Ab(solutely) Normal

Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes

By: Nora Shalaway Carpenter - editor, Rocky Callen - editor, Nikki Grimes - contributor, Patrick Downes - contributor, Marcella Pixley - contributor, Karen Bao - contributor, Isabel Quintero - contributor, Sonia Patel - contributor, Alechia Dow - contributor, James Bird - contributor, Mercedes Acosta - contributor, Francisco Stork - contributor, Jonathan Kastin - contributor, Anna Drury - contributor, various

Narrated by: Priya Ayyar, Merissa Czyz, Maxwell Glick, Tamika Katon-Donegal, various

Channeling their own experiences, sixteen exceptional authors subvert mental health stereotypes in a powerful and uplifting collection of fiction.

A teen activist wrestles with protest-related anxiety and PTSD. A socially anxious vampire learns he has to save his town by (gulp) working with people. As part of her teshuvah, a girl writes letters to the ex-boyfriend she still loves, revealing that her struggle with angry outbursts is related to PMDD. A boy sheds uncontrollable tears but finds that in doing so he’s helping to enable another’s healing. In this inspiring, unflinching, and hope-filled mixed-genre collection, sixteen diverse and notable authors draw on their own lived experiences with mental health conditions to create stunning works of fiction that will uplift and empower you, break your heart and stitch it back together stronger than before. Through powerful prose, verse, and graphics, the characters in this anthology defy stereotypes as they remind listeners that living with a mental health condition doesn’t mean that you’re defined by it. Each story is followed by a note from its author to the listener, and comprehensive back matter includes bios for the contributors as well as a collection of relevant resources.

With contributions by:

Mercedes Acosta, Karen Jialu Bao, James Bird, Rocky Callen, Nora Shalaway Carpenter, Alechia Dow, Patrick Downes, Anna Drury, Nikki Grimes, Val Howlett, Jonathan Lenore Kastin, Sonia Patel, Marcella Pixley, Isabel Quintero, Ebony Stewart, Francisco X. Stork

Full list of narrators:

Priya Ayyar, Merissa Czyz, Maxwell Glick, Tamika Katon-Donegal, Sophie Oda, Vico Ortiz, Ana Osorio, Shaun Taylor-Corbett

©2023 Rocky Callen and Nora Shalaway Carpenter (P)2023 Recorded Books