Suicide Books

Murakami is internationally known for a body of work that encompasses a surreal, dreamy, time-sequence-challenged form of fiction (as well as a number of non-fiction pieces). This novel -- said to be somewhat autobiographical -- is a mesmerizing piece of fiction. Narrated by an adult looking back on an adolescence of confusion and uncertainty, it will certainly trigger knowing nods from its readers. The book is more dramatic than my life (and I suspect more than yours as well), but the deep uncertainty of life in the transition between living at home and making one's way in the world should be familiar to most. Characters in Murakami's books tend to talk a lot and even write letters (how dated!). But they also tell intriguing and believable stories that both anchor them in a specific time and place but also express the universal. A lot in this book is not as it seems. On a superficial level, life is treated as a chore or a bad joke. But what good would it be to have a story that never scratched deeper than an American television prime-time drama into the lives of college students?

Murakami teases us by setting up story lines that never get fully resolved. By this, I don't mean that you have to fill in small details. I mean that people veer off like rockets and you never hear from them again. Or, at best, they are like comets that make recurrent entries into your orbit before being destroyed or escaping forever. People like this are intriguing and stories that include them are somewhat addictive. Suicide makes its way through this book as a reasonable alternative to life. But Murakami craftily asserts again and again that death is part of life and not its opposite. What's hard in life is not avoiding death, but rather living true to your "creed" or belief system. One of the most effective moments in this moving novel is the scene where the narrator spends a considerable amount of time in a hospital talking to (talking at?) a dying man. This scene is not maudlin, nor is any scene in this book manipulative. The book is an exploration of growth, challenge, stumbling and realignment. If you like this book, you have a lot more Murakami to explore. And if you like this book, you might also like the books of David Mitchell, an English novelist with a strong attraction to Japan and Japanese themes.

It was kind of autobiographic, I guess. The characters are so lonesome, weird, emotional cripples and so needy.
Is not the story that it's so great about this book, is the way he is guiding the reader through an awkward journey of emotions and feelings.
You will not have a way out and you'll feel absolutely close to all of the characters

This is the third book by Haruki Murakami I read (after Sputnik and South of the Border) and the best so far. Originally written in 1987, the book begins in an airport in Germany, as the titular song by the Beatles playing in the sound system makes middle age Toru Watanabe remember his life as a college student in the late 1960s. As a drama student living in a pension in Tokyo he has to chose between the love of the unstable Naoko (a friend from high school, girlfriend of a friend of Watanabe that commited suicide, and who now lives in a sort of asylum in rural Japan) and the increasing approaches of his college classmate Midori. Meanwhile, he makes two friends: the nerdy, cleanliness obsessed, geography student nicknamed "Storm Trooper" and the ladies man Nagasawa, an amoral student who plans to enter Japan's diplomatic corps. A great book about remembrances, love and the joy and occasional sadness of young life. Perhaps not for the prurrient, since, as in other books by Murakami, explicit sex often punctuates the story.

one of the few written works that have solicited tears, even days after finishing the novel. i speak for myself when i say this: norwegian wood was depressing as hell, but it was the greatest and most eloquently expressed account of young love that i've ever come across.

It is always a hard task for me to review a novel by Murakami because of the sheer complexity of his work. This particular novel christened 'Norwegian Wood' after the famous Beatles' song has been looked at as one of Murakami's simplest novels where he was accused of succumbing to the story lines that he has prided himself on avoiding. After reading 'Norwegian Wood' I must say with absolute conviction that these accusations are indeed invalid and have been based on the apparent plot of the novel that at first might seem simple, it is true that there were no signs of any sheep or disappearing elephants in this novel, but it is far from being simple.
I think Murakami has taken a great risk with this novel in the sense that he had the courage to step out of what is natural to him and attempt to write a story in a different style yet he succeeded in making it his own. 'Norwegian Wood' is simply a love story but by saying that we have not even scratched the surface on the intensity of this novel. By the time Murakami was finished with it, this love story has sucked you in its nostalgic era of the 60's and enveloped you in the smells and sounds of every season from January through to December. This isn't just a love story, it is a coming-of-age story, and it is a story within a story. The characters have the definite Murakami style, selfless, sweet some even lovable yet all are intriguingly twisted such is the real world we live in.

Great coffee table book =) Girls are hot.. very tasteful. Not for the prudish folks that have problems w/ nudity.

