"This book is so many things I didn't know I needed: a testament to the work of healing, a raw howl of anger, and an indictment of misogyny's insipid, predictable, infuriating reign." --Carmen Maria Machado, author of the National Book Award finalist Her Body and Other Parties and the Lambda Literary Award winner In the Dream House An "evocative and devastating" ( The New York Times Book Review ) memoir that reckons with mental health as well as the insidious ways men impact the lives of women. In early 2021, popular artist Anna Marie Tendler checked herself into a psychiatric hospital following a year of crippling anxiety, depression, and self-harm. Over two weeks, she underwent a myriad of psychological tests, participated in numerous therapy sessions, connected with fellow patients, and experienced profound breakthroughs, such as when a doctor noted, "There is a you inside that feels invisible to those looking at you from the outside." In Men Have Called Her Crazy , Tendler recounts her hospital experience as well as pivotal moments in her life that preceded and followed. As the title suggests, many of these moments are impacted by men: unrequited love in high school; the twenty-eight-year-old she lost her virginity to when she was sixteen; the frustrations and absurdities of dating in her mid-thirties; and her decision to freeze her eggs as all her friends were starting families. A "stunning self portrait of a woman trying to make sense of the misogyny and sexism she has faced throughout her life" ( Time ), Men Have Called Her Crazy examines the unreasonable expectations and pressures women face in the 21st century. It is an "original portrait of a woman who's reached the apex of her rage against the patriarchy, a field guide to contemporary mental health practices, and a moving testament to the possibility of growth and healing" ( W Magazine ).

Early in her stay in the hospital, she says, "My wish for myself is that one day I'll reach a place where I can face hardship without trying to destroy myself." By the end of this book, she fulfills that wish.