Praying to the Goddess of Mercy by Mahita Vas | Sing Lit Book Club

Important Notice
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About the Programme  

Join us at Singapore Literature Book Club as we discuss Praying to the Goddess of Mercy: A Memoir of Mood Swings. As this will be an interactive session, please come prepared to discuss the book and share your thoughts!  

This programme discusses mental health themes and diagnosis. 

About the Author  

Mahita became a mental health advocate after the success of her first book, Praying to the Goddess of Mercy: A Memoir of Mood Swings. She has since written three more books, all of which were published in Singapore. Mahita also volunteers regularly with Transient Workers Count Too, a migrant worker welfare charity. When she is not writing, she spends most of her days immersed in novels. Mahita is married and has twin daughters in their early thirties. 

About the Book  

Born to Indian parents in Singapore and raised by a Chinese amah, Mahita Vas struggled to fit into a conservative society where exuberance is frowned upon and conformity is a tradition. She spent a significant part of life feeling different, being different. Throughout her career with Singapore Airlines, then as an advertising industry executive, she led a volatile life – sometimes blissfully and enviably contented, at other times wishing she was dead. 

Mahita enjoyed the roller-coaster world of advertising – an industry offering the perfect camouflage for psychosis – but after leaving it for a more stable environment she began to suspect the wild ride was in her head and the roller coaster would follow her everywhere. No one, least of all Mahita, suspected she was mentally ill… until the day her sister suggested she had ‘inherited Daddy’s illness’. This epiphanic revelation led to a bipolar disorder diagnosis at age 41, followed by a suicide attempt where she narrowly escaped death. 

Praying to the Goddess of Mercy charts Mahita’s journey from chaos to stability. It offers insights into an illness for which there is no known cause, no cure and no immunity. It will inspire and enlighten people with mental disorders and the loved ones who suffer with them. Ultimately, it is about being true to oneself and having the courage to take charge in the pursuit of happiness. 

About Singapore Literature Book Club     

From NLB’s Singapore collection comes a book club with a unique local flavour. Discuss books by both well-known and emerging Singaporean authors touching on topics close to home. Get acquainted with local literature and discover national literary treasures right here at the libraries.    

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About LearnX Communities    

The Singapore Literature Book Club is one of NLB’s many LearnX Communities that connect like-minded people to create a modern kampong of communal learning. These communities cover a wide range of topics and can be found in libraries all over the island.     

Interested? Head over to https://go.gov.sg/what-is-a-learnx-community to join an existing community or start one of your own!   

Host or Publisher GoLibrary | National Library Board, Singapore