Shavelson, Lonny. I'm Not Crazy, I Just Lost My Glasses by Lonny Shavelson.

Portraits and Oral Histories of People Who Have Been In and Out of Mental Institutions by Lonny Shavelson. De Novo, 1986. Introduction by A.D. Coleman. Foreword by Sheldon J. Korchin.  Full page black-and-white portraits by Shavelson with text on facing pages. Images of people with mental disabilities.  Stiff illustrated wraps, unpaginated (about 92 pages). Like new. 

Lonny Shavelson (born 1953) is an American photojournalist, author, and emergency physician whose dual careers in documentary reporting and medicine have focused heavily on public health, social justice, and marginalized populations. Combining his medical training with photojournalism, Shavelson traveled extensively to document sensitive and complex human issues, including immigration, poverty, mental health, substance addiction, and end-of-life choices. His striking black-and-white photography and investigative writing have appeared in major national publications and books, such as A Chosen Death: The Dying Options of Sundara Ramaswamy and Under the Influence: The Disruption of America. Through intimate, compassionate visual storytelling, Shavelson has continually used his lens to give voice to those navigating systemic crises, bridging the worlds of medical advocacy and documentary media.

I'm Not Crazy, I Just Lost My Glasses is a powerful, groundbreaking photo-documentary book by photojournalist and author Lonny Shavelson. Subtitled Portraits and Oral Histories of People Who Have Been In and Out of Mental Institutions, the book explores the raw, lived experiences of individuals navigating the American mental health system, featuring an introduction by prominent photography critic A.D. Coleman and a foreword by psychologist Sheldon J. Korchin.

Key Elements of the Book

• The Intersection of Portraiture and Oral History: The book utilizes a deliberate, alternating layout where full-page black-and-white portraits face raw, unedited first-person testimonies from the subjects. This formatting ensures that the individuals are not merely observed, but actively heard, letting them control their own narratives.

• Challenging Stigma and Stereotypes: The provocative title underscores a central theme: the terrifying ease with which the actions of those labeled "mentally ill" are pathologized by society. A simple moment of distress or confusion—like misplacing one's glasses—can be weaponized by onlookers or authorities as proof of madness.

• A Critique of Institutionalization: Shavelson's work provides an intimate look at the revolving-door nature of mental institutions. The oral histories expose systemic failures, the trauma of forced confinement, the heavy reliance on over-medication, and the profound isolation people face both inside institutions and after being released into an unsupportive society.

• Humanizing the Invisible: Influenced by his background as both a photojournalist and a medical professional, Shavelson avoids sensationalism. His portraits are intimate, respectful, and intensely human, capturing a spectrum of emotion—including vulnerability, anger, humor, and resilience—that strips away the clinical detachment often found in medical or sociological studies.

Summary

I'm Not Crazy, I Just Lost My Glasses serves as an empathetic and critical bridge between documentary art and mental health advocacy. By combining dignified visual portraiture with unfiltered personal testimonies, Lonny Shavelson confronts societal discomfort with mental illness and forces the reader to acknowledge the fundamental humanity and agency of a deeply marginalized population.