courage, and for sharing your story. -Richard Van Camp, author of “The Lesser Blessed”

Check out Leif’s website.  If you’re interested you can purchase a copy of Through the Withering Storm from my Amazon store.

You can also check out the guest post he did for Just Jennifer.

See what other’s on the tour thought of the book here.

My Review

Even before I started reading this book I was drawn to it. Being someone who suffers with depression I like to hear other’s stories. It makes me not feel so alone in the world. Even when you’re surrounded by family and friends when you’re dealing with depression you still feel very alone. So having these stories is somewhat therapeutic for me. It’s like the light at the end of the tunnel. Someone else has been there and look where they are now – you can get there too. It was comforting to see some of what I have experienced over the last few years also be a part of someone else’s life. So I have to thank Leif for sharing his story with the world. I hope that it brings about the awareness you are striving for.

While this book was therapeutic for me to read I think that it’s something the loved ones of a mentally ill person could benefit from. I think if you’ve never been the one to deal with depression it’s really hard to understand what it’s like. What kind of struggles occur on a daily basis. And those of us with depression can’t always explain what we’re going through, because in all honesty you don’t really know what’s going on sometimes. Now my depression has never gotten to the point of hallucinations, like Leif’s does, but I still have dealt with many of the things he has dealt with. He explains what he was going through so well. I think that’s the biggest benefit a mentally healthy person could get from this – he explains so well what depression is like.

The book is well written. Even though it’s a biography it doesn’t read like a biography. It’s easy to follow and isn’t monotonous. The adventures that Leif has in his life are the things that fiction is based on. There’s even a few times where he makes reference to “that’s how they did it in the movies.” And even though depression and Leif’s story are not happy topics, it’s not a heavy story. I don’t think I would have been able to make it to the end if it were a heavy book. Yes it’s great to read someone else’s story, but it really made me look at some of the things in my life that were similar to Leif’s.

So it’s an exciting book in that there’s a lot going on. It’s a learning tool in that it spells out pretty accurately what a depressed person is going through. And it’s also a comfort to someone with depression to be able to see in writing that they aren’t the only one. Given how common mental illness is becoming in the world I think this is one that just about anyone would benefit from reading. If it’s not you, it’s likely someone you know that is going through something similar.