Maricela Estrada books
Bipolar Girl is a riveting story of a girl's struggle with mental illness. Maricela grew up in poverty in East Los Angeles. Raised by her widowed, traditional Mexican mother, she was the youngest of five siblings. Maricela missed having a father and struggled with depression all her life. She survived multiple suicide attempts by overdose. The author spent most of her life in and out of psychiatric hospitals. She was in deep denial about having bipolar disorder. Accepting her mental illness was the hardest thing she has ever done. Once Maricela accepted her illness and received treatment, her life changed in a beautiful way. She was able to graduate from college and embrace a fullfilling life.
Beautiful Bipolar Bisexual is an inspirational story about a woman living with bipolar disorder and the challenges she faces when she comes out of the closet. Maricela's strong faith in God helped her cope with mental illness, but when she discovers her true sexual orientation, she wonders if God still loves her. The author's life spirals out of control when her former boyfriend is murdered. Maricela always thought living with mental illness was the hardest thing she ever faced, but coming out of the closet was just as hard, and she struggles being accepted by her religious Catholic mother. Her pain becomes unbearable after her beloved girlfriend, Caylee, is diagnosed with untreatable lung cancer. Maricela decides if her girlfriend dies, she will kill herself too so they can be together forever in heaven. Surviving suicide made her realize that she would not let mental illness destroy her life. Hope came when she least expected it.
David Likes to Play with Dolls is a children's book about acceptance, kindness, and unconditional love. Its important message is that children's toys should be for everyone, and that a child's gender shouldn't determine what toys they must play with. The storywas inspired by the author's nephew David, and his childhood joy of playing with his sister Caroline's dolls. As a bright-eyed, joyful little boy, in his heart all he wanted was to be accepted by others. Playing with dolls made him happy, because he simply didn't like the "boy toys," consisting of cars and trucks. One day David's sister can't find her Gypsy Fairy Queen doll. Caroline looks in every room in the house, only to find that David has been playing with her dolls and toys. She becomes very upset with him, until she realizes that her brother should be able to play with any toys he enjoys.
Maricela Estrada is the author of Bipolar Girl and Beautiful Bipolar Bisexual. She recently released her first children's book, David likes to play with Dolls. She earned an AA in liberal studies from Rio Hondo College and a BA in communications from California State University, Fullerton. She is a public speaker dedicated to raising public awareness and decreasing the stigma associated with mental illness.
