Book review of ‘ University on Watch: Crisis in the Academy’
Dennis Relojo-Howell
Psychreg
United Kingdom
Correspondence: drelojo.howell@psychreg.org
Copyright. 2019.
Psychreg Journal of Psychology
ISSN: 2515-138X
Wthin the last decades, there has been rising prevalence of mental health issues in academia(Gonçalves, 2017). A number of studieshavebeen done (e.g., Eisenberg, Downs, Golberstein, & Zivin, 2009; Kitzrow, 2003; Martin, 2010), in order to enhance efforts to prevent and treat mental disorder within higher education. But then, it seems that everything still is in the same place.I feel that it is vital that we also consider the lived experience of students who have mental health issues. One book that gives us a glimpse of the experience of mental health issue by a university student is University on watch: Crisis in the academy (Peters, 2019). I can confidently state that University on Watchwas found to be a captivating non-fiction account of Peter’s experience in university with schizophrenia. The first person narrative draws readers in, andthey will feel connected to Peters during this time in his life. The language in the book will open up the eyes of people in the book to the realities of living with schizophrenia. The memoir sheds much light on the treatment of those with mental health problems and will hopefully allow for a discussion for positive change. Peters serves a symbol of hope and dealing, and readers will be inspired by his journey and his determination to heal.This book is a fittingexample of the difficulties of treating brain disorders for people who are in universities. I found the book easy to read and finished it quickly. I recommend the book for the diagnosed, family and friends. It is very descriptive and really portrays what goes on when a person is manic or psychotic. Peters’ story chronicles his experience at ‘New London University’ (a fictitious US university)battling first episode psychosis, and the initial stages of schizophrenia which continued to go undiagnosed until the main character, Jacques, is in the hospital. Readers will appreciate how Peters details the various aspects of his new illness, succumbing to the disorder from his own perspectivePsychreg Journal of Psychology • Volume 3, Number 2 • 2019Dennis Relojo-Howell98during that time, but always with the guidance of a clear-headed narrator who has come through it. It makes it a lot easier to understand the insidiousness of delusions. Like how they creep in slowly enough that –unlesscaught and challenged –it makes sense to believe the distortions are reality. As a rhetoric scholar, mental health clinician, and a person with lived experiencewith schizophrenia. Today, Peters is a prosumer. As stated in the preface by Peter’s student intern, Jacques identity aside, and the generalstatus of disabilities studies. Narratives, memoirs, and stories that aim to reclaim thewriters’ lost authorial voice are in demand. These stories offer catharsis. Upon reflection, after reading this novella, I am still not sure how to feel about Peter’s chosen path to healing through writing. This remind me of my previous work which reveals that writing confers a host of psychological benefits (Relojo, 2015).Indeed, in spite of what he has experience at university, he was privileged enough to offer his readers the opportunity to find catharsis and re tell his storyin a genuine and authentic way without privileging the reader. While other writers don’thave the same opportunity, Peter’s shares this privilege and opportunity with the reader with University on Watch.
References
Eisenberg, D., Downs, M. F., Golberstein, E., & Zivin, K. (2009). Stigma and help seeking for mental health among college students.Medical Care Research and Review,66(5), 522–541.https://doi.org/10.1177/1077558709335173Gonçalves, F.V. (2017, August 05). Mental health in academia: What’s happening and what can we do to address it. Psychreg. Retrieved from https://www.psychreg.org/mental-health-academiaKitzrow, M. A. (2003). The mental health needs of today's college students: Challenges and recommendations. NASPA Journal, 41(1), 167–181.https://doi.org/10.2202/0027-6014.1310Martin, J. M. (2010). Stigma and student mental health in higher education. Higher Education Research & Development, 29(3), 259–274.https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360903470969Peters, J. (2019). University on watch: Crisis in the academy. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.Relojo, D. (2015). A randomised controlled trial on brief expressive writing as an intervention tool on exposure to thin-ideal images. Journal on Innovation in Psychology, Education and Didactics, 19(2), 295–306. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1289103
When I first read University on Watch: Crisis in the Academy in March, I was more than satisfied with the level of scholarship the author, J. Peters, invested into his book. In fact, I believed I was reading literary history unfold (as Jacques, the main character would put it) with each turn of the page. However, after J. Peters went ahead and published a second edition of the book with Authorhouse in October, I suspected I was in for a real treat.
Indeed, the full length story is grafted seamlessly onto the original novella, without creasing the prior narrative or denaturing its original message. The preface identifies the work as a novella based on the author’s struggle to make sense out of himself, his experiences, his goals and his relationships while dealing with his challenges with his mental health while he was still in his university.
The narrative in the whole book reads more like a memoir though relating snippets of the writer’s experience side-by-side his reflections of what happened. It tells more than it shows thus, it comes across as a work of creative non-fiction.
Memoirs are always tricky because very few writers have been successful in relaying very personal information and insights to a greater reading public. In this book, the experiences are, of course, personal and extremely impactful to an audience with or without a major mental health disorder. The tone often shifts from the narrative, to reflections, to lexical instructions. WIth this said, is this presentation a creative non-fiction narrative or a story? This new edition only pushes this question further into the literary enigmas of modern literature.
In terms of the language, the writing is impeccable. The sequencing is highly logical and more questions lingering from the first version of the book are answered, only to pose more questions for the reader to reflect on as the book unfolds.
Furthermore, the narrative has the potential to appeal to readers who may also be struggling in finding their way out of their mental conditions before they become a damaging life crisis.
Ultimately, I recommend new reading of University on Watch. Unquestionably enhanced and refined, this book offers more to the reader in terms of content with added chapters, new characters, and even more depth than the original work. If you enjoy the writing of J. Peters, be sure to add this to your list of must reads in mental health literature.
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Image credit: Mental Health Affairs
Dennis Relojo-Howell is the founder of Psychreg. He is also the editor-in-chief of Psychreg Journal Psychology, and writes a weekly column for Free Malaysia Today.
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Book Review of University on Watch: Crisis in the Academy
by J. Peters
By Sandy Dimiterchik
This book is a good example of the difficulties of treating braindisorders for people who are in college. I found the book easy to readand finished it quickly. I recommend the book for the diagnosed,family and friends, and SA groups. It is very descriptive and reallyportrays what goes on when a person is manic or psychotic. Thebook is also inspirational, as the main character is able to pursue hisdreams, even though they are not what he first originally planned.He is very brave to share his story, so that other students will seethat they can also graduate, even get a Ph.D., and work as aprofessor.Even though this happened 10 years ago, I think that there is still alack of knowledge at universities of how to manage students withbrain disorder disabilities. There is not enough insight and there isstigma as staff and faculty do not know how to handle somebodyhaving mania and/or psychosis. Too many times the students end uparrested or hospitalized since the symptoms can be scary andthreatening.The positive side to a story like this is that there are now facilities tohelp young adults pursue goals. Now throughout the US there areearly psychosis treatment centers which help students with theirscholarly goals and/or vocational plans. Organizations such asSARDAA educate and provide support to the diagnosed, family andfriends by referring them to resources. Also, I recommend studentscontact A.D.A. (Americans with Disabilities Act) offices to find outwhat help they can get due to their disabilities.People can purchase the physical book soft and hardcover throughamazon.com, or order through Barnes and Noble at this time. Also,people may go directly to authorhouse.com, which is the publisher;to order the book. There are a number of e-book vendors out there, includinggoogle.com which sell electronic versions of the book. We are actively recruiting State Chapter Leads, StateChapter Members, and Families for Care GroupLeadersSARDAA is the only advocacy organization focused on psychosis,the most debilitating symptom of brain illness.