Now for those of your simple minded sots who somehow stumbled onto this book and are scratching your beard stubble (dudes and shaggy women both!) This is a swell book, it's got a lot of pictures of girls with tattoos and piercings laying around looking bored/seductive/pissed off, but believe you me dude: this is what you want. I'm not going to go on a non-jingoistic review of how this is girl power or how daring and cutting Missy Suicide is (gee with a name like that she must have been one butt ugly baby and perhaps her parents were hinting at something most vile?)

This is a book with underground girls you see every so often with multihued hair, sweet tattoos (in my opinion), or weird face piercings that you can't stop and wonder what kind of life they must lead, how fun and interesting they must be and if they kiss girls (fun fact: most of them do!) I would recommend this book for anyone who loves sexy weirdos being themselves and not being ashamed to be or act a certain way because it's not the "norm", "ladylike" or even "arousing".

Mr J

This book is a collection of unique and beautifully shot photographs. It will make a good addition to any Suicide Girls' collection.

I first got this book because I wanted to perfect my artist skill on drawing the human form, aside from wanting to look at hot naked women. After I first gazed at the pages, I realized that it is more of an artsy-pin up book than a collection of nude photgraphs like the cover leads you to believe.
I was instantly hooked and wanted to become one simply becuase of the fact that I have so much in common with girls such as Fractal, Mary, Snow, Regan, Tegan, Sicily, Voltaire, Stormy and Shera as well as countless others. Also the fact that it has a section in the back that allows you to get to know the girls is a definate bonus.
Yet since the date of the books first publication most of the girls have left. (I.E. Tegan, Sicily, Apnea, Katie, Voltaire, Stormy and Shera ect) A 2005 article suggests that several of these models had filed claimes of breach of contract and exploitation.
Such claimes gave way to an unsuccesful law suit which ended in favor of the owners of Suicide Girls rather than the ex-models. Yet you can still see some if not all at other alternative porn websites such as Godsgirls,Deviant Nation and Apneatic. However this does not make me love Suicide Girls any less and I still catch myself glancing at the book and drawing them, not to mention visiting the website and fantasizing of becoming a model...Well maybe if I lose at least the 20lbs that I have been needing to get off!

So. I've never wanted to pay for membership on the SG site, but I've always had an attraction and fascination with the whole punk/goth/indie/alternative type of look. So when this book was released, I jumped on it.

- The photos aren't very artistic. They're simple and straightforward, shot with a standard digital camera.
- It's arranged rather simply, with little or no thought to the placement of the images. (Usually two images side by side per page)
- True, you can probably find a lot of similar images on the internet.
- Some of the girls are absolutely beautiful, but I find some rather unattractive.
- The quality of the pictures is rather poor, since the original intent of SG was purely online. So the change from pixels to print never translates well.
- There's very little about the girls themselves... just short, self-written bio's on some of the girls in the back.
- Let's be honest... you're just buying this for the boobies of cute indie chicks... and that's okay.

After a couple viewings, it doesn't have a lasting effect that the likes of Tony Ward or maybe Richard Kern's work might have. Less art and more taboo. It's an inexpensive book, so if you're into the whole naked chicks with tattoos and piercing, I'd say go for it.

With so many positive reviews, there is no need for a lengthy review of "Too Late to Say Goodbye". There is a special feature here: TLTSG features not one but two murders. One is set in eastern Georgia, near Augusta, the other in an Atlanta exurb. The suspected perp is a young semi-successful dentist, Bart Corbin. Corbin is one of those guys readers may instantly dislike. AR is at her best here. The suspense is maintained far into the text. The authoress ably portrays both the careful investigation by the Georgia Law plus the pain felt by the two victimized families. This reviewer has railed about excessive verbiage in other true crime stories but no "sharp blue pencil" is needed here. The length is just about right. AR had a lot of material to deal with. As the header states, Ann fans should simply pounce on that "Add to Cart" button. New readers should be pleased but could always sample shorter AR works like "The I5 Killer" or "The Want Ad Killer" before proceeding. TLTSG is definitely one of the authoress' better efforts. That infamous "Ann Rule Rule" is definitely in effect here: The back cover and those centerfold photos divulge all. Skip them until the finish. The pictures do however, personalize the two tragic victims. How sad that these young women met their senseless demise as they did.

