Suicide Books

I have lived, my entire life, with Gender Dysphoria. From age six, I was certain that "god" messed up. More info, in my guides and lists, on personal experiences. However I have always studied Psychology, medical texts, and such, to get a grasp of the situation. Luckily, women in my life were understanding. I was able to experiment. Yet, over the last several years, I've had no outlet. Therefore this book has been important, to me. Technically, Gender Dysphoria is a medical condition, not a Psychological condition, but the way society treats "Freaks" definitely leads to Psych struggles.

To understand *why* I so highly recommend True Selves: Understanding Transsexualism--For Families, Friends, Coworkers, and Helping Professionals, read....

Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us, by the author of My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, the Real You, or Something Else Entirely and Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws.

See my friends list, or click the links. I reviewed Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us a while back. The Workbook is on my wish list.

"Hello, Cruel World" has been a tremendous help! I study Psychology, as a Minor, and I would recommend this to many people (teens and Adults), of all walks of life and Persuasions!

If you know *anyone* suffering from Depression, or simply bummed out, about living in Redneck "America" (or other backward places)...whatever their issues are, please get Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws to them!

I have spent most of my adult life, being capable of diagnosing issues, helping other people with their issues, etc. However, after repressing my own issues, for several years.... I can verify that this book is well worth owning, and purchasing as a gift. Normally, I rarely give up a book, but I would give this to anyone who needs it. I am sure that Kate would not mind, if I buy another one, later. :-)

First, however, I am making notes of the resources, book and movie titles, and websites that Kate Bornstein provides in "Hello, Cruel World."

I haven't felt suicidal for a long time, but this book is also effective to combat a general malaise, irritability, anger or pessimisim.

The 101 alternatives are only the second half of the book. The first half is Kate's personal history, advice and observations. Some more traditional alternatives are also discussed in this first part ("Call a Suicide Hotline").

I believe that one of the most helpful parts of the book is its humor, woven affectionately into the advice, observations and personal experiences. This light-heartedness, never too much to seem disrespectful, helps to give perspective to life's problems.

I think there are better ways to help kids than to say that anything they do is okay. I was alarmed by the advice in this book.

All high school libraries should have this book, which could save a life. Troubled teens will understand where the root of their problems lies.

This book could save your life. I wish it had been around when I was a suicidal seventh-grader. One of the readers at Amazon.com says, "Every high school library should carry this book!" and that's probably the best possible endorsement. This is a wonderful book.

Hello, Cruel World is the best depiction I have seen of the real world of troubled teens. It accurately locates the bully as the most common cause of self-esteem issues that can take years, even decades, to resolve. Kate's only rule for readers is "don't be mean," and that is certainly the most obvious characteristic of every bully I've ever faced. Kate's winning personality and irresistible sense of humor prevail over the heavy topic matter. Her writing is inspired, passionate, and empathic. There is little if anything that goes uncovered here. (Well, okay, she includes "sex worker" but omits "drug dealer" and "rock and roller" from her list of freak-admissible careers in alternative 34, "Sing for your Supper." I mean, if you're going to include the Unholy Trinity, you might as well go all the way, right?)

Actually, my only real quibble with this book (and it is a quibble) is that I thought this book might be even "safer" if the cover were more discreet. I admit that it's a bit busy for my taste, but perhaps a plain cover would have been even better for the sake of the kids who might have to sneak around with this book.

Wow! I haven't been moved by a novel like this one in maybe five years. I simply couldn't put it down. A superbly well-written first novel by such a young man growing up in Madison, WI. If you're considering reading this book, buy it today.

this is an amazing book. after reading the first few lines you wont want to put it down. i find my self staying awake till morning reading the book. Daniel Grey Marshall makes you feel like a part of this story. his writing is so descriptive you feel like each moment lasts for ever. the way he writes gives a raw feel and an open window to the world of jim drake. this book has a role for everyone, wheather you are the free and artistic or just in search of a way out, or just somone who needs to find a family. this book changes my life everytime i read it.

i recomend that you read this book every few years every time i do i relate new friends to the character.

I don't read often, and that is simply because it is so hard to find a book that can explain the raw, emotional feelings of how hard it is to grow up in the world the way it is today. But Daniel Grey Marshall's debut novel "Still Can't See Nothin' Comin" is the most incredible book I have ever read. I have never felt so many emotions or related so strongly to a book before. I have gotten a lot of friends and family members to read this book and all have been very moved by it in their own ways, relating to different character. I have read this book several times, and every time, it still makes me feel my emotions running wild. I cannot wait for Marshall's second novel.

if u like and read intense teen/fic then u will love this book. if u dont youll love it anyways b/c its SOO good. i mean its basicaly about this kid who has problems and runs away w/ his friends and basicaly messes up his life. its prety intense. i actualy cried during the middle of it... and then wen i was done with the book i had to return it to my friend (b/c i borrowed it from her) and i was sad b/c i wanted to read it again. so a few days later i special ordered it and bought it! i dont want to give away the story so ill just leave it as this, it was so sos so so so good. one of the best books ive ever read. READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!

