A Page Full of Positive Reviews

By Clara H

I wanted to step away from what I usually discuss on my blog and jump into a less sensitive topic. Recently a lot of people have been stressed out about the pandemic so I thought I would use this time to share some of my favorite things with my audience. Maybe this article will help you get to know me personally. You can think of this as a page full of positive reviews. This will include things such as books and podcasts. Some of the things I may connect back to autism but for the most part, this is just something short and fun for you to read.

Book: Freaks Like Us

Starting off I will be reviewing a book called Freaks Like Us written by Susan Vaught. I just read it not all that long ago so it's pretty fresh in my memory. The story is a mystery novel about a teenage boy who has schizophrenia whose best friend goes missing in action. Throughout the book, he struggles with anxiety, hallucinations, and getting bullied by other students. Some characters have a hard time believing what he is saying and even blame him for his friends disappearance. The author does a great job explaining what it's like to live with a disability in a world full of people who assume the worst of you. I find the witter to be a truly inspiring person knowing that she is a successful writer also on the autism spectrum. She's written another good book called Me and Sam-Sam Handle the Apocalypse which follows a young girl on the spectrum. I have several of Susan's books but Freaks Like Us is definitely my favorite out of all of them. 

​Music: Mindy Gledhill 

Did you know that singer-songwriter, Mindy Gledhill ​has managed to put a smile on my face every time I listen to her work? Her indie music has a cheerful tone that makes me feel invincible yet relaxed at the same time. She uses her abilities to connect with her audience by making them feel like they are deserved in the world. I especially enjoy listing to her albums, Anchor, and Pocketful Of Poetry which carry sounds with beautiful stories that never get old even when you replay the same one five times in a row. They're both fun, colorful cover photos that you cannot even try to miss. Her music is very pleasant to the ear during every time of year it is and no matter what time of day or night it is. Sometimes I jam out to her music for hours in my bedroom and completely lose track of time. I strongly recommend checking out her tunes because quite frankly I have absolutely nothing bad to say about it.  

​Podcast: Teenager Therapy 

Teenager Therapy is one of my go-to podcasts and should be for any young adult or teen. It includes the conversations of five merrymaking high school friends as they go through some of life's biggest pros and cons. They talk about everything from abusive relationships to their favorite movies and TV shows. Not once have I ever turned on this podcast and didn't think to myself, "me too". These people will become more than just random high school kids talking about their problems, they become your friends who you connect with, which is what makes it such a pleasure to have in your list of downloads. It will teach you that even at times when growing up can be a struggle you are never alone. Even if you are a full-grown adult I suggest you play at least one episode of Teenager Therapy just to see what the kids are up to these days. Who knows? Maybe you will find something in it to relate to from back when you were that age. 

Show: Everything Sucks

Although the title may sound a bit misleading, Everything Sucks is the kind of TV show that hits home for many of its viewers. It follows the lives of high school students in the 1990s as they try to figure out what life has to offer. The Netflix dramedy has an excellent understanding of several teen perspectives leading audiences to feel a bond with the characters. It also brings parents' lives to the screen as well by having the adult characters express their feelings to one another. That kind of technique as brought me to find a better understanding of the grown-ups I spend every day with. I found it to be very entertaining all the way from the beginning to finish. It is only one season but I think that's what makes it memorable. You can't forget about those great moments because new episodes can't block out the old ones as if it was a show with years work of content. The show definitely had more to offer, but it's kinda cool getting to imagine what might have happened next.

​That's the end of my reviews for now. I tried to think of things that maybe people haven't heard of before so you guys can go check them out for yourselves. Wouldn't now be a good time to do so? I'm also into more popular stuff as well but I figured that there would not be much of a point in discussing those if everybody already knows about them. My next blog post will be back to my usual blog topic. I do want to post more articles like this one every once in a while just for my own pleasure so stay tuned for that. 

Check out the things I reviewed by clicking these links:
Book - Freaks Like Us
Music - Mindy Gledhill
Podcast - Teenager Therapy 
​Show - Everything Sucks 

Photo by Ivana Cajina on Unsplash