Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me: A Graphic Memoir

Cartoonist Ellen Forney explores the relationship between "crazy" and "creative" in this graphic memoir of her bipolar disorder, woven with stories of famous bipolar artists and writers.

Shortly before her thirtieth birthday, Forney was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Flagrantly manic and terrified that medications would cause her to lose creativity, she began a years-long struggle to find mental stability while retaining her passions and creativity.

Searching to make sense of the popular concept of the crazy artist, she finds inspiration from the lives and work of other artists and writers who suffered from mood disorders, including Vincent van Gogh, Georgia O'Keeffe, William Styron, and Sylvia Plath. She also researches the clinical aspects of bipolar disorder, including the strengths and limitations of various treatments and medications, and what studies tell us about the conundrum of attempting to "cure" an otherwise brilliant mind.

Darkly funny and intensely personal, Forney's memoir provides a visceral glimpse into the effects of a mood disorder on an artist's work, as she shares her own story through bold black-and-white images and evocative prose.

Author: Ellen Forney
Publisher: Avery Publishing Group
Published: 11/06/2012
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.88d
ISBN: 9781592407323
Audience: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
Entertainment Weekly 11/09/2012 pg. 104
Publishers Weekly 07/09/2012 pg. 46
Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2012
Kirkus Best Nonfiction 12/01/2012 pg. 14
Booklist 12/15/2012 pg. 36
New York Times Book Review 12/16/2012 pg. 25
Entertainment Weekly 12/28/2012 pg. 106
Library Journal 03/01/2013 pg. 64
Entertainment Weekly 03/21/2014 pg. 42

About the Author
Ellen Forney was diagnosed with bipolar disorder shortly before her thirtieth birthday. A lifelong cartoonist, she collaborated with Sherman Alexie on National Book Award-winning The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and created Eisner Award-nominated comic books I Love Led Zeppelin and Monkey Food: The Complete "I Was Seven in '75" Collection. She teaches comics courses at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington.