Lullabies for the Insomniacs

In this slim, illuminating poetry collection, debut author Foutz probes her experiences as a teenager with bipolar disorder. It’s “not ‘mood swings,’ ” an opening poem explains. She elaborates in a later entry titled “Dialects II”: her disorder is “just chemicals in my brain/ On the other hand,/ Problem:/ So is everything.” Throughout, the creator details the ways in which her illness manifests and impacts her everyday life, including five successive nights of insomnia, admittance to “the psych ward,” suicidal ideation—and an intense appreciation of the world’s beauty (“It’s beautiful to just be feeling”). Exploring and affectingly voicing the results of various medications as well as encounters with therapists, psychiatrists, and supportive family members, the poet also references famous figures who faced mental health challenges, such as Robin Williams and Virginia Woolf. Despite occasionally prosaic verses (“Oh my goodness please if I could just sleep/ Oh my goodness please please please”), Foutz conveys a tender embrace of her whole self in all its permutations. This perceptive collection offers insightful and, at times, uplifting revelations: “I may have had more sadness in my life than some,/ but it doesn’t mean I’ve had any less joy.” Ages 13–up. (Nov.)