Welcome to April’s mini-reviews! I chose the title “Madness and Identities” because all of the following fall into one or both of these categories. Blood Will Out, Not That Kind of Girl, and 10 Days in a Madhouse all focus on identity and imposters, while Cloud Atlas focuses on the madness of the world. Although, to be fair, all crossover quite a bit. Now, here are the books!

Blood Will Out by Walter Kirn

What would you do if you found out one of your oddball friends impersonated a Rockefellar and killed a bunch of people? That’s exactly what Walter Kirn had to ask himself when he found out that his good friend, Clark Rockefellar, wasn’t who he said he was. It all started with a dog in a wheelchair and Kirn takes you on a journey through the years of their odd relationship and explains why he didn’t (or chose not to) see the man behind the mask. I listened to this on audio and, while I enjoyed it, I think I would have preferred print. That said, it was ranked as a top book last year so you know it’s worth its salt.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

I’m not going to lie – I didn’t love this book and almost put it down a few times. While I’m glad I finished it so that I can cross it off of my list, I’m not left with any strong feelings about it. Therefore, I’m sending you over to Leah at Books Speak Volumes because she reviews this book more eloquently than I ever could.

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Ten Days in a Mad-House by Nellie Bly

One of the famous (or infamous) muckrakers writes about how she tricked doctors into committing a sane woman to an insane asylum in order to write about how “patients” were treated. Written in 1887, the book is highly relevant and, sadly, many of the same problems of abuse and indifference remain. It’s a short book – less than 100 pages – and worth every minute.

Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s “Learned” by Lena Dunham

I don’t watch Girls and I don’t know much about Lena Dunham, but what I do know about her I like. After reading several rave reviews by other bloggers about this one, I decided to pick it up on audiobook. It was a great choice – it’s funny, honest, and refreshing. I’ve read about some of the controversy since the book came out and, honestly, it seems overblown and taken out of context. If you like books by comedians that have actual depth to them, pick this one up.