Typical Ann Rule biases and opinions dot the presentation. Victims are presented as almost saintly and she chooses to ignore the fact that early investigators could have done more.

Rule even tosses out a missing person in another part of the country at the end of this book and tries to link the killer in this book to her, which, if anyone is familiar with that case, knows is incredibly off-the-wall.

But, this book seems to have been well researched and is an interesting read.

Ann Rule's meticulous research means that, as with all her books, we get an insight into the various personalities involved in the case. She's very skilled at pointing out the small personal quirk or even decorating style that makes us feel we know the victims & their killer.
Where the book doesn't work for me is that despite this insight & compassion, she resolutely maintains a good/bad, black/white view of the world that doesn't quite jell with the facts she reveals.
The killer, Bart Corbin, is so bad tempered, nasty, anal, & just plain crazy that it's hard to believe the two murdered women had anything to do with him.
The author is so busy maintaining the "good girl" personae of the two unfortunate victims that we learn little of why they were happy to embark on relationships with him. This, for me, trivializes the tragedy of their deaths. Relying heavily on relatives of the victims for information on the killer's personality seems unwise. Who could be impartial in such circumstances?
Despite the length of the book I learned little of the character & motivations of the killer. On the other hand, the persistence of the investigators in bringing him to justice is detailed in a fascinating & enthralling part of the story.
I'd recommend this book, but with reservations as given above.

Why do we read these true crime melodramas? For the same reason we gawk at car crashes. We can't help our voyeuristic impulses. And we are glad it's not us in the spotlight. This one looks at a Georgia murder where it was obvious the husband did it. The twist is he did once before, too, 14 years earlier, and almost got away with it. You won't learn anything here. You'll be entertained, if your idea of entertainment is reading about domestic murders. There's little doubt they got the right guy, at least in this account. The wife is a bit too beatified by the author, one suspects. And the husband is too evil to be true in this account. It's all black and white, but there must have been shades of gray. Just not here. Worth reading, though, because the author knows how to move the pages along.

I have said this before: If you are a fan of Ann Rule, you must buy this book! As a lawyer and a big fan of true crime books, I have been reading her stories for years and I find her to be one of the sharpest observers of criminal behavior out there. Other writers exploit the blood and guts and the lurid details but Ann tells a story and makes you feel for all the players from the victims to the cops to the prosecutors and the other people who are close to the crime.

There are not too many other books that break away from the pulpy, cheap exploitations, but I would heartily endorse Ron Franscell's The Darkest Night: Two Sisters, a Brutal Murder, and the Loss of Innocence in a Small Town and James Ellroy's My Dark Places and Joseph Wambaugh's The Onion Field because they all do much deeper into the effects of crime on the living.

Tiger Eye is a heartfelt and touching story. It all starts out with the death of Davey's father who is killed in the hold-up of his store. Because of his death the story includes many thoughtshots and descriptions to show what the characters are feeling. The story goes on with Davey and her family's struggles and how they compinsate the death of their dad.This story is a great read because the characters and storylines are believable and realistic.I wouldn't recommend this book to people who do not like sappy endings because even though this book is good it can still be a tad predictable. Even with it faults I throughly enjoyed it and hope you do to.

Most of this story is set in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where I lived for part of my childhood. Judy Blume does a great job of describing the scenery: the blue skies, the pine trees, the Aspen trees, the canyons. Most of her description of the town is pretty accurate too... the names of streets, the approximate layout of buildings in the "downtown" area. I enjoyed her descriptions of the different cliques of people in the high school: the coneheads, jocks, stomps, and loadies. She also nicely describes the main tourist area of Santa Fe (a nearby town), and briefly mentions the Albuquerque hot-air balloon Festival.

The main character, Davis (or Davey), is a girl who joins the "Candy Stripers" (high school student assistants) at the hospital. The Los Alamos hospital did indeed have that program available. Overall, the book is easy to read and shows how Davis learns to cope with the death of her father. The book uses the "first person" perspective (which I found a bit annoying) and has very short sentences so it should be readable by anyone from the 4th grade and up.

--Lynellen.com

What an awesome book! I can't give it enough praise. Even though it's a
kids' book, I loved it. I'm just a kid at heart.

When Davey's father dies suddenly, in a convenience store robbery, Davey's mother has trouble adjusting to her life in Atlantic City. So she accepts an invitation from Aunt Bitsy and Uncle Walter
to stay with them for a while. Davey is reluctant to go, but life moves on, in New Mexico. And Davey finds out that life is a good adventure,
wherever she is.

