Wongs book reveals a thousand cuts to her body and soul. A great and perceptive writer, she has the gift of precision, detailing the side effects of each failed anti-depressant, the vortex effect of being unable to look at buildings she associated with pain, the shopping cure that brought dopamine blasts, the awfulness of mornings, that April is the worst month for suicide, and the graininess of the films a security firm secretly took at the launch of her 2007 book, Beijing Confidential. (
Toronto Star 20120427)
Out of the Blue is a page-turner suffused with suffering and pluck. (
Macleans magazine 20120503)
It is required reading for anyone interested in journalism. It is also required reading for anyone interested in the way employers treat employees with mental illnesses. (
Ottawa Citizen 20120504)
In this rare exploration of workplace depression, Wong asks the reader to confront issues many of us have had to deal with, no matter how long we have been in the traditional workplace she had worked for the Globe for two decades. For example, for those that ascribe to the I work therefore I am motto, like she did, it makes you wonder about your own life, and you will begin to ask yourself some tough questions. (
Openbooktoronto.com 20120523)
Its an event rare enough in the Canadian publishing world to be considered a coup: a self-published non-fiction book former Globe and Mail journalist Jan Wongs Out of the Blue: A Memoir of Workplace Depression, Recovery, Redemption and, Yes, Happiness, launched May 5 has hit the Stars bestseller list, making its debut this week at No. 10. (
Toronto Star 20120530)
Her latest memoir, Out of the Blue, reaffirms Wong as a brilliant writer and reveals a side of her we dont usually see: she is human like all of us. (
Ricepaper.com 20120601)
“As Wong states one in five individuals will be afflicted with a serious mental illness during their lifetime. Knowing this statistic, readers from all walks of life not to mention those employed as human resource representatives would definitely benefit from reading Out of the Blue.” (
The Coast 20120809)
“Because of her honest book, conversation can continue within families, businesses and institutions, when a person’s behaviours suggest a mental health issue. Instead of being left to sink even deeper into illness, with support of therapists, friends and family, they can find their way to healthier and happier life.” (
Beaver River Banner 20120815)
“There’s the W5 of Wong’s personal narrative: what happened to her, how she felt about it, what she did about it, etc. Which, as might be expected of a best-selling career journalist, is eminently readable and engaging.” (
Rover.com 20120905)
“Wong may have travelled al long road, but Out of the Blue signals her courageous return.”
(
Quill & Quire magazine)
"Jan Wong is a courageous journalist who has walked into fire, literally and metaphorically, to bring us the truth. In
Out of the Blue, she does so again, but this time it’s personal. As she tracks her spiral into unipolar depression, she applies the same rigor that has made her renowned as a reporter. Who knew that Jan Wong, one of the toughest journalists in Canada, could be incapacitated by the disease?
Out of the Blue proves that it doesn’t matter who you are: depression is an equal-opportunity soul stealer. It proves that even enlightened workplaces have yet to fully come to terms with mental illness. It also proves that recovery and understanding are absolutely possible. Jan is a wonderful writer and as she tells her own story, she speaks for me and for many. Some say depression is a gift. Well, it’s not. But this book is.” (Shelagh Rogers
The Next Chapter)
