Review: The Valedictorian of Being Dead: The True Story of Dying Ten Times to Live

The Valedictorian of Being Dead: The True Story of Dying Ten Times to Live by Heather B. Armstrong
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don't get parenting or living advice from the Internet, so I had never heard of Heather B. Armstrong, but now I know she is a mommy blogger?!? I came into this book not knowing about her, so I may have missed some of the references.

This memoir describes her decision to undergo a controversial therapy of basically killing herself at a clinic 10 times in order to fool her brain into working correctly again. Armstrong's depression and anxiety were so bad before this treatment that the meds weren't working--she didn't want to work or dress or shower or mother. She is exactly my age (which is weird) and I've been raising my daughter solo for 13 years, too, so I related to a lot of what she had to say. Her writing is relatable and full of emotion.

I didn't care for the repeated information (10 times is a lot) and how much she whined about getting a needle inserted into her. I mean, really, there are a lot bigger size needles than a 22 gauge one? And plenty of people who are stuck with needles every single day. Yes, they bruise, and I didn't understand why they didn't allow her to sip water so she wasn't dehydrated for the IV insertion. But, hey, I'm not in charge of this treatment.

I'm glad she got better and I hope thousands of sufferers don't go out and request this treatment because of this book. Or, at least until it's studied more. She talks about being short on cash, but I don't remember being told how she paid for this treatment that insurance didn't cover. I also didn't understand why we didn't hear more about her depression and anxiety causes--there was something there with her dad, but we didn't hear much about it--just about how much she loves her step-father. And she is so lucky to have the support system she does close to her.

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