Close to the borderline

Merri Lisa Johnson’s captivating memoir, Girl in Need of a Tourniquet: Memoir of a Borderline Personality, is a peek into the unknown. What is a borderline personality disorder—other than something your friends tell you all your exes probably have? As Johnson explains, it is a mix of the neurotic and psychotic, with a dash of chaos and a hint of insatiability; it’s a concoction that will make you crazy but incredibly self-aware. Filled with all the flaws that make beauty possible, Johnson lets us dive into her soul and follow her journey of self-discovery and acceptance. Mixed with psychoanalytic theory and true emotion, she strips the epidermis and exposes us to the loveliness of the “strange” that is in everyone. Sit back and indulge on this delightful slice of reality, and remember to leave those closed minds at the borderline.