I've read Under the Banner of Heaven, Into the Wild, and Into Thin Air. Loved them all!

If you liked Nothing to Envy, you should read Escape from Camp 14. It's a book about Shin, a guy who was born and raised in a political prison and escaped. I don't know if NtE touches on life in the gulags, but this book was very informative and interesting. But I'll take a look at NtE too!

I had to read Omnivore's Dilemma the summer before my freshman year of college for the school's "Reading Project." I had just gotten out of the hospital for an eating disorder. Good times, Great Lakes.

Oooh, that's definitely up my alley! I minored in the History and Sociology of Science, half of which had to do with health/medicine and society. Thanks for the recommendation!

Interesting! That's a topic I could definitely know more about, but long books are tough. I'll definitely put this on the list though! Thanks!

As my mom always says, no post-mortems. I'm the kind of person who obsesses over everything, especially over past events. But driving yourself crazy over a past event is not going to change the past. You paid your deposit, so you can say you made your decision. Ruminating over it isn't going to change the…

Oh. My god. "My vag is Godfather I, and your vag is Godfather III." This girl is hilarious and now I really want to meet her and her vag.

Are any of you 'Bels nonfiction readers? I am always looking for new recommendations! Yesterday I started reading Beyond Belief by Jenna Miscavige Hill (about the author's experience with Scientology) and although nothing has really happened yet, I like the author's voice. What are you reading?

NJ born and raised. I don't know how to pump gas.

This reminds me vaguely of the plot of Saved! Except, you know, no statutory rape.

I thought that being openly gay in Boy Scouts led to you being de-scouted? Did something change? For the better?

Oh, I totally don't object to these girls wanting to make it work with their child/children's fathers, or trying to find someone else. I just object to the completely stupid unsafe sex they have and other questionable decisions they make (for example, Leah's choice to take out her Nuvaring IMMEDIATELY after saying…

Teen Mom 2 makes me so angry but I can't turn it off. Here's a recent plotline: "My Mirena fell out and then my daughter's father, who is the worst father ever, came over and I had unprotected sex with him but it was safe unprotected sex because he pulled out so there's no way I'm pregnant." You think after having a…

Hey, that was probably my post! I feel like an antidepressant celebrity which is the best kind.

THANK YOU YOU GET IT! I totally was not trying to say that women should be forced to have C-sections, vaginal births, what have you. I'm saying that no one should be forced to do anything. I'm just wondering why mentally ill people are treated as second-class citizens.

Right, but I wonder, what is it that makes a person mentally incompetent? Is it bad decision making? I'm absolutely NOT saying that women shouldn't have control over how their pregnancies play out— we should have absolute autonomy over our bodies! I think mentally ill people deserve the same.

I totally understand that being pregnant is not a mental illness; it's silly to think otherwise. But a legally competent person can still make an unhealthy decision, so I'm wondering why they are treated differently. I too have been forced to undergo a medical procedure that I did NOT want (and made it very known…

I definitely do NOT think that pregnant women have impaired judgment at all (unless, of course, they have impaired judgment from some other condition that does not involve the pregnancy)! But what is the difference between an "irrational" decision made by someone who is mentally ill and trying to make choices about…

I totally agree! I'm not saying anything like that pregnant women are not capable of making decisions because that's absolutely untrue! But why don't mentally ill people have that choice? There is a wide spectrum of the kinds of disorders that can lead to a patient being committed, and not all involve being legally…

There is often a difference between being mentally ill and being legally incompetent. Just something to ponder.