12 Compelling and Candid Books on Mental Health

The S Word by Paolina Milana

Paolina Milana’s family has an unspoken code that all secrets must be swept under the rug. No one can know about her mother’s schizophrenia or how her male caretaker has been sexually abusing her. Keeping quiet for so long proves to be too hard to bear and soon Paolina grows more and more resentful of her family. On the eve of her sweet sixteen, pushed to edge — Paolina attempts to take her own mother’s life. Raw and compelling, The S Word is the true story of a girl who nearly suffocates in the silence she was taught.