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The system isn’t broken, Mr. Nibbles. It was designed this way.
Theodore is a bear with wild mood swings. When he is up, he carves
epic poetry into tree trunks. When he is down, he paints sad faces
on rocks and turtle shells. In search of prescription medications
that will bring stability to his life, Theodore finds a job with
health insurance benefits. He gets the meds, but when he can’t
pay the psychiatrist’s bill, he becomes lost in the Labyrinth of
Health Insurance Claims. This witty and colorful tale follows the
comical exploits of Theodore, a loveable and relatable bear, as he
copes with bipolar disorder, navigates the inequities of capitalist
society, founds a commune, and becomes an activist, all the while
accompanied by a memorable cast of characters—fat-cat insurance
CEOs, a wrongfully convicted snake, raccoons with tommy guns, and
an unemployed old dog who cannot learn new tricks. Entertaining,
whimsical, and bitingly satirical, Bipolar Bear is a fable for
grownups that manages the delicate balance of addressing
society’s ills while simultaneously presenting a hopeful vision
for the world.
In "When Mystical Creatures Attack ," Ms. Freedman's high school
English class writes essays in which mystical creatures resolve the
greatest sociopolitical problems of our time. Students include
Janice Gibbs, "a feral child with excessive eyeliner and an
anti-authoritarian complex that would be interesting were it not so
ill-informed," and Cody Splunk, an aspiring writer working on a
time machine. Following a nervous breakdown, Ms. Freedman
corresponds with Janice and Cody from an insane asylum run on the
capitalist model of cognitive-behavioral therapy, where inmates
practice water aerobics to rebuild their Psychiatric Credit Scores.
The lives of Janice, Cody, and Ms. Freedman are revealed through
in-class essays, letters, therapeutic journal exercises, an advice
column, a reality show television transcript, a diary, and a
Methodist women's fundraising cookbook. (Recipes include "Dark
Night of the Soul Food," "Render Unto Caesar Salad," and "Valley of
the Shadow of Death by Chocolate Cake.") In "Virtue of the Month,"
the ghost of Ms. Freedman's mother argues that suicide is not a
choice. In "The Un-Game," Janice's chain-smoking nursing home
charge composes a dirty limerick. In "The Hall of Old-Testament
Miracles," wax figures of Bible characters come to life, hungry for
Cody's flesh.
Set against a South Texas landscape where cicadas hum and the air
smells of taco stands and jasmine flowers, these stories range from
laugh-out-loud funny to achingly poignant. This surreal, exuberant
collection mines the dark recesses of the soul while illuminating
the human heart.
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