This book was one of the best I have ever read. It was a ride on an emotional rollercoaster until the very end. Jim, the teen from a broken home was a lovable and amazingly developed character. He had amazing relationships with his friends and sister. This book made me laugh, cry, and scream. You felt hatred towards his father. Sympathy for his sister, Mandy. Love for Leslie. You want to reach out and touch Jeremy, mend his heart. Cry out to Philly; tell him that he can have a future. And hold Jim. It makes you want to heal the world. It makes you cry for all the people who have to go through what they did. I believe Daniel Grey Marshall is an AWESOME writer, and can not wait until he finishes his second book. I'm telling you . . . this book is worth every page.

This book was outstanding! Not only did I have trouble putting the book down, but I learned so much. Jenna's writing style is magnificent. Because of the level of detail that she included in her beautifully-crafted sentences, I was able to totally be in the moment with her and truly experience the myriad of feelings and sensations. So even though I do not think I meet the criteria for being highly sensitive, I thoroughly get it and could relate to it. I am grateful that she shared her journey with us because I know it will be so helpful and validating to many. I have already recommended the book to quite a few of my own patients. I only wish the book continued so I could witness how she evolved past her teenage years...I hope she is writing Volume 2!

In this book Jenna Forrest gives us insight about her life and how growing up sensitive was for her.
Through this book I re-lived my childhood years; years of living in homes that I never thought to be mine, growing up as a kid from a broken home and divorced parents, living like a ping-pong ball from one house to the other.
This book is powerful because it confronts us with our past and makes us talk about those things and feelings we never talked about because in those times, we simply accepted our lives as they were, thinking that life was supposed to be that way.
Jenna in this book makes us go back into our past and unwind all of those moments of conflict within ourselves and empowers us to face them, discuss them and even cry what we never did. The result is a sense of forgiveness of compassion for that child we were and a great sense of responsibility for our family and our children.
If you still have unresolved issues in your life, this is a book that will help you understand the path that many of us have walked so far, and will help you understand that help is no longer "on its way", but help is here now.

This book is a touching, emotional and honest memoir that brings back a flood of childhood memories. Jenna Forrest shares her powerful story of a what it was like growing up as a highly sensitive child. All parents and teachers should read this moving book.

Jenna Forrest takes the reader on her private journey into the life of a child lost in the mire of family dysfunction and the confusion that those of us who are sensitives can relate to and understand as we try to fit into the world around us; Jenna shares her innermost feelings from a child's perspective as she realizes even though living in a dysfunctional family, help and hope are delivered in the form of real human angels who do appear for support and empowerment! This book is a must for anyone who feels overwhelmed by visual, tactile, intuitive, and auditory stimuli that is unavoidable in our busy world.Jenna guides us through her reality into a world of awakening to the fact that sensitives and intuitive people are blessed with a gift which is understood by such a minority; Thank you Jenna for your inspirational memoir!

Jenna Forrest shares a profound gift with us by allowing readers of her memoirs to peer into her soul. Her poetic prose amplifies the experience to the degree that we can feel the vinyl on the chairs and hear the scratch in LPs she describes in her journey through childhood. Her words give voice to our child's mind with authentic eloquence, beauty, humor, sadness, fear, and hope.

If you are sensitive person, the parent of a child who is highly sensitive, or in relationship with a sensitive person, then you should read this book for its many, many insights and honest reflection. The reading is not always easy because a child's truth, so well expressed in this book, tells us all how much help the world and the people around us need.

Written by a mother and counselor, Iris Bolton is also a survivor and triumphant veteran of the most unimaginable grief there could be. Her son died of suicide. She used what she learned in her own grief to help others, especially in the case of the child of a suicide death. The book is an eloquent and well-rounded combination both of the sharing of a broken and questioning heart and the helpful information and resources for others trying to find any light of hope in the tunnel-vision of grief. Packed full of straight-forward honesty and truths, here are a few jewels from the author's troves of wisdom on the subject.

An experienced grief counselor tells Ms. Bolton after her son's death, "There is a gift for you in your son's death. You may not believe it at this bitter moment, but it is authentic and it can be yours if you are willing to search for it. To other eyes it may remain hidden. The gift is real and precious and you can find it if you choose."

Reference to the insensitivity of others at a time of a mourner's greatest sensitivity: "To my amazement, I jerked my arms free. `I'm not ready yet!' Such assertiveness was foreign to my nature but now it was the product of a growing awareness that many others were assuming that they knew what was best for me." And this: "Many loving people who want to help will be giving you advice about what to do. Some will say snap out of it; some will urge you to take it easy; some will say it's God's will. At a time like this, everybody becomes an instant expert. But you do what you want to do. You do what feels right for you. Even if nobody else approves and you still decide for it, you do it."

Regarding the usage of pills and the detrimental effects of numbing the pain that must ultimately be gone through to get through to the other side: "Normal grief is not an emotional illness. It is a process that must be experienced. Sorrow must be accepted and allowed to mature and then, hopefully, be laid aside."

A sample of instructions for ultimate healing: "Cry wherever you are. It is natural and healing. Grief is not something you can bottle up and screw on the cap. That way guarantees future pain and disaster. Instead, throw the cap away, and one day your bottle of pain will be emptied and you may know peace. You will never be the same, you will be different, but you can know joy again."

For those whose beloved died in any way, this book is an excellent help.

For all of us who lost a loved one to suicide, we automatically feel guilty for not seeing it coming, or being able to stop it.
Here is a book who's author is a thearpist and her son is in a treatment plan and he succeeds, in his suicide..
Her book helps you see all aspects of suicide, and if possible see how with all our efforts, we couldn't stop it..
It's excellent and my support group all found it extremely helpful..

My brother died by suicide 6 years ago and even though years have passed, this book has given me some freedom in areas I struggled with. Truly a cloud has been lifted from my life as I began to apply her message to my own broken heart. This book is difficult to read because of the emotions it stirs but well worth the journey for on the other side, there is healing.

After the 1977 suicide of her 20 year old musician son, Iris Bolton says, "to climb from that emotional abyss would force me to fight the hardest battle of my life." On top of that, she was faced with the stigma of a "failed parent", and, she felt like a "discredited counselor" as the director of a family therapy center. Suicide transmits a public ridicule and private humiliation, grief, guilt and anger.

Bolton eloquently shares her experience with brilliant usage of metaphors to describe the tortured process from grief to survival.

Again, this is HER story and we don't get to much information about the healing process of her other 3 sons and her husband.

But the premise of this story and guide revolves around "a gift" promised by a friend and psychiatrist who said, that there is a gift for her in her son's death, hard to accept now, but it is there if she is willing to search for it if she chooses.

What develops from her painful experience is the "gift"- the ability to truly help and guide others in similar situations. Her gift comes to play when she courageously assists a family whose 18-year old daughter commits suicide. Please read the talk she gave at the funeral in 1980. Another piece she offers is a compassionate message titled "Though We Meet as Strangers, By Our Love We Shall be Known"

Included is a memorable and inspirational poem she wrote about her son, the consequences of suicide and regaining spirit. From there, she has prominently established herself to give hope to others that they, too, can survive and recover.

Aside from Suicide Resources, what is especially important is a guide called "Beyond Survival" that simply lists steps to take. Only one who has healed and survived a tragedy can express this in words. And, crucial information is included called the "Do's and Don'ts." Not having gone through this experience, anyone and everyone giving comfort to those in need should examine this list! In our lifetime, we will encounter some form of comforting. This is an excellent book! Read it.....MzRizz

If you only buy or read one book about suicide, this is the book to get. An easy read, one you will read over and over and tell everyone else to read. It is sensible, caring and she puts it all in a way that is comforting and insightful.

Gary Nelson brings new insight to overcoming teen depression in this caring book with sensible solutions that he has learned through his experience with his own son. Parents with a teen who is in the throes of clinical depression just feel that they have no place to turn for help. He advises to stop excusing behaviors and to learn to deal with the issues.

Depression and resulting suicide is the leading cause of teen deaths; that is a frightening premise, and gives us reason to fear for our children when we see behavior that could indicate depression instead of just the usual ups and downs of puberty. Nelson addresses the confusion about just what depression is, and how it manifests itself differently in various individuals. It is a clinical disease that often runs in families, but this book will help you to recognize real depression in your teen. Nelson gives you the knowledge to explore the many dimensions and levels of the disease.

That the whole family should have professional therapy is a must. Certainly you will all live with frustration, and frequently desperation. Nelson also addresses spiritual issues, and this book expounds Christian values. It considers other faiths, too, and addresses the importance of faith in the life of a depressed teen. Gary Nelson and his family show what worked for them, and the main point of the book shows that parents must just keep loving their child through his progress in overcoming depression and all of the discouraging backslides that he may experience.

