As her friends become increasingly concerned, they reach out to the adults around them: Lisa's parents, the school counsellor, their parents, but no one seems willing to help Lisa. She reaches out to her parents, but they refuse to believe there is anything wrong, choosing to see her behaviour as attention seeking. Her behaviour fluctuates and at first, the main signs are her dark moods and outbursts. Good on her! The story is about Lisa, an all-American girl - pretty, bright, confident - who is experiencing the onset of mental illness. I looked her up and while she's still acting, she also has a lovely pottery line! You can find samples of it on the Kay Lenz Facebook Fan Page.

I looked but couldn't find anything else narrated by her, but like any great actor, she's a master at providing that feeling/inflection that brings dialogue to life. She has a lovely voice with a bit of huskiness to it, and she's a natural as a reader. The girls talk about musical groups and actors who aren't well-known today - although I suppose Paul Newman is still remembered, but is he remembered as a sex symbol? When this book came out, Paul Newman was a real hunk and soooo many of us were totally crushing on him. She also starred in Breezy with the still dreamy but much too old for her Bill Holden. It had an all star cast and Kay Lenz, who played Lisa, was lovely. It was one of those books everyone was reading - along with I Never Promised You A Rose Garden. They may not always know exactly what to do, as they shouldn’t be expected to, though their devotion to the care and well-being of their friend is outstanding and would do wonders if emulated.I remember this book from when it was first released way back in the 70s, I think, or perhaps late 60s. (Mary Nell), fresh and original Betsy, along with guarded, though warmhearted Elizabeth throw themselves into offering genuine support as well as getting the right help their friend needs. I found this book to be very insightful on the stigma and reality of having a friend who suffers from a mental illness. The ‘voices’ have seemed to suddenly overwhelm her and turn change her into someone that not only friends and her boyfriend, Brian, don’t recognize, though she doesn’t recognize either.

She doesn’t understand why she is her usual bubbly self one moment and dark and empty the next. What’s different about Lisa is that she cannot control her ever-changing moods. She’s popular, held highly in the eyes of her peers, and she has a sense of humor that can melt the ice off the coldest of hearts. Lisa is your typical happy-go-lucky high school student.

Lisa bright and dark by john neufeld