I give this book five stars. It's the best book I've read by Ms. Blume.

I read this because it's on the ALA's list of 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books (1990-2000) and I'm slowly working my way though the list. This is one of the few Judy Blume books I managed to miss when I was younger and I have to say, I'm quite surprised that it's on this list at all. I found absolutely nothing objectionable about the book at all. I agree that the subject matter might be unpleasant to some, but for anyone who's experienced (or might experience) the sudden (and possibly violent) loss of a loved one (and everyone does at some point in their lives) this book is an exceptional read. Not only does it deal with one families struggle to deal with the sudden, violent death of their father/husband it also deals with other types of loss and grief issues. Included in this book are the difficulty of being childless for a couple that wants children (the aunt and uncle), Wolf's experiences with the inevitable loss of his father to cancer, Jane's drinking to cope with the intense and often unrealistic expectations of her family and her own fears about wanting to live her own life but being afraid to at the same time. Tiger Eyes manages to convey an intensity of emotion with regards to each family members fear, grief, anger, and depression...and manages to do it without being depressing or having the main character wallow in it. The struggles of Davey and her Mother are very real, they "feel" authentic, you get a depth of emotion in the reading and I think that is what makes this an excellent book. I think it's a shame anyone would try to censor this, to pretend that death doesn't occur or that there aren't difficult issues in families that lead to children and/or parents making bad/self-destructive choices. I think it's a very good thing that there are books like this that allow readers to enjoy a good story and realize that we are each human and must come to terms with our problems as best we can. I give Tiger Eyes five stars and two thumbs up...highly recommended!!

Tiger Eyes is one of my favorite books that I had read. It was about a girl named Davey and her life after her father died. Her father died by getting shot 6 times in the chest during a robbery. It was hard for Davey and her family to recover from his lost so Davey and her mother moved to New Mexico to live with her relatives. Davey lived with her aunt and uncle for a while but she didnt like it because they were too overprotected. They didnt let her do many things that she wanted to do. For example, when she wanted to learn how to ski her aunt and uncle said that she shouldnt or she will get hurt to much. She wanted to go to Drivers Ed but they said it wasnt safe and told her to stay out of the canyon because she could get hurt by a rock. It was hard for Davey to move on after her father died but even though she was forbidden to stay out of the canyon she still went there. It was her place to relax and be by herself. While she was in the caves she met a wolf. The wolf ended up becoming one of her friends because she was able to tell him anything and what was wrong and because the wolf understood how she felt. Davey had a best friend who was an alcoholic so she was always afraid hoping she wouldnt get hurt. It took time for Davey to move on but it took her time to realize that she should move on with her life for the better. The main characters in the book were Davey, Her aunt and uncle named Bitsy and Walter the wolf and Daveys mom, Gwen. The main place took place in Lost Alamos Canyons and in New Mexico such as her aunts and uncles house.

The style of the book was like any ordinary book. Events were separated by chapters and what happened in each event was separated in paragraphs. Reading the book you could feel and understand how Davey feels and you could experience yourself in her shoes and what she goes through. You could feel what Davey had to put up with. You could tell by the words she uses and how they describe how she feels.



Before I read this book I thought it was about a girl whose father died and when his father died she met a tiger and the tiger was his dad. After I read the book I liked it a lot because I was able to relate to it in a way. I was able to relate to it because Davey lost someone she loved. I didnt lose my dad from a death but I lost him because of a divorce between my parents. It was hard for me to accept the fact that my parents were going to get a divorce and there was nothing I could do about it. After Daveys lost she moved to New Mexico and lives with her aunt and uncle. While my parents get a divorce I had to move and live with my mom. It took time for me to get over the divorce and my dad leaving us because it felt that it didnt matter.




This book made me realize that there is a time in life that it is hard for someone to get over a loss in your life and you have to move on for the better. It made me realize that when you lose someone you cant force yourself to get over it fast and you cant really realize how much you lost someone until you really lose them. Just like Davey she had a help of a wolf but in reality wolves cant talk so to me, it means that you should be there for someone and make them feel and know that you care about them and you would do anything for them to make them feel better. When you lose someone its better to tell someone how you feel because keeping it inside bottled up doesnt help anything. Losing someone hurts but you have to remember that you got your friends and your family supporting you 101% of the way.

