He Wanted the Moon: The Madness and Medical Genius of Dr. Perry Baird, and His Daughter's Quest to Know Him
by Mimi Baird with Eve Claxton
Eloquent and disturbing (2/3/2015)
This short, interesting book brings to light the experiences of a physician whose promising career was ruined by bipolar disorder back in the 1940s. Medications like Lithium were not available at that time, and it was common for manic phase patients to be hospitalized and brutally "treated" with methods like being tied to a bed wearing a straitjacket for long periods of time.
Dr. Perry Baird kept an eloquent journal of his experiences, writing even when he was hospitalized and experiencing symptoms. Most of the first part of the book consists of this journal.
In the second part of the book, Baird's daughter Mimi describes how she found her father's long-lost writings, and she tells us about his early accomplishments and later struggles.
Baird's journal is eloquent and heartbreaking. He was a gifted physician who had professional insight into what was happening to him. Occasionally the journal deteriorates into odd jottings such as, "Two red chickens out in front. Danger, danger, danger," but most of it is clear and engaging. Perhaps the most remarkable section is Baird's account of his successful escape from a mental institution during a lull in his symptoms.
Irritable Hearts: A PTSD Love Story
by Mac McClelland
A startling and valuable book (12/20/2014)
"Irritable Hearts" is a nonfiction autobiographical book by the award-winning journalist Mac McClelland. It describes the author's harrowing, two-year-long struggle with PTSD following a frightening experience that occurred when she was on assignment in Haiti. The first part of the book is rather rough going, for the following reasons: 1.) McClelland declines to describe the experience that set off her PTSD, providing only oblique and confusing hints, 2.) Her account of her visit to Haiti is one-dimensional and disturbingly negative, 3.) McClelland's "love at first sight" encounter with a young Frenchman seems improbable, and 4.) Early in her struggle with PTSD, McClelland was surprised to discover that she could ease some of her symptoms by engaging in violent sex. However, after the first few chapters, I actually came to like this book quite a lot. It evolves into a frank, honest, and affecting account of McClelland's journey toward wellness with the help of a somatic therapist and the support of her partner. The author provides information about the range and variability of the symptoms of PTSD, reveals how common it is among people who have been abused, and discusses the effects of the disorder on family members. There's a good balance between the carefully-researched information that she presents and the intimacy of a very personal story. I had known almost nothing about PTSD before I read this book, and I am grateful to the author for opening my eyes though this account of her dark but ultimately inspiring journey.
Descent
by Tim Johnston
Multiple viewpoints lead to a dramatic conclusion (10/30/2014)
"Descent" is an engaging fictional study of a family that has been driven apart by a tragedy. In alternating chapters, the plot follows the story of a father, a mother, and other members of a family that has been torn asunder – both emotionally and geographically – by the event. The narrative features time shifts as well as shifting points of view. I found this book to be well written and insightful with regard to characterization. The climax is dramatic (almost cinematically so), with an unexpected twist, and the story's resolution is a satisfying one. My only criticism of this novel is that the author's figurative language occasionally becomes a bit forced and awkward (e. g. aspen leaves "chiming"; a "coronation" of light coming through an ordinary window on an ordinary day); however, for the most part, I found Tim Johnston's imagery to be vividly appropriate and enjoyable.
The Quick
by Lauren Owen
Victorian Suspense (4/4/2014)
The Quick is a suspenseful, fast-paced Victorian Gothic novel. The story, which incorporates elements of fantasy and the macabre, is rich in period detail. I much appreciated the literary quality of the writing. This novel has a large cast of characters, my favorite of whom was a female tightrope walker! Shifting points of view and the use of different narrative voices throw the reader off-balance at times, but the momentum of the plot never falters. There is a fair amount of violence, but not too much gore. One of my favorite things about the book is that the plot encompasses three different love stories, all intriguingly unconventional.
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