Praise
“I read half of it in one sitting (long plane ride!) and the rest over a handful more days. It is an engrossing, eye-opening testimony, beautifully and engagingly written, with many angles to consider and many potent moments to savor; many of poignancy, and some of poetry. But above all, simply really interesting to follow the narrative and discover what all goes on inside the multiverse that is a head under all those many hats.”
—Frederik K. Simons
“She laughs, she cries. However, Jocelyn Patten certainly talks straight in her autobiography Love & Theft: A Memoir of Mental Illness. Hers is an unsettling story of a minefield, a roller coaster of bipolar disease (and more). Tricky trying to steer a ship adrift. Tossed around, overwhelmed by crashing waves, then run aground. Yet, Patten proves fearless. Further on comes release. Well, sometimes. Optimism and acceptance of, well, just the way you are. As Bob Dylan puts it, “Any day above ground is a good day.”
—Cindy Deachman, author of the newsletter Matter
“The insight, depth and soul in this page-turning read is unmatched only by Patten's artistic use of language. She has synthesized her life experience of living with schizoaffective disorder into a framework that demystifies it for the general reader and humanizes it for the professional reader. It should be required reading for all who work in the mental health professions.”
—Audrey Starkes, MSW, author of Footpaths and Fishing Boats: Growing up in Nipper's Harbour
“Patten approaches memoir with equal parts tenderness and wry wisdom, “sifting through [her]self” with time- and border-crossing ease. Love and Theft is a sure-footed and carefully crafted tour of a mindscape replete with Mad struggles and Mad gifts –– in particular, the ability to carve words into new worlds.”
––Cavar Sarah, author of OUT OF MIND & INTO BODY
“This personal account of profound mental illness is told in a manner that is open, honest, and unflinching. While parts of the book are very painful to read, the story as a whole is also exhilarating and endlessly engaging. The author has a unique voice informed by hard won self-awareness and shares thoughtful consideration of the many factors influencing those affected by mental illness. A moving read that is also a gripping story of one woman's life (so far).”
—Dagne Forrest, poet and essayist
“Searing and intense, profoundly self-expressive and aware, deeply moving in her courage and commitment to life and well-being, Jocelyn Patten's memoir of mental illness and its treatment strikes notes that will stir you to your core. As a fellow survivor of psychosis I too was fortunate to have a gifted psychiatrist who relied on medication and dynamic psychotherapy to stabilize me. But my journey was a walk in the park on a sunny day compared to Jocelyn's harrowing struggle. She inspires me and her commitment to soldiering-on to well-being will inspire you, too.”
—Eric Austen, writer
“Like Jocelyn Patten, I too have mental health issues, and I found this memoir so inspirational! I would love to travel the world as she did. I think she is brave to have lived life to the fullest while battling mental health symptoms. I found the writing beautiful. I related to it. I am glad that she has written this book for others to read and better understand what it is like to live with mental illness.”
—Paula Lafferty, MSW