I say we end all this confusion and misinformation about emotions, interpersonal relationship problems, chronic anxiety and depression et cetera, right here and now. (I hope you don't mind Joe; I'm going to use your page to soapbox a bit)

I feel so badly for people suffering needlessly with this junk because for starters, I was there myself for a very long time. But mostly because it's really so very simple to fix. Joe knows what I'm talking about. That wasn't a slam. I really mean that he knows what I'm talking about. He wrote this book about it and a damn good one at that.

It's not like this stuff is up for debate: Freud wasn't perfect, but he certainly had the general idea down pat. Denial, repression, ego defense mechanisms, internal conflict, forbidden desires, impulse denial yada yada yada, he got it right. There's no need to go looking for new-fangled solutions when the tried and true ONE works perfectly... and always has.

Personally I think Freud's strategies for dealing with the defenses are weak, and much prefer Davanloo's ISTDP, but having said that, Freud and his followers (including probably 90% of the present psychotherapists practicing out there today) got amazing results with what they had to work with at the time. Sure Davanloo found a much faster method for defeating the defenses, but none of it could have materialized without Freud's original genius (basically, discovering the unconscious). Lets not throw out the baby with the bath-water.

I've strayed a bit here Joe; I apologize. The point is, these feelings you're having to deal with are very real. Don't take the process of getting advice about it lightly. Not only is this book well written and practical, it's honorable. Thank you Joe for being honest and real with the people.

Joe has written a good and honorable book here. If you are, as I assume, suffering with these very real frustrations, buy a book like this one from Joe. Don't waste your time, money and hope on that mystical junk, it may have a place somewhere, but not here where the emotions and frustrations are effecting real people.

-Sarah Shikitao-Brown, CycologyToday.com - "Don't Fear your Anger"

I read this book trying to understand some of the reasons I have so much fear in certain situations and, hopefully to overcome it. Did it work? Well, yes and no.

I read something profound in this book that told me I was the producer of anxiety. That it wasn't an illness that came and attacked me as a virus does, but that I generate it with my thoughts, which in turns produces imbalanced chemistry within my system. This clicked with me on so many levels and just knowing that helped me. It gave me encouragement.

There were some other really great insights in this book also. It's very well written and gives the reader a lot of hope that better days will come if you try hard enough. And I believe Dr. Luciani when he says it.

However, I am uncertain that there is a true "heart" to this book. If I had to summarize the main point of this book it would be this: You have the power to talk yourself and motivate yourself out of anxiety with the right thought patterns. Is the advice deep enough for a real meaningful change? I think it has the potential to be. Automatic negative thoughts are a huge problem for those of insecurity an low self-confidence, so the advice really is effective here.

Is this book helpful to those who are struggling with anxiety and depression? I would say emphatically "yes" and you should really read it. There is only good to be gotten from it. Will it be the ultimate solution to abolishing your severe anxiety/depression? I doubt it. But it could a great stepping stone to doing so.

I would give this book three and a half stars if I could - but since it only lets me use whole stars, I will tip the scale over to four. My summation of the book is this: It really is a worthwhile read with some effective advice.

I have social phobia and I've been on a hunt for the past few years for a natural treatment. I've tried herbs and supplements and nothing has worked. The last straw came when the supposed miracle supplement for anxiety-sufferers (magnesium) did nothing for me. Having read this book once before and not thinking anything of it, I decided I had no choice so I reread the book. I've learned that although the ideas in this book are great aids, they just won't work for someone in my position.

Self-coaching is simple. You've lived for years with negative thoughts that cause your anxiety. All you have to do is change them. First, you must seperate your thoughts into fact or fiction. Most often, you'll find that your anxious thoughts are silly. Then you must change your thoughts into something positive. This will change your mood completely. People with anxiety problems live in their mind rather than living in the moment. They process and think and process and think until their anxiety becomes hellish.

Self-coaching will and does work. Some may find it hard to believe but if you truly think about it, your anxiety is all in your mind. If you're having an anxious thought and you put on some music and sing along, you eventually lose that anxious thought because you're living in the moment. People with general anxiety will find the ideas in this book to be helpful.

