Spotlight on Local Writer, D.M. Munoz

For her first novel, titled The Benefits of Insanity, D.M. Munoz is looking to illuminate readers on the widespread plight of the mental health system. Through the story's fictional doctor, a survivor of childhood trauma, the tale unwinds around his encounters with friends and experiences within the mental health system.

Injected with Cuban culture, the intelligent and earnest story of love, friendship, and resilience was one Munoz said needed to be told amidst a society she believes fails those who suffer from trauma and mental illness.

“I had this story in mind for a long time,” said Munoz. “Throughout the years, I have witnessed – personally and professionally – how the mentally ill are misjudged and mistreated. I have seen, first hand, the flaws in the system and the barriers that get in the way of this population getting help.”

As the Cuban- American author grew up watching her parents struggle with mental illness and trauma, in 2020, she said she began working on the story. “My husband was deployed to Afghanistan and I took that opportunity to sit down and finally write the book; the lockdown helped as well,” Munoz said. A resident of Homestead, she has worked professionally with those afflicted in numerous ways and explained her aims with this book. “What I hope the reader gets from reading this is awareness of the current state of affairs, as it pertains to the mentally ill and traumatized population, and a greater sense of empathy for them,” said Munoz.

At a time when mental health concerns are getting more prominence, her writing from a place of personal history instills her debut with genuine and heartfelt sincerity, allowing the reader a peak into the past and present states of this healthcare issue, thus creating a chance to better the future of it. The Benefits of Insanity is available now on major online retailers, and online at thebenefitsofinsanity.com.