12 Canadian books that describe living with mental illness

May 2-8 is Mental Health Week, a week dedicated to raising awareness about mental health issues in Canada. If you need a place to start, we recommend one of these 12 books that show what it's like to live with mental illness.

• This is Happy by Camilla Gibb
• Birdie by Tracey Lindberg
• Open Heart, Open Mind by Clara Hughes
• OCDaniel by Wesley King
• Drunk Mom by Jowita Bydlowska
• All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
• The Outside Circle by Patti LaBoucaneBenson, illustrated by Kelly Mellings
• Skim by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
• Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese
• Why Not?: Fifteen Reasons to Live by Ray Robertson
• What Disturbs Our Blood by James Fitzgerald
• Whale Music by Paul Quarrington