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I’m Not as Well as I Thought I Was

I’m Not as Well as I Thought I Was

Summary

'One of the most powerful books of the year' Daily Mail

'Nobody can make the serious funny and the funny serious quite like Ruby.' - Alastair Campbell

Dear Reader,

Checking into a mental clinic wasn't exactly on my radar in 2022. Writing about it wasn't either. But here we are.

I spent a lifetime trying to create a 'front' to give everyone the illusion that all is well. It wasn't, and it isn't. Now I look back and I think, 'what the f*ck was that all about?'

I began the book trying to find meaning by going on various, life-changing journeys, I ended up in a mental clinic; obviously things didn't work out the way I expected. This is the story of what happened after the mental car crash . . . From then on, the journey had to turn inward. It turns out I wasn't looking for meaning, I was looking for home.

I'm not a fiction writer. I can't fake it. I could say I rode into the sunset, but life isn't like that unless you're a cowboy. Truth is I'm not as well as I thought I was.

These days, trying to stay sane in a completely chaotic world makes life incredibly difficult. For those readers who are deep in the darkness of mental illness, I hope my book makes you feel less alone.

Take care, love,
Ruby x

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'If you buy only one book this year, make it this one.' - Joanna Lumley

'A true tour de force. We're all a little messed up in our own ways, but we should all strive to be as fabulously fearless as Ruby.' - Fearne Cotton

As seen on Channel 5 Castaway


Sunday Times bestseller, May 2023

Reviews

  • An exceptional account on mental health from a true tour de force. We're all a little messed up in our own ways, but we should all strive to be as fabulously fearless as Ruby
    Fearne Cotton

About the author

Ruby Wax

Ruby Wax's acting and presenting career has spanned stage and screen, and her writing talent has created some of our favourite television comedies, from Girls on Top to Absolutely Fabulous. With a Masters from Oxford in mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy, Ruby is now also a mental health campaigner and author.
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