Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo & Me

Ellen Forney’s graphic memoir Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo & Me (2012, Penguin) is a candid, illustrated account of the cartoonist’s experience being diagnosed with bipolar disorder just before her 30th birthday. Weaving together personal narrative with art history and psychology, Forney explores the link between creativity and mood disorders, using her own life and the work of artists like Michelangelo as touchstones. The single-volume book has become a touchstone in the graphic medicine genre for its unflinching yet warm depiction of mental health.