Ironicly Depressing

How many times, in your teenage or adult or maybe even your kid life, have you thought to yourself, “Why does this have to happen to me?” “What’s the point of living?” Well, this is the only thing Craig Gilner, a 16 year old from NYC, can asks himself, in the ironically named realistic fiction, It’s Kind of a Funny Story.

In the book, “It’s Kind of a Funny Story”, a realistic fiction by Ned Vizzini, a young adult, Craig Gilner is making an attempt to get through life. But he must overcome many obstacles, plus being a teenager in New York City. He works his butt off studying to get into, Manhattan’s Executive Pre Professional High School, which will push him into the right track for the rest of his life. This teenagers ambition, pushes Craig over the edge and straight into the mental ward of Argenon Hospital, in the middle of the night. In this hospital he meets many unordinary people, he might of never cross-tracks with, in “real life”, these many people teach him lessons about life and the “real world”. Craig learns what real friends are and that, nobody can ever be trusted.

This book portrays that kids should be kids and not try to grow up to fast and miss out on the kid stuff they should be doing, like getting in trouble, hanging out with friends, ect. People should not live with regrets and hatred for themselves and envy for others, people should live their lives for the future and always looking forward and moving forward.

Ned Vizzini writes creatively, showing the reader, that this character could be any one of us, he writes to the reader, so the reader looks at the book In there own point-of-view. He gives each character there own personality and backround, such as Humble, an old man in the mental ward, who has been through a lot, and has built character, making himself the wise man he is today.
The captivating plot and unique characters of, It’s Kind Of a Funny Story, takes the teenage drama of today, and adds to it, bringing it to the next level. Ned Vizzini takes a normal NYC kid, studying for a test, while trying to make new, and trustworthy friends, and meeting girls on the way, to a NYC kid studying for a test that could change his life, for ever. A guy, girls don’t want to date, and boys don’t want to be friends with. And he might just be going crazy, dealing with all of this.


The writer of, It’s Kind of a Funny Story, Ned Vizzini’s, spent five days in a psychiatric ward, and wrote his first book at the age of nineteen, and has written many other books for young adults. Ned Vizzini currently resides in New York City.


Ned Vizzini’s writing interests me. Each chapter he writes is in a different fascinating setting. One scene it could be in the warm, loving environment of Craig’s home, the next it could be in the cold, harsh, neglectful, adult mental ward of Argenon Hospital. Another time maybe even on the top of the chilled Brooklyn bridge in the middle of the night.

Ned Vizzini writes creatively, showing the reader, that this character could be any one of us, he writes to the reader, so the reader looks at the book In there own point-of-view. He gives each character there own personality and backround, such as Humble, an old man in the mental ward, who has been through a lot, and has built character, making himself the wise man he is today.
Craig undergoes stress from his parents and himself to keep up good grades, and I know how he feels. Craig reminds me of myself, always pushing myself to do better then “average” and keep those straight A’s. Nothing is good enough for us, even as hard as we work. This pressure we put on ourselves makes us endure much stress.

This book is highly suited for teens in high school, and not younger because of its adult content such as sex, drugs, depression, and suicide. I would not recommend this book to kids under the age of 14, unless they are believed to be “mature enough”. Other than that I would recommend this book to who has a little sympathy for other people, and loves a great realistic fiction, novel.