Bring me to Light – review (AD)

3rd November 2019 0 By Rachael Stray

I was kindly sent an advanced reader copy of Bring me to Light by Eleanor Segall in exchange for an honest review*.

The lovely folk from Trigger publishing surprised me with the book mail and I absolutely loved the way they’d packaged this book – very clever.

I started reading Bring me to Light on Mental Health Awareness Day which felt a very appropriate time.

It only took me a couple of days to read but it has really left a mark on me on a deeply personal level.

Bring me to Light book blurb

Eleanor Segall’s life was beginning. An aspiring actress and a family girl, she never though her future would be derailed by mental illness. After a spate of depressive episodes, panic attacks and social anxiety, Eleanor found herself in The Priory. The diagnosis? Bipolar 1 disorder.

But Eleanor didn’t let it stop her for long. Now a successful blogger, journalist, and pillar of the mental health and Jewish communities, she writes about finding recovery and hope after being unwell.

Her story of picking herself back up again and surviving against the odds will resonate with many and it can help you find that light in the darkness too.

My overall thoughts on Bring me to Light

Eleanor is extremely honest as she tells her very personal story of being diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder and her journey from adolescence to adulthood.

In this book we are taken through Eleanor’s struggles with her mental health and what a profound impact it has had on her life.

She really opens up about her struggles with her mental health and the inner turmoil she was facing.

Eleanor clearly has a great support network of family and friends who have been such a support for her which she acknowledges.

I found her honest account of struggling with medication, institutionalisation following hospital stays and feeling lost in her own life extremely difficult to read but so educational and inspirational.

Eleanor hasn’t let her mental health stop her from being successful, finding a career she loves, she’s got such a strong faith, a great network of family and friends and now a loving husband.

A lot of what she talks about within this book really deeply personally resonated with me.

My biological mother has bipolar and I really feel like I now have a much better understanding of some of her behaviour over the years when she has been ill with her mental health after reading Eleanor’s story.

It’s been quite eye opening for me.

I really enjoyed Eleanor’s story and her outlook on life. She’s extremely brave for speaking out about her mental health struggles and I think she’s a great advocate for mental health especially in the Jewish community.

A massive thank you to Trigger publishing for gifting me this advanced copy.

About the author

Eleanor Segall is a freelance writer, blogger and advocate. She has a BA(hons) degree in English Literature and Drama from Goldsmiths University, and a Masters in Drama Education from Royal Central. Her mission is to end stigma around mental illness.

Eleanor has blogged for mental health charities such as Time to Change, Mind, and SANE. She writes for multiple outlets, including Metro.co.uk, Huffington Post UK, Glamour, The Telegraph, Cosmpoplitan, The Counselling Directory, Refinery29, The Jewish News, and Happiful.

Her own blog, ‘Be Ur Own Light’, was started in 2016 to raise awareness of what it’s like to live with mental illness and to emphasise how, however difficult it may be, you can go on to live a happy and fulfilling life. It was nominated as a Finalist in the Health and Social Care Individual Category for the UK Blog Awards 2018.

She was also listed as a Top 10 Mental Health Blog by Vuelio. Additionally, she volunteers with the charity JAMI, the Jewish Association of Mental Illness in London.

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*Disclaimer

This review has been written with 100% honesty.

I was not financially compensated for this post. I was gifted an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this post are completely my own based on my own experience.

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