āMark Henick is a powerful storyteller.ā āRosie OāDonnell
āSo-Called Normal is a call to arms, yes, but itās also a call to care, highlighting the power of kindness. Required reading for anyone working with children and teens.ā āThe Globe and Mail
A vital and triumphant story of perseverance and recovery by one of Canadaās foremost advocates for mental health
When Mark Henick was a teenager in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, he was overwhelmed by depression and anxiety that led to a series of increasingly dangerous suicide attempts. One night, he climbed onto a bridge over an overpass and stood in the wind, clinging to a girder. Someone shouted, āJump, you coward!ā Another man, a stranger in a brown coat, talked to him quietly, calmly and with deep empathy. Just as Henickās feet touched open air, the man in the brown coat encircled his chest and pulled him to safety. This near-death experience changed Henickās life forever.
So-Called Normal is Henickās memoir about growing up in a broken home and the events that led to that fateful night on the bridge. It is a vivid and personal account of the mental health challenges he experienced in childhood and his subsequent journey toward healing and recovery.