Manic: A Memoir by Terri Cheney Manic: A Memoir by Terri Cheney is one of those books that quietly stays with you long after you finish it. I gave this memoir 4 stars , and I found it beautifully written and deeply impactful. Cheney’s prose is honest, raw, and at times unsettling — but never gratuitous. She invites the reader directly into her lived experience with bipolar disorder in a way that feels intimate and unfiltered, offering clarity without romanticizing the illnes