"Mental ill health has finally come out of the umbrella of madness and can now be seen for what it really is; a perfectly normal part of life." James Gerard McGinley - BA Journalism Hope Street is a new book that focuses on lived experiences, coping mechanisms, endurance, hope and recovery in the world of mental ill health. Hope Street takes readers on an inspiring global journey, giving an insight into different mental health environments. The book focuses on five individuals who have experienced mental ill health and are now in recovery. Most hold down full time jobs, are engaged in...

Though the main character, Matthew, inevitably has many character traits in common with the author, he is really more of a composite mixture of a whole plethora of personalities, borderliners and eccentrics, and acts as a mouthpiece for their shared plight, advocating on their behalf, too, at times. Since Matthew was never content to be just one individual, he became what might consequently be referred to as a dividual. We follow his various reincarnations, as he flits, like a butterfly, between professions, roles and identities. Though his character is by no means unsullied, (he's more of an...