Author Kit de Waal credits books with saving her from mental breakdown

International bestselling author Kit de Waal told the BBC she was close to a serious mental breakdown before a solicitor recommended reading to her, which changed her life. De Waal said she discovered "the world of reading, the world of imagination" during a turbulent youth that included leaving home at 16 and struggling with drugs, according to BBC Health.

Born in Birmingham to an Irish mother and Caribbean father, de Waal grew up in Moseley, an area where mixed-race families were uncommon at the time. She described her childhood as marked by poverty and feeling like an outsider due to her background and experiences with racism.

De Waal explained that these early life challenges influenced her writing, which often explores themes of difference, poverty, hunger, and exclusion. She highlighted the damage poverty and racism can cause to children, drawing from her own experiences.

Her story underscores the impact that literature and imagination can have on mental health and personal transformation, as reading helped her find hope and inspiration during difficult times.