Unfortunately, for someone like me who gets anxious "in the moment", self-coaching will not work. I get extremely anxious around other people. Whereas self-coaching may help when you're walking through a busy mall or anticipating a public speech, it doesn't work when, say, someone comes up to you and begins talking to you. Self-coaching does help when you're anticipating something anxious but it certainly doesn't work when something anxiety-worthy comes out of the blue.

I will use self-coaching in addition to medication. I do think this book is well written, motivating, and easy to understand but, unfortunately, it won't work for everyone.

I suffered from Generalized Anxiety Disorder ("the worry disease") with underlying depression which fuels the worry because i was convinced that I couldn't handle life if something bad happened. Everyone has an internal dialogue going on in their head all day long and the reason why people are anxious or depressed is they have thoughts about something scary or sad all day long. This book shows what fuels those thoughts (insecurity and eroded self-trust) and how to change your child-reflex (how you react to situations that make you anxious and depressed) and this isn't written by someone who just got out of college. Dr. Luciani has had years of experience and knows what he is talking about. And if you don't understand something he is more than happy to answer your questions personally in his "Ask Dr. Joe" forum on his website www.self-coaching.net

Suffering from severe depression is immobilizing, and only you can tell what you really need. The important thing is to get help and address it - just hoping for it to get better is a dangerous game. For me the thinking with this book was that it wouldn't hurt to try. I find the book's emphasis on the present versus what happened long ago helpful, but others may want to work through some old things. It has a definite focus on now, getting through the day, and living through some rough and debilitating emotional strongholds. Personally I prefer the down to earth and occasionally in your face tone to some of the "softer" depression books I've read. Having very practical and well-outlined tools to confront my depression/anxiety has been beneficial to me - and I also like the way the author reframes emotion based on context (anger, wanting to control, etc) to help the reader understand the roots of the negative feelings. Overall, really great book - main improvement would be having spiritual and Biblical helps as well.

After my partner's suicide as a result of his manic depression, this one book above many others provided me the ability to undertsand and hence, turn a much-needed corner in my own grief process. Although this book can be defined as a "study" with its language and statistics, the author does not forego the emotional aspect of those who are surviving the loss of a loved one through suicide. Her citations, some written by actual manic depressives and schizophrenics, -- as well as historical points taken from as far back as we can go in studying the human phenomenon of depression and suicide, -- keenly educate the reader on just what goes on in the minds of those who suffer from this mental disorder, and hence relief can be attained in understanding their act of self-murder.

Some months ago, I appeared on the radio to promote a book of my own, called "Suicide-The Explosion Within" and read this particular book before hand, so that I could have an even better understanding of sucide from both my perspective as well as this particular author's. This book was, not only helpful, both informative and well received.

Dr. Jamison's book is written from a unique and compassionate point of view that most other books on suicide are not - she has seriously attempted suicide, and she has bipolar disorder. She accesses a tremendous amount of research to illustrate the epidemic of suicide in the USA - questionnaires such as: How likely is a person to actually go through with the act? Additionally she is able to tell stories of people who have committed suicide that leave everyone wondering - if only... just as in real life. Does the stigma of mental illness continue to pervade society? She plainly tells the facts of suicide - how people accomplish it, why people do it, when people do it, where they do it. She uses her own pact with a friend to show what a ridiculous thought that is --- you promise to call me before you harm yourself --- when people are at that low point in their lives, the last thing they are going to do is reach out for help, even to someone they know suffers as deeply as they do. She is clearly against suicide, but has much compassion for those who suffer such deep and unrelenting depressions. This is not the 1st book you'd want to read on suicide if you are a recent suicide survivor.

I've been an admirer of Kay Jamison's research and writing for some time; thus I looked forward to reading this book. I was distressed to find, however, gaps in her analysis that border on irresponsible.

This work is completely (and myopically) filtered through the lens of her career focus: treatment of mood disorders, most especially bipolar and depression. If this was intended to be a comprehensive review of issues related to suicide, so many holes exist here that it's actually hard to believe. There is an extreme paucity of discussion regarding cultural/environmental influences, just of a few of which are: early abuse and trauma, gender and GLBT issues in adolescence and early adulthood, racism, poverty, profound isolation in modern culture...not to mention the cases that have been made for rational suicide.

To omit even a cursory discussion of any of these issues, focusing exclusively on her thesis that suicide results from mood disorders, results in a truly inadequate treatment that does the average, not-fully-informed reader (i.e. the targeted reader) a real disservice.

