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As of late, I’ve been reading more and more YA books about mental illness and I truly think that this is a subject that isn’t widely publicized enough. Challenger Deep is a beyond heartbreaking novel and I’ll even go as far as saying it’s perfect, a word that I don’t toss around lightly. Neal Shusterman has written numerous fantasy novels, but CD shows that what he really excels at is invoking readers� emotions and writing books with heart. This is easily one of the most important novels ever written and Challenger Deep just might be Schusterman’s magnum opus.

Caden Bosch is drowning in himself and he’s losing sight of what’s real and what’s just in his head. He thinks classmates are trying to kill him, that nothing makes sense anymore and that the world is going to swallow him whole. Readers are brought aboard a pirate ship on a journey to the Challenger Deep and this is a trip they’ll never forget.

Neal Shusterman expertly balances Caden’s reality and the world he’s created, making readers question what’s really going on. This novel has a healthy dose of the real world and the fantastical one, both of which were finely crafted and imagined. I found myself immersed in both sides of the story and I enjoyed seeing how the two worlds were interwoven into each other.

Schizophrenia is something that’s real and it’s a disease that most of us are clueless about it. Neal Schusterman does an excellent job of shedding light on this terrible disease without unloading a textbook worth of info on readers. Caden Bosch’s character truly captures the fear, the unknowing and the danger that comes with schizophrenia, making Challenger Deep a difficult book to read.

Neal Schusterman’s son, Brendan has schizophrenia and this novel includes drawings his son made during schizophrenic episodes. There is so much depth in this novel and I haven’t seen mental illness captured in a way that has felt so raw and horrifying ever. This novel turns schizophrenia from something alien into a personal demon that’s frighteningly easy to understand.

This is not an “issue� book, it’s a journey of self-discovery and recovery. Challenger Deep shows the struggles that those with mental illness deal with on a daily basis without stigmatizing it. As informative as this book is about schizophrenia, this book is about Caden and not his disease. Caden is not defined by his disease ever and he’s never shown as someone who’s anything lesser because of his mental illness. Though Caden’s family doesn’t quite understand him, I’m truly glad this novel shows how important a support system can be for those in the Challenger Deep.

I’ll admit it, this novel made me bawl. I found myself so involved in this book and in the life of Caden that I couldn’t help but cry and cry for him. I cried for him because no one seemed to understand how he was drowning, not even himself. To say this book is powerful feels like an understatement because every words booms with importance and it should be treated as something sacred. This book could save lives, it could be the lifesaver that readers can cling to as they fight the currents of the world.

Read Challenger Deep and give it to friends, family members and co-workers, you never know who might be in need of help. This book should be in every school and library because it’s a beacon of hope that so many could benefit from. I can’t praise this book enough or stress how necessary of a read it truly is.