This book is highly recommended for parents, teachers, and counselors dealing with teenagers, as well as the teens themselves.

This book does a great job capturing how depression really does feel and effect a family. I've gone through depression myself, and I've never been able to find the words to express how it feels or how it effects anyone, but the author seems to be able to do a good job of doing so. I don't think you can ever know how it feels or what it's like until you go through it yourself, but if you read this book, you can possibly start to see it through a sufferer's eyes.

Thank you so much for sending me the book you wrote about your family's journey through depression. It was a wonderful book, and one that I believe can help many. I think it gives parents a real tool for understanding and moving through a child's experience with depression.

I believe that your son Tom does give one of the best descriptions of depression I have ever heard - 'It is like being beaten from the inside'. Your additional description of that does it justice: `Take a moment and let that sink in. Recall a picture you've seen of a person who has been severely beaten. Sometimes the bruising and swelling are so bad that the victim's features are grotesquely contorted. The bruises, cuts, and scrapes on the outside scream the agony the beaten soul must suffer from deep within. Every bone in their body aches, every muscle throbs. Maybe it even hurts to be touched.'

That is how it is. The pain of depression hurts so bad, so much on the inside, you become numb and the person you are becomes distorted. And then you do whatever they can to actually feel something to get rid of it (including drinking, self-mutilation, drugs, eating disorders, sex, and more). It gives a temporary high to an endless despair.

I encourage parents to read this book, as not only do you provide insight and ideas on how to work with children that are dealing with depression, it gives validation.

I commend you on providing a very useful tool that can help so many.

In A Relentless Hope: Surviving the Storm of Teen Depression, Gary Nelson offers to teens and their parents what he has learned from walking closely with his son through prolonged depression, and from counseling many struggling teens and their families. His book testifies that God is at work in our world, offering hope and new possibilities that can transcend even life-threatening mental illness. One of this book's strengths is its warm and empathetic approach to suffering teens and their parents. Recognizing how much stress the illness of one of its members places on the whole family, he cautions parents against turning frustration with the illness into anger toward the teen. He encourages parents above all to "just keep loving them."

Nelson's accessible theological reflection is another of the book's strong contributions. He argues that teens need both "a theology that works in the midst of the suffering" and "the opportunity for God to be present through our patient presence."

I wish that as a teen with depression I had had someone like Gary Nelson to lean on and offer hope, to help me understand what was happening to me and encourage me to extend myself some grace. I especially commend A Relentless Hope to parents and other adults who love someone with depression. While some teens may find the hope Nelson writes about through reading his book themselves, most teens with depression will benefit from companions who embody the acceptance and encouragement that Nelson fosters.

A Relentless Hope: Surviving the
storm of teen depression
By Gary E. Nelson
A Review by Pat Sullivan, Editor Healing Magazine, www.kidspeace.org.

Gary Nelson chronicles his son's fight against depression and how they joined together as a family to bring Tom back. Gary is a minister turned pastoral counselor who provides interfaith counseling youth with problems very much like his son's, which makes he situation even more poignant as one reads about Tom's slide downward into a depression that nearly took the young man's life.

Gary wrote this wonderful little book for teens, parents, teachers, counselors and pastors in hopes of teaching them the signs and how to help them bring other youth from the brink of deep, deep depression.

Tom had been a normal kid who played baseball very well and had many friends. Around the time he entered high school, he started pulling away from the friends and activities he had previously loved and began feeling "sick" and unable to attend school. He spent more and more time in his room and literally days in bed, and he would have fits of rage during which he would throw things into his walls and ceiling, one day almost shattering his bedroom door. He left the baseball team in anger over criticism by the coach and withdrew from all of his friends. Eventually he came to realize that something was wrong, but he had no control over it. He described it to his parents as "feeling like he was being beaten
from the inside." His sleep patterns changed, he was irritable and angry a lot of the time and was unable to focus on schoolwork, sports or relationships with his friends and families. It was perhaps harder for Gary to watch considering that he was a counselor himself yet unable to reach his own son. Gary also became very concerned that Tom may turn to suicide to stop the pain he was experiencing.

He makes the point that parents need to work "with" their depressed children rather than trying to "fight it" with anger and recriminations. Gary strongly suggests asking your children if you can help them develop a plan for getting through it but not trying to pressure them into feeling better because they have no control over it and feel like greater failures if they cannot meet parent expectations. He also suggests trying to get them into counseling but make sure that you find someone to whom your child can relate and talk. In some cases, medication can help, but that is a big decision that must be made on an individual basis.

Gary and his wife were willing to try some creative and even risky ways of
helping Tom fight his depression and accompanying anxiety, allowing him
to start working at a young age and getting his GED rather than finishing a high school he just could not make himself attend. They bought him a car and encouraged his interest in music, even heavy metal if it made him feel that someone understood his pain.

