A journey through the hell of teenage mental illness.

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Cutting the Soul:  A journey into the mental illness of a teenager through the eyes of his mother by Theresa Larsen was a difficult book to get through.  I don't mean writing style, grammar, or something mundane like that.  I mean the subject matter.  Theresa writes of her year's long battle against her son's mental illness that manifested in cutting and suicidal thoughts.

I could feel how taxed, exasperated, and at wit's end this mother was through the pages.  I kept having to check how much was left in the e-book because I was getting to the point where I wasn't sure I could keep going back for more - and I didn't have to live it.  How Larsen was able to sit down and relive the darkest of days to actually finish this book is a testament to how devoted she is to helping others who are going through this.

Having been a high school teacher, I am familiar with the different ways kids can "self-harm" - reading this gave me an insight as to just how horrific a cost it is to the entire family.  The amount of doctors, facilities, high schools, and medications that had to be juggled were enough to break down even the strongest willed person.

Throughout the book, Larsen refers back to her son's journal, giving everyone a glimpse into the mind of the person who is suffering.  These were by far the hardest passages for me to read. 
As an outsider, it is easy to look at these kinds of situations and think - "that person just needs to snap out of it" - or - "why don't the parents do something to stop this?"  Unfortunately, the answer is neither that simple or logical.

I applaud Larsen for putting her story out there for others who might have to travel down this road.  If you have a teenager who is depressed or self-harms, this book will  let you know that you are not alone.  Larsen could literally save you a small fortune by her insights as to what to look for in a facility.  

More importantly, this book should give you hope.  I am not going to call this a "spoiler," because a happy ending should not "spoil" anyone's day.  In the end, Matthew seems to have gotten to a point where things were looking much brighter.  There were parts of me preparing to read an end to this story that I really did not want to imagine.  To Matthew's credit, along with the Larsen family who supported him along the way, that is a plot line that can hopefully stay forever in the "delete" file.  

To Theresa, Matthew, and the rest of your family - my hope is that you may have many more good days than bumps in the road in your future.

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(This author purchased an ad package.  This does not affect the review in any way - it only moves the book to the "head of the line.  This review is my honest opinion and thoughts of the book.)

Need interviewing help? Here is a free resource!

Hello!  This is my first post to my blog.  This blog is going to try to focus on being helpful, positive, and fun!

So, with the economy being what it is and lots of people out looking for work, I thought it would be appropriate to start this blog with a free eBook on interviewing.


"What I Wish EVERY Job Candidate Knew: 15 Minutes to a Better Interview" by Russell Tuckerton is a short book that covers interviewing from a unique perspective - the hiring manager's point of view.  He let's the reader know what is going on in the mind of the person who is interviewing you and what they might be looking for.

Tuckerton gives seven questions to serve as examples as to what he considers to be a good response, a poor response, and also how to answer the question if you have something questionable in your past that needs to be addressed.

A couple of the points that Tuckerton makes really needs to be ingrained into the mind of a person who is being interviewed:

• The interviewer wants to know what are you going to bring to the company, not what you are interested in for yourself.  (In other words, tell them what is in it for them if they hire you.)
• There is a reason "why" the question is being asked.  You need to recognize and address that "why".
• Always ask about what the next step in the process is - it shows you are interested.

One thing to note - this book does not address behavior based (or structured)  interviews.  If you don't know what the difference is between a structured and unstructured interview - I suggest you do some research on them and be prepared for both.

If you are preparing for an unstructured interview - this book does a wonderful job of giving you the information you need in a concise manner.

If you need information on structured interviews - send me an email and I will either point you in the right direction or give you some tips myself.

I wish you success in your search for a new career or promotion!