History Literature / INeverPromisedYouARoseGarden

The novel is semi-autobiographical, informed by Greenberg’s own three-year stay in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut_Lodge Chestnut Lodge]] psychiatric institution, where she was treated by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frieda_Fromm-Reichmann Dr. Frieda Fromm-Reichmann]], who Greenberg claims has cured her of schizophrenia[[note]]Controversial, but TruthInTelevision for some. Greenberg herself appears in the film ''[[https://youtu.be/EPfKc-TknWU Take These Broken Wings]]'' along with several other people describing how their schizophrenia was relieved through psychotherapy with little or no medication[[/note]]. While the actual illness Greenberg suffered in her youth has been hotly debated, the book itself was regarded as offering an important but often unheard perspective of psychiatry—that of a patient.

* AdaptationNameChange: The film changes Deborah's surname from Blau to Blake. This was a RaceLift/ChangingTheMinority. Deborah's (and Greenberg's) Jewish ethnicity and heritage were a ''major'' part of her life and one of the reasons she was cruelly bullied early in life. Greenberg says they made her a WASP in the film because they were "terrified". (She adds that this is just one of the reasons the film "stunk on ice." Yes, she really does talk like that.)

The novel is semi-autobiographical, informed by Greenberg’s own three-year stay in a psychiatric ward where she was treated by Dr. Frieda Fromm-Reichman, who Greenberg claims has cured her of schizophrenia. While the actual illness Greenberg suffered in her youth has been hotly debated, the book itself was regarded as offering an important but often unheard perspective of psychiatry—that of a patient.

Adapted into a [[TheFilmOfTheBook 1977 film]]--directed by Anthony Page, and starring Creator/KathleenQuinlan as Deborah and Creator/BibiAndersson as Dr. Fried--and a 2004 stage play.

* AdaptationNameChange: The film changes Deborah's surname from Blau to Blake.

* CuckooFingerTwirl: Used early on by one of the B-Ward patients. Deborah observes that the lower-ward patients feel free to use language like "cuckoo" or "nuts", but only the Disturbed D-Ward call themselves "crazy".
* FacialDialogue: Deborah and Carla communicate with facial expressions when they simultaneously [[spoiler: decide to run from D-Ward.]]
* RoomFullOfCrazy: Deborah, during one of her psychotic episodes, writes Yri text on the ward's bathroom walls with her own blood, a smuggled pencil, and a broken button from her clothes. While the ward nurses take this as a sign of her further descent into delusion, Dr. Fried recognizes in it a cry for help.
* YouWontFeelAThing: Contributing to Deborah's mental illness was her painful childhood cancer treatment, when she was told this lie numerous times. She ceased to trust adults in her life and had lasting psychosomatic pain from the trauma of her surgeries.

''I Never Promised You a Rose Garden'', by Joanne Greenberg using the pen name Hannah Green, details the psychiatric treatment of sixteen year old Deborah Blau, a lonely girl who spends most of her time in a fantasy world of her own creation, called Yr. Her psychiatrist, Dr. Fried (nicknamed Furii by Deborah and the Yrians) begins to draw her into the real world, but the godlike inhabitants of Yr won’t let her go without a fight.

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, by Joanne Greenberg under pen name Hannah Green, details the psychiatric treatment of sixteen year old Deborah Blau, a lonely girl who spends most of her time in a fantasy world of her own creation, called Yr. Her psychiatrist, Dr. Fried (nicknamed Furii by Deborah and the Yrians) begins to draw her into the real world, but the godlike inhabitants of Yr won’t let her go without a fight.

* CuckooFingerTwirl: Used early on by one of the B-Ward patients. Deborah observes that the lower-ward patients feel free to use language like “cuckoo” or “nuts”, but only the Disturbed D-Ward call themselves “crazy”.
* FacialDialogue: Deborah and Carla share one of these when they simultaneously [[spoiler: decide to run from D-Ward.]]
* RoomFullOfCrazy: Deborah, during one of her psychotic episodes, writes Yri text on the ward’s bathroom walls with her own blood, a smuggled pencil, and a broken button from her clothes. While the ward nurses take this as a sign of her further descent into delusion, Dr. Fried recognizes in it a cry for help.
* YouWontFeelAThing: Contributing to Deborah’s mental illness was her painful childhood cancer treatment, when she was told this lie numerous times. She ceased to trust adults in her life and had lasting psychosomatic pain from the trauma of her surgeries.

* BlackSpeech: The Yri language, or so Deborah believes.

* YouWontFeelAThing: Contributing to Deborah’s mental illness was her painful childhood cancer treatment, when she was told this lie numerous times. She ceased to trust adults in her life and had lasting psychosomatic pain from the trauma of her surgeries.

* RoomFullOfCrazy: Deborah, during one of her psychotic episodes, writes Yri text on the ward’s bathroom walls with her own blood, a smuggled pencil, and a broken button from her clothes. While the ward nurses take this as a sign of her further descent into delusion, Dr. Fried recognizes in it a cry for help.

RoomFullOfCrazy: Deborah, during one of her psychotic episodes, writes Yri text on the ward’s bathroom walls with her own blood, a smuggled pencil, and a broken button from her clothes. While the ward nurses take this as a sign of her further descent into delusion, Dr. Fried recognizes in it a cry for help.

The novel is semi-autobiographical, informed by Greenberg’s own three-year stay in a psychiatric ward where she was treated by Dr. Frieda Fromm-Reichman, who Greenberg claims has cured her of schizophrenia. While the actual illness Greenberg suffered in her youth has been hotly debated, the book itself was regarded as offering an important but often unheard perspective of psychiatry—that of a patient.