If you loved Susannah Cahalan’s Brain on Fire, get ready for another wild ride. In her newest book, The Great Pretender, Susannah discovers a doctor in the ’70s who convinced eight healthy people to commit themselves into mental hospitals. Little did they know they’d need to prove their sanity before being let out.
This book is one helluva ride! My jaw dropped repeatedly after learning how mental patients were treated, meeting the volunteers that committed themselves, and shocking discoveries about the doctor himself. It was fascinating to learn about the patients after the committed themselves, seeming “normal” at first, but as they were inside they started to act like the other patients, pacing, and talking in circles.
–Alexa Butler, Beach Books, Seaside, OR
Plan your post-quarantine getaway to Seaside so you can meet Alexa, one helluva bookseller, in person. In the meantime, you can email the store or call to ask for some of her other recommendations to keep you entertained and enlightened while you stay at home. Beach Books and most other independent bookstores can ship right to you!
*Through the end of April, PNBA, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, is paying $30 per Face Out from booksellers from PNBA member indie bookstores who have lost hours due to the pandemic. Please, one Face Out payout per bookseller. Email your Face Out recommendation, your name, your store name, and your mailing address to [email protected] to submit.*