Crazy Like a Fox: Adventures in Schizophrenia
Crazy Like a Fox: Adventures in Schizophrenia tells the story of Fox Foxerson who moves to the big city from Kansas. Fox goes to a party he finds from a flier and meets Teddy, Snake, and Dodo. Fox has a good time and becomes friends with all of them. He even has a crush on Snake.
As Fox navigates his new life, things begin to happen. He drinks a lot when he’s in crisis, but he doesn’t recognize the crisis. He begins to imagine that the creature he sees in the mirror is scary, his non-existent friend Spider has drunk all his beer, and he also believes that everyone is out to get him.
Fox’s friends, and family, understandably want him to get well. They have him committed to the psych hospital several times but Fox refuses to attend therapy, doesn’t take his meds, and thinks the doctors don’t listen to him. This behavior cycles until chapter 15, “Looking for a Hero,” when Fox comes to his own realization he needs help, he doesn’t want to die, and he’s willing to accept that help. He friends drive him, dressed as a superhero and with a blue star over one eye he drew with an eyeliner, to the hospital. This hospital is different from the others. Here, Fox is placed with others who have schizophrenia so now he has peers who can relate with him. Therapy also teaches him art and music which helps Fox get a handle on his emotions and thoughts. He also learns that not only can he ask for help, but he can also talk about the side effects of his meds and have them changed something that was never mentioned in the past hospitalizations.
In chapter 16, “Flowers for Buddha,” his support team says he’s well enough to go home! Fox discovers the beauty in the world, one that he thought was lost to him, as he walks home. When he gets there, he sees his friends have kept his apartment in top form as well as taking care of his cat, Cat. Fox learns that it’s okay to have strong feelings and emotions and that there is always help if he’s in crisis.
I purposely skipped summarizing chapters 1-14 because while I gave a brief synopsis of the book, I want the reader to discover Fox’s story as it unfolds. I want you to laugh, cry, and feel Fox’s life as he cycles through his illness. It’s incredibly important for the reader to understand the pain Fox is going through, and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
The writer and artist Christi Furnas has schizophrenia. In a Q & A with the publisher, Christi says that creating the characters as animals will, “give us all a little emotional distance from my life. The creatures were a way to make me laugh.” What someone with mental illness wants, and I can say this with authority as I’m bipolar, is to be understood and while the diagnosis can be scary, we can live normal and healthy lives.
And it is a thing worth noting that seeking and getting help for a mental illness is a complicated process. Sometimes you are denied help, or it just never comes and Furnas captures this beautifully. When I was in crisis years ago, I sat in the waiting room at a community clinic for seven hours. When I finally checked in to see when I could be seen, the therapists had already gone home but no one every told me. Sometimes getting the right help can takes months or even years.
While Furnas’ is a trained artist, and sometimes work in oils, this work is strictly line drawings. No color. No shading. You might dismiss them as too simplistic, which honestly, I did the first time I read the book, but it’s not. Her work conveys a lot of emotion and humor as Fox’s story, and himself, unravel.
Representation matters, especially in mental illness. I’m only aware of two graphic novels out about being bipolar Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me: A Graphic Memoir (2012) by Ellen Fornay and the follow-up, Rock Steady (2018). Christi Furnas’ visibility about her illness in such a public forum gives me hope that mental health will hopefully be further destigmatized. And if other books like Crazy Like Fox get published, the future seems brighter that will happen.
I, without any reservation, wholly recommend this book for collections. Patrons should have access to titles from marginalized groups and if any title meets that goal, it’s Crazy Like a Fox.
I want to end this review with a quote from Furnas at the end of the book, “For those who live with a disability or illness, in the times you feel tired or beaten down, know that you’re strong. Life is worth the effort. Your self-awareness is powerful, and you are your own best witness.” (261)
If you are in crisis, call or text 988 to get support and help.
Crazy Like a Fox: Adventures in Schizophrenia
By Christi Furnas
Street Noise, 2024
ISBN: 9781951491284
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+)
Creator Representation: Queer, Schizoaffective Disorder
