“Just Kill Yourself!”: and Other Ways NOT to Navigate Conversations About Suicide | PRE-ORDER

The Book: “Suicidal people are not allowed to engage in conversations about suicide enough.” Named after the most common phrase the author has heard in response to her struggles with suicidal thoughts, the bleakly titled “Just Kill Yourself!” challenges what we have learned about suicide prevention from the media, guiding readers through what hurts and what works when facing these difficult topics. Having made her first suicide attempt when she was eleven years old, Brianna Valentine, 21, draws on her experience navigating her own suicidal thoughts without access to therapy as well as the struggles of her peers. “Just Kill Yourself! and Other Ways NOT to Navigate Conversations About Suicide” provides a unique perspective that will spark further conversations about the stigma surrounding suicide and be a painfully refreshing addition to a conversation that has long felt stagnant. With this self-help book, anyone wishing to help suicidal people can gain a new perspective on those who struggle with suicidal thoughts, enabling someone who is suicidal to have a fighting chance at recovery.

The Author: First-time author Brianna Valentine was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in a nearby suburb called Homewood. She began to struggle with her mental health—and eventually suicidal thoughts—at a very early age. A combination of her family’s poverty and the people in her life not taking mental health seriously meant that she never had access to any support. Knowing that she would not survive all four years of high school, she graduated at 16 years old and moved across the country to Los Angeles, California to pursue her passion—a career in performance. Today, Brianna advocates for the people like her who struggle with suicidal thoughts and are not afforded the access to mental healthcare that they so desperately need. She works to enable everyday people to better support someone who is suicidal when they need it. Brianna hopes to get the mental care she has spent almost a decade begging for and get back to doing the things she loves.