Book Read, 2008

"An Unquiet Mind" - A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison

I didn't take note of memorable quotes from this book, because I'd have ended up re-writing the entire book here. Not one word is wasted in this thing. I especially like the way she calls the disease madness. Because that's what it is. But nobody ever says so.

For the first time, someone pointed out the good things that come with manic depression. I have personally never seen/read/heard that done before. Don't get me wrong, this book isn't the most uplifting tale. It's an awful existence and the good there is can't outweigh the pain. But for a time, those who suffer can actually let go (in some circumstances, not all) and perhaps enjoy the positives that do come out of it - as long as there's no other option but to live with it.

This memoir (I believe) was written at a time when we still had not the best idea of what is going on in one's brain. It was much more stigmatized than it is now, and anyone out there living it knows it is HIGHLY stigmatized even today. If there is any hope of allowing someone who has not dealt with manic depression to experience it through a book, this one is it. There's no excuses here, just honest reporting by a fabulous story teller.