In the 2023-2024 school year, Jennifer Kindred, an English and Advanced Placement English and Language Composition (AP Lang) teacher at Foothill Technology High School, adopted a new sci-fi novel into the ninth-grade curriculum. This book was “The Midnight Library,” written by Matt Haig. This story is one of many books addressing suicide, suicidal ideation and suicidal thoughts.

“The Midnight Library” follows Nora Seed, a 20-year-old girl who struggles with feelings of self-worth. Nora attempts suicide by overdose very early on in the book and gets sent to “The Library,” a place between life and death. In this library, all the books are different versions of her life; each shows what she could’ve experienced if she had made different decisions. This novel depicts Nora’s journey through finding appreciation for the life she has.

This story is a prime example of how suicide should be presented in schools: vivid examples of poor mental health and how that affects one’s day-to-day life. Despite this lucid perspective, Haig also invited readers into the healing process of these self-destructive thoughts. 

Using this detailed depiction of emotional distress, Haig takes on a challenging topic, requiring him to acknowledge two facts. Suicidal ideation is common and a paralyzing struggle. Yet, suicide isn’t the answer, and by facing this issue head-on, Haig further removes the discomfort around suicidal thoughts.

Kindred illustrates that while reading this book, she saw it as “very human.” However, she did not teach the novel herself; instead, she was assisted by her student teacher. She advised them to start by introducing the book and mental health resources, paired with serious, blunt disclaimers. 

“I didn’t want students to make fun of others or belittle the struggle,” Kindred said.

Although there was no direct backlash from students or teachers, she shared that a student requested she halt her reading of the book because it hit too close to home. Kindred believes that this request was completely the students’ right to ask and believes that the district would encourage teachers to welcome these kinds of concerns and respect the wishes of students.

While addressing this complication may be triggering, making it a less intimidating topic might be encouraging for people struggling with these issues. Gwennyth Stachurski ‘29, a student at Foothill Tech, said, “The topic became a little bit more comfortable because we read the [Midnight Library]”. By expanding our exposure to include more books that address hard, scary and sensitive topics, we further protect and build students’ trust. We need to take action in supporting those already struggling and inform people of the signs to prevent further distress.

Although every student has a life outside of school, each child spends around 14,040 hours of their life in a classroom. This educational time should be used to teach students about more than just algebra and biology; they should be learning more about how to handle the emotional and mental health challenges of everyday life.

Wellness centers are huge advocates for mental health and ending adolescent suicide. Having events based around Mental Health Awareness months and the idea of “ending the stigma” can be a huge step in the right direction. With this comes effective support, teaching students how to get through these challenging times. 

Hurt and strong emotions should be normalized, and people need to feel safe in expressing them, especially in an educational setting. No one should feel so alone, unsupported and helpless that they take their own life. We are all human, and we all experience sadness and feel low in one way or another. Haig even wrote, “Sadness is intrinsically part of the fabric of happiness. You can’t have one without the other.”