Clare Bowditch's 'Your Own Kind of Girl'

I really enjoyed reading Clare Bowditch’s memoir. If it’s a frank and honest discussion of anxiety you are after, please read this book. A lot of my memories of Melbourne in the 90’s, the live music scene and university days are in here. I was at VCA doing the same course as Clare. We shared mutual friends. Three years after my degree I had a breakdown and was hospitalised. Too much of a good thing: meditation, ungrounded me with no guidance from my Buddhist teachers. I became completely unglued. Clare’s description of her mental collapse in London, due to so many factors, spurred on by self-enforced starvation, sleep deprivation and coffee intake. Her description of her mental state was so like mine I was astonished and realised it could have been so much better for me, if I had slept and spoke to someone.

There was hope for me at least. Its good to know it.

I am amazed at her story and hardships she suffered. I am also amazed how she is able to articulate and describe these experiences in her life. I have found myself in tears, and at other points stunned by the similarities of her experience to mine. My wonderful Mum, a writer, handed me this book on Mother’s Day, saying it was my 'happy daughters day' present, as we made orange & almond cake together. I was hooked straight away. Like Clare, I also lived in Sandringham and went to Sandy high around the time Tali White was there... he was a year older . I remember seeing the Accapelicans a lot around the North side. Carl P is a family friend and recorded many of his albums at my Dad's studio, Spring Studios, in Prahran. Harry, my Dad are very close.. I found her description of her breakdown in Oxford almost identical in physical reality to mine. So, thanks to Clare for writing this important memoir and well done on writing what is so difficult to ascertain. Clare has made my heart lighter.