Books and Monographs

In this exhibit we feature a digital collection of classic mad books and monographs written and edited by Canadian authors, or with Canadian content and themes, which have appeared in print from the 1970s to the present. To a greater or lesser extent, the volumes linked below all have great historical as well as contemporary relevance. More than this, their importance extends far beyond the Canadian borders.

In engaging with these works we learn much about the struggle for social justice that has been raging in the mental health system for many years. We meet users/survivors and their allies who share their stories and reflections; who chronicle their individual and collective struggles to survive and overcome; who pose key questions about the kind of care and resources needed by those of us who experience mental ‘difference’ and distress; and who point the way forward.

Some of these titles are out of print or otherwise hard to find. With the generous consent of the authors and publishers, we exhibit them here as a resource for activists, researchers, practitioners, and anyone interested in the topics and issues they address.

For any book which is still in print, or where copyright remains with the originator or publisher, the link will take you to information about the book, and where you can locate it.

Click on the titles listed below to access the books in their entirety.

Shimrat, Irit. Call Me Crazy: Stories from the Mad Movement. (PDF) Vancouver: Press Gang, 1997.

Reproduced by permission of the author.