This rosemary, white bean and chicken soup makes an appearance in the “Belonging to Ourselves” section of The Great Belonging. It’s in a chapter about recovering from a bipolar manic episode and reconnecting to a healthier version of myself.⁣
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Also. This book isn’t about mental illness but I write about my experiences with mental illness. Here’s what ⁣Sarah Sanderson said in her review at Mockingbird:
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“Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about this book is Donlon’s willingness to welcome us into the far reaches of her own mind. Donlon has bipolar disorder; she has experienced addling manias and debilitating depressions. In The Great Belonging, Donlon relays these vacillations without hyperbole and without shame. What struck me most about these particular chapters is that, while they are vital to the book, The Great Belonging does not become, by their inclusion, a book about mental illness... It is a book about loneliness whose author happens to be quite open about her own mental illness. In treating her condition this way, Donlon gives us all a great gift: a vision of a world in which mental illnesses can be openly discussed, but do not have to totally define the people who live with them.”⁣
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My friend Michael Dechane asked for the recipe after he read The Great Belonging. You can get the recipe from this Substack post.
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If you’re curious about various angles of loneliness and ways we belong to ourselves, others, and God, you might like my first book, The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other. You can buy it wherever you buy books or order here.

*Image and words originally posted by Charlotte Donlon on Instagram.