I give her points for addressing her limited topics well and for bringing a little elegance into the discussion with literary references.

A MUCH better analysis (though also much less user-friendly) can be found in The Comprehensive Textbook of Suicidology.

I have read all of Jamison's work, with the exception of _The Exuberance of Life_. The writing presented in this volume has resonance from what I have felt. Night Falls Fast should be considered a guide for families of mentally ill who contemplate suicide. It is tight and concise, from the moral judgements which are placed upon those who attempt it, to instances of unsound internal turmoil. Perhaps it is the chaos within writers like Jamison which creates the flight of the mind. When it lies in artists, a connection with profound wisdom or insight develops.

The patient might imagine a series of events leading to his or her demise.
Incidentally, a separate book about Virginia Woolf's art and manic-depressive illness, The Flight of The Mind, demonstates the reason why a manic might contemplate suicide. In extreme states, it may be the fear that loved ones have plotted his or her demise.

Concerning Night Falls Fast, I find that I can easily relate to many of the reasons presented by the author. The string of notes relating one's final thoughts are tragic, but, at times, poeticaly written, from the depths of despair. It recalls V. Woolf's final letter "I fear we shan't go through another one of these terrible times."
I should end noting that each of my incompetant attempts seem futile. . .
Being always rose up from the hospital cot, from the stains, from what seems inexpressible. Often, the tempest returns; then dissipates.

I loved this book! it was real and there were situations where I could totally relate and other that I empathized with. I would recommend this book to all high schoolers - Asher gives an amazing insight on just how much we effect others through actions and words.

I am a high school English teacher and I found Thirteen Reasons Why to be as riveting as the Jodi Picult novel about the school shooting. Both deal with school problems of bullying and both made me stop and think about what I may or may not see during the school day. The book is a quick read and one that is hard to put down once you begin it so make sure you start it on a day when you have ample time to read.

The organization of the 13 messages made the book suspenseful to read because I wondered who was going to be next and each message seemed to carry a different theme. The various chapters would work will in a Literture Group book discussion and cover the usual YA topics in books, but in a different manner. In some ways, the organization reminded me of the 13 Little Blue Envelopes book, although the content is quite different.

The book is also a good read for counselors or mental health professionals who are dealing with students who fight drug/alcohol problems. Anyone who is working with at-risk students know that suicide is not a topic to be ignored.

The signs were present, but no one seemed to "get" Hannah's message or to reach out to her. One of the most critical reviews here said that she was a whiny girl who never wanted help from others, but that is not how I read it. I read it and saw her as one of those invisible people that we see but don't see, maybe if some of the people she left messages for after the fact had been a little more observant before there wouldn't be a book?

The date rape issue could be controversial, but overall I think that most of the spin off questions could be awesome. This has been the most popular book among student at my school this fall and numerous students have asked me if I have read it. Fortunately, I attended a book seminar given by Deborah Hipes last spring and discovered the book there. I read it last summer and discussed it with another English teacher and it is one of our choice recreational reading books this year. It has been a joy to review it. I wish I enjoyed all the YA books I read half this much.

Thirteen Reasons Why was an excellent novel that was hard to put down. Clay Jenson receives 7 cassette tapes from his recently deceased classmate, Hannah Baker. Hannah tells thirteen stories that contribute to her decision to take her own life; some a little more scandalous than the next. All her problems are problems every teenager deals with. Jay Asher is a very creative author- I look forward to reading more of his novels.

I picked this book up because I was a bit intrigued by the synopsis on the inside cover. I was away for the weekend, and I figured that this would help get me through.
I devoured it in one sitting.
Once you start this book, it is nearly impossible to put it down. The plot is centered around a young girl's suicide tapes, in which she gives thirteen reasons why she took her life. The reasons center around thirteen different people with seemingly no connection whatsoever.
Clay, who receives the tapes, has no idea what he did that related to Hannah's suicide. Throughout the story, he finds out.
This book was amazing. After reading it I couldn't fall back asleep; My head was buzzing. It's a truly haunting and valuable tale that will actually make you think.

Have you ever found an unexpected package on your doorstep? How exciting to get a surprise, right? Well, for Clay Jensen, this package isn't what he hoped it would be. When he opens it, he finds cassette tapes and a note. The really scary thing is that these tapes have been left for him by a dead girl, Hannah, who committed suicide just a few weeks ago. Pills, they said. But why