There are so many strong and hopeful messages in this book to help families get through a child's depression in tact, still spending quality time with other children and not allowing this illness ruin a marriage. Tom is married and doing very well as an adult now, and Gary even describes the wedding that was moved at the last minute due to hurricanes. This wonderful little book speaks of faith and love and hope and a family's decisions to fight to help their child no matter what it took.
It is an inspiration and well worth reading if you have any contact youth who are debilitated by depression.
Copyright 2008 KidsPeace. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

As a white middle class generation x'er, I knew nothing of the Black Panthers or Huey Newton that was based on personal knowledge or experience. What I had heard was that they were radical, dangerous, and hated white folks. That seemed overly simplistic, so I decided to look into the black power movement for myself. Of all the books I read on the movement (Malcolm, Eldridge Cleaver, SNCC, Soledad Brother, etc...), Revolutionary Suicide was the best.

First off, Huey is the best writer of all the writers I read on the subject. That includes both the primary books and the secondary interpretive books written by historians. Huey's writing reflects his life philosophy, he lives for the people and therefore writes for the people. He doesn't seek to impress the reader with a fantastic grasp of the english language. He writes simply and matter-of-factly, much as a good journalist does. This to-the-point writing style more engrossing than any of the other books I read on the movement.

Second, Huey, unlike many other movement leaders, doesn't look to hog the glory for himself. He is very upfront about what he was responsible for and what he collaberated on with others. He passes the glory around liberally (some would say too much) to spread the power to the people.

Finally, this book will give you a primary understanding of who Huey P. Newton was and what he was really about. Did he hate white people? Did he advocate armed revolution? Was he a murderer and thug? Read it for yourself.

If you want to attempt to get into the mind of Huey Newton, then read this book. Reading his autobiography gave me a view of the Party I have never felt. This gave me an understanding of how and why the organization was started and also some insight on the life of Huey. You will defintely have a different view of the Party once you have read this. So read, read, read, and keep reading, and educate yourself about this incredible man and organization.

This book is one of the first and only unaltered accounts of the Black Panther Party by somebody who was in it. The book is in Huey's compassionate voice. This book dispells rumors about the BPP Huey set the record straight. This is my favorite book of all time its a book for the ages.

What can I say, that hasn't already been said? Huey P. Newton was a very complex individual, and I find myself reading a section over a second time to digest what was written. It's worth it no doubt. When you start to read this book, you will not be disappointed, Newton sheds light on even personal matters like falling in love, and views on family. This is great if you want specifics on Mr. Newton himself, and not just the BPP as a whole.

If you're going to study the Black Panther Party, you of course must check out a story of its preminent leader. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. He gave me an understanding what it meant to be a radical Black activist during the 60s and 70s. It meant that you had to be courageous, committed, and five steps ahead of the cops, the FBI, and informants.

Of course, now, this is Huey's account of the Party. While his is seriously important, the works of other Panthers and scholars who are now publishing works about the Panthers must also be studied. For now that I'm reading a biography on another Panther leader, Geronimo Pratt, I'm very interested in understanding more about the political split that took place in the BPP. Why did Huey expell Pratt from the Party? Why did Eldridge Cleaver turn out to be so reactionary? I look forward to reading other books on the Panthers to answer these and other questions.

Wickersham simultaneously tells the story of and tries to come to terms with her father's suicide. I respect the author's willingness to avoid sentimentality and easy answers in favor of the ambiguity and uncertainty left behind. This honest and difficult book is a valuable read for folks whose lives have forever been altered by suicide. I also think this book would be useful for someone who has not personally been touched by suicide but wants to understand the legacy and long-ranging impact that lasts long after the fact.

In this engrossing nonfiction work, the author traces the events surrounding the loss of her father in an eminently readable and gripping fashion. Suspense and empathy dominate this narrative wherein family secrets and dynamics are gradually uncovered and revealed

Wickersham looks behind the scenes of her father's life to try to find the answer to "why". A troubled marriage, a difficult childhood spent in two countries with very narcissistic parents, bad-luck in business...all these factors (and many more) contribute to the troubled mind of Wickersham's father when he committed suicide at the age of 61.

Wickersham doesn't seem to come to any certain conclusions of the decisive reason her father did what he did, but she does piece "things" together to help herself cope with the act, both at the time and in the years following his death.

She's a good writer and the words flow with a deft fluency.

Joan Wickersham's The Suicide Index: Putting My Father's Death in Order is best described as engaging, gripping and candid.

