Is 'I'M Telling The Truth But I'M Lying' Worth Reading?

2026-03-08 17:31:56
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Lila
Lila
Favorite read: Until The Lie Loved Me
Longtime Reader Teacher
I picked up 'I’m Telling the Truth but I’m Lying' after seeing it recommended in a book club, and wow, it wrecked me in the best way. Bassey Ikpi’s honesty is brutal but necessary—she doesn’t sugarcoat the confusion and pain of living with bipolar disorder, and that’s what makes it so compelling. The essays are short but pack a punch, jumping between childhood in Nigeria, her time as a spoken-word artist, and the isolating struggle of misdiagnosis. It’s not a linear narrative, which might frustrate some readers, but the fragmentation perfectly mirrors how memory works when your brain is working against you. If you’re looking for a tidy resolution or a self-help guide, this isn’t it. But if you want a book that feels like someone handing you their diary and saying, 'Here, this is what it’s really like,' then absolutely give it a try. I finished it in two sittings because I couldn’t look away.
2026-03-09 20:54:32
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Bassey Ikpi’s 'I’m Telling the Truth but I’m Lying' is one of those rare books that lingers in your mind long after you’ve turned the last page. It’s a raw, unfiltered exploration of mental health, identity, and the fragmented nature of memory, told through essays that feel like late-night conversations with a friend who trusts you enough to show their scars. The way Ikpi writes about bipolar disorder is both deeply personal and universally relatable—she doesn’t just describe symptoms; she immerses you in the disorienting whirl of her experiences. There’s a rhythm to her prose that mirrors the highs and lows of her condition, making it almost poetic in its chaos.

What struck me most was how she confronts the idea of truth. The title isn’t just clever; it’s the core of the book. Ikpi questions whether her memories are real or constructs of her illness, and that ambiguity becomes a powerful metaphor for how mental health can distort reality. It’s not an easy read—some passages left me emotionally drained—but it’s an important one. If you’ve ever felt like your own mind was betraying you, or if you want to understand that feeling, this book is a gift. It’s messy, heartbreaking, and oddly hopeful in the way only truth can be.
2026-03-10 10:53:00
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