Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me

'Forney is at the height of her powers.' Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home, and the #1 New York Times Bestseller Are You My Mother?

'A hilarious memoir about mental illness, yes, but it's also an incisive study of what it means to be human and how we ache to become better humans. Amazing stuff.' Sherman Alexie, author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian

Shortly before her thirtieth birthday, Ellen Forney was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Flagrantly manic but terrified that medications would cause her to lose her creativity and livelihood, she began a years-long struggle to find mental stability without losing herself or her passion.

Searching to make sense of the popular concept of the 'crazy artist', Ellen finds inspiration from the lives and work of other artists and writers who suffered from mood disorders, including Vincent van Gogh, Georgia O'Keeffe, William Styron and Sylvia Plath.

With dazzling storytelling, bold illustrations and razor-sharp wit, Marbles offers a wholly unique and visceral glimpse into the effects of a mood disorder on an artist's work and seeks to answer: is mental illness a curse, or is it actually a gift?

'Forney's greatest strength as a cartoonist is her gift for explanation - getting information across with vigor, wit and visual inventiveness.' New York Times Book Review

'A treasure . . . Forney should be read.' Marya Hornbacher, author of Madness: A Bipolar Life

A lifelong cartoonist, Ellen Forney collaborated on the National Book Award-winning The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian and created the Eisener Award-nominated comic books I Love Led Zeppelin and Monkey Food: The Complete 'I Was Seven in '75' Collection. She teaches comics courses at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, USA.