Wickersham leads us through her father's final moments. She reveals details of this confusing tragedy in a family's life--suicide. Those who commit suicide leave loved ones with a black hole of unanswerable questions. Anyone who has been touched by suicide knows the pain of never fully understanding or resolving this aspect of life.

The author seeks to unravel the mystery of her father's suicide by investigating anyone who knew him. She reflects on her own memories, both as a child and an adult to find reason for his drastic act of selfishness. As much as we'd like to know everything about those closest to us, there are limitations. Can we really comprehend the mind of someone else?

Gently and transparently Wickersham reveals her phases of denial, anger, hopelessness and grief. She searches for a murderer, rejecting the idea that her father would have ended his life. She wishes blame on her mother, her father's business partners and associates. Was it a jealous neighbor? A so-called friend? Finding no answers, she settles that her father did take his own life-and he left no clues.

Wickersham struggles to live daily life as a mother and wife, sister and daughter, as everything comes into question. Is it all a lie? Does she view her father through rose-colored glasses? Did he suffer an undetected medical condition?

Walking the high road of inspection and low road of introspection simultaneously, I must agree with the author that suicide is difficult to understand. The search for answers is evasive and frustrating. I discovered along with Wickersham the conspicuous void in my family album left by one who committed suicide. Nevertheless, life goes on.

Armchair Interviews says: A book worth reading for anyone whose life has been affected by suicide.

All memoirs are about memory; but suicide poses a special challenge. As Joan Wickersham writes: "When you kill yourself, you kill every memory anyone has of you." And later: "If you shoot yourself, you are labeled as a suicide. Your death becomes your definition." The Suicide Index starts when Wickersham's father kills himself; it goes backward in time, exploring his past like a detective; and then it carries us forward to show what this mysterious and destructive act did to her family. The writing is spare, but vivid - every word counts, every scene comes alive. The chapters are arranged alphabetically, in index format. It's a device that gains power as the book proceeds; it gives a shape to all the different stories that Wickersham tells us, and all the different ways she has of telling them. In her book Wickersham has met the challenge of suicide: she has restored her memory of her father, and in some sense restored his life. The Suicide Index is, quite simply, the most powerful and original memoir I've ever read.

This is- no way around the word- a lovely read. Bayer has a style of character developement that is elegant and fluid. Try his two books under the pen name "David Hunt".

Several decades have passed since a wealthy socialite and her young lover/teacher were gunned down in the Midwest: now forensic sketch artist David finds himself returning to the scene of their crime, investigating other murders and discovering a new circle of intrigue and danger. Bayer's is a strong suspense story which moves at a different pace and provides unexpected twists of plot and excellent tension.

I received "The Dream of the Broken Horses" as a birthday present. When I first started out I wasn't quite sure where it was going ... about 100 pages in I realized that it had crept up on me and I was "caught up" ... I mean I was enraptured ... I couldn't stop reading ... I read till 3AM. The next day I couldn't wait to get home ... the characters haunted me ... I was "in and in for the whole ride" and I rode that "horse" all night and enjoyed every minute of it. If there was one fault ... It was the fact that there is no city in the midwest this "cool" ... beleive me I know ... I'm from the midwest.

Typical of Mr. Bayer's books, it takes a dozen pages or so to really get into the story and then you are hooked. I have read every book that he has written, in both names, and I have never been disapointed, he is a master. The story just builds on itself and he has just the right amount of violence, sex and mystery. Not rauncy sex but a part of the story. To tell more would give plot away. Try it you love it.

Since his childhood, forensic artist David Weiss has been obsessed with a society double-murder that implicated his father and drove the man to suicide. Now, Weiss is back in his childhood home of Calista (a mythical midwestern town) and intends to use his time to discover the truth. The murder may be decades old but Weiss is certain that the easy explanations are wrong--that something more profound remains to be found.

Weiss's investigations lead him to stories of sexual obsession, child pornography, and blackmail. There are plenty of motives for murder--and even after all the years that have passed, some still living are willing to take action to stop the investigation and protect their secrets. With the help of a case writeup by his father and one of the victim's intimate diary, Weiss learns a great deal about the people who were killed, but nothing points a certain finger at the actual killer.

Author William Bayer's strong writing makes THE DREAM OF THE BROKEN HORSES something special and something far stronger than the story that underlies it. In some ways, the actual story is frustrating and important loose ends remain. Bayer's use of diary to develop character and reveal clues would normally be a cheat. Somehow, however, Bayer pulls it off. The powerful character of Barbara Fulraine (one of the victims) dominates the novel and the lives of many of the survivors. Her dream of broken horses may have been a psychiatrist's wish fulfilment, but it is also a sad reflection of the painful life Barbara endured.

THE DREAM OF THE BROKEN HORSES is a hard book to put down. Although most of the action takes place in back story, Bayer's writing is so compelling that I found myself reading on compulsively. Very fine.

In all of his books Breggin presents pretty good arguments that: 1) The research methods involved in many of these drugs is questionable and, 2) Psychiatric drugs are without a doubt over prescribed. I also think he makes a good argument about these drugs actually "disabling" the brain when used for long term treatment. Any doctor telling you that SSRI's are the way to "deal with every day life problems" is simply wrong.

I do not however buy into violence/suicide argument nor do I accept that these drugs serve no purpose at all. Drug intervention in cases of extreme depression has saved thousands of lives as is evidenced by the reduction in suicide rates in many Eastern European countries since the widespread introduction of SSRI's in the mid-late 1990's. The black box warning and subsequent fall of SSRI prescriptions was followed by an increase in teenage suicide rates also makes you question the "uselessness" of these drugs.

Is it possible that the unsupervised use of these drugs may have played a part in the violent and suicidal behavior in some of his cited cases? Yes, it is possible. But the argument that these drugs actually caused this behavior doesn't hold water. Any mental health expert will tell you that untreated extreme mental suffering creates the possibilty for horrific violence and suicide. It is now widely known that Eric Harris was not a happy, well-adjusted kid who was suddenly turned into a homicidal maniac by taking an SSRI. He showed signs of being extremely depressed and full of anguish with a tendency for being violent well before seeing a psychiatrist.

To summarize, these drugs are not magic pills that make all your problems go away and "allow" you to live a happy life. They also are not the soul-stealing tools of the devil that people like Breggin make them out to be.

When used in the short term, they can help people as a temporary crutch to help get out of an extreme depression.

Beyond that, psychotherapy and lifestyle changes must take over as the primary treatment of depression.

"Medication Madness" is a must read book not only for those with loved ones taking psychiatric drugs or personally using them, but for all who want to discover the awful truth about these brain chemistry altering, most destructive substances. After reading this book, you will do everything you can to avoid ever having to take them. The book is full of true and extremely sad case hiarories of the destruction these drugs do to indiviuals and families.

Did you know the Eric Harris, who did the shootings at Colubine was on Luvox, which is
a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor? From what I have read, all of the school shootings, were committed by people on psychiatric medications. Dr. Bergen, a psychiatrist with a private practice, who also works as a medical examiner has testified in numerous court cases involving medication madness, including the one for Eric Harris.

Some of the side affects for Antidepressant medications, such as Luvox include:
1. Thoughts about suicide or dying
2. Attempts to commit suicide
3. New or worse depression
4. New or worse anxiety
5. Feeling very agitated or restless
6. Panic attacks
7. Acting aggressive, being angry or violent
8. Acting on dangerous impulses
9. An extreme increase in anxiety and talking

This is a list of the side affects for one type of psychiatric medication. You have varying toxic affects from different classes of psychiatric drugs. These classes of drugs include stimulants, tranquilizers, sleeping pills and antipsychotic drugs (neuroleptics). Also, different people react to psychiatric medications differently. While some people kill themselves or other people, some people go through life in a fog; constantly tired, with failing memory, unable to make important decisions and live a productive, fulfillilng life. They may loose interest in devoloping and maintaining relationships. And as Dr. Breggin stresses, these drugs are not at all effective in treating the conditions they are presribed for.

The reason these drugs are used instead of counseling or other more effective treatment methods is they make big bucks for the drug companies. The drug manufacturers have their people working for the FDA and also do most of the testing for the effectiveness and side effects for new drugs. Any negative trial results are doctored to make the drugs appear effective and safe when this is rarely if ever the case. So the brunt of the blame for prescribing these toxic substances goes to the drug companies and not the doctors. My advice would be, if at all possible, stay away from both the drugs and the doctors. If you are already on psychiatric medications and dcide to quit them, Dr. Bergan says you need to seek professional help in doing so.

It is a great read. This book opens your eyes to the danger
of psychiatric medication.

This is an outstanding presentation, based on evidence, of the reality that all drugs are poisons, especially the psychoactive ones. This book should be compulsory reading for all trainee medical doctors and those in active practice.

A must read for anyone close to those who have mental health concerns.
Thank you Dr. Breggin for giving us an insider's point of view in your dealings with patients, physicians, pharmaceutical companies, and the FDA!

My son read this book at his high school and just had to have it! He loves the author's way of writing and reading about another culture.

Let me start off by saying this is the best book I have read. It is a very exciting book that keeps your attention throughout. It starts off by the Emperer allowing Toyo's Uncle to commit seppuku (suicide) instead of being killed by the government. Samurai Shortstop has a great mix of baseball and culture. You get to read a baseball story but at the sametime learn about their culture and beliefs. Toyo attends Ichiko which is a very big school that consists of only boys.

Ichiko's baseball team is run by the players themselves and when Toyo and a couple other first years want to join the team the have to prove that they are worthy. Toyo's friend Futoshi makes the team as the right fielder but Toyo has a little trouble making the team because Ichiko already has a shortstop. But when their shortstop gets thrown off the team Toyo found himself starting at shortstop. Toyo's father teaches trys to teach him bushido which is code by which Samurai lived but Toyo has trouble understanding it. Not until the end of the book when he has to help with his father's seppuku does he fully understand bushido. This is a wonderful book because it keeps you off balance and never knowing what is going to happen!

Kyle Walmer
Mrs. Bains 3rd block

It's 1890 and you're in Tokyo, Japan. Between classes in the most prestigious high school in town and baseball practice, you learn the old ways--the ways of the samurai. That's Toyo Shimada's life and we get the pleasure of going along for the ride thanks to Alan Gratz's brilliant story telling.


Toyo suffers from familiar teen angst: a parent who doesn't understand him and friends who try to understand him, but often fail. It's the core of most teen stories, but Toyo's world is changing. Old Japan is dying and a new Japan is rising.


His father represents the old Japan. When the emperor reforms their ancient military system and requires all samurai to hang up their swords, Toyo's family is caught in the middle. The opening scene, where Toyo and his father assist Toyo's uncle in seppuku, ritual suicide, is so intense that you'll wonder if Toyo's just having a bad dream.


Even though Toyo's father isn't samurai in the traditional sense, he too decides he can't live in the new Japan. He expects Toyo to assist him in seppuku, when the time comes. First, he must teach Toyo the ways of bushido, the warrior's code.


Between lessons and baseball practice, Toyo learns to meditate and use a sword--and worries about his father. When the time comes, will he have the courage to do what has to be done? Baseball is his passion, and as applies bushido to baseball, he comes to terms with the changing world around him and begins his journey into manhood.


Samurai Shortstop is the story of Toyo's search for his own path in a time of social change and family turmoil. Toyo's personal struggle is one all teens can appreciate. He struggles with peer pressure, studies, and parental control and expectations. Nineteenth century Japan comes alive and provides the color and unexpected tension that every good story needs.

Samurai Shortstop is a wonderful, but underappreciated tale about a boy and his love for baseball. Toyo, a 14 year-old boy is faced to grow up faster than he ever wanted to when his uncle committed seppuku, legal suicide in Japan. Everything has changed since the French Revolution, and now there are no more samurais, but now there is baseball, Toyo's favorite sport.
He has just now started the most prestigious school in Tokyo, which means new friends, bullies, and many more problems. He tries out for baseball and starts learning the way of samurai from his father. Toyo and his father never really understood each other, and now that his uncle has died, Toyo only has his friends to help him.

Toyo is a very smart person, and becomes a very good leader. Throughout the book everything that happens helps him, although it doesn't look like it all the time. Toyo starts to put his skill in the art of bushido, samurai fighting style, into baseball. My favorite part of the book is when he fights the older kid instead of letting them beat him up. I would recommend this book to students from 7th grade and up.
--Malik McKenzie

This is a story of a boy named Toyo Shimada. The time is set in Tokyo, 1890. Toyo is sent to a boarding school of a very high caliber, but after he arrives he sees how the upperclassmen treat the first years. To fit in, he joins the baseball team, a sport he loves. He wants to be shortstop, but until he becomes a "man" to the upperclassmen he is stuck in the outfield. He is enraged, but nevertheless he pushes through the tormenting and refuses to quit the baseball team. The only problem is his father, who is still using the ways of the samurai, or worrier. Toyo's father does not want him to play, unless Toyo can convince him otherwise. Other than that, his father has decided to teach him the ways of the warrior, or bushido. At first Toyo does not understand any of his bushido lessons, or why he has to do them, but over the course of the book he learns to use his bushido skills.
This book reminds me of a book called Dairy Queen. The story was about a girl, and football, not baseball, but in the end she overcomes many obstacles just like Toyo. In both books, the main focus is overcoming anything that comes your way. They are both also about standing up to important figures in there lives. It happens to be that in both books that person is their dad. Alan Gratz has written an enthralling tale.
I enjoyed the book, although it does have some pretty gruesome scenes. I liked reading it because you always want to see what Toyo will do next, what the other characters are going to say, or do. It also tells you a lot about what school was like back then, in Japan. It is a lot different from Americans school, and the year it takes place in really makes a difference. Overall, this is a great book and you should pick it up sometimes if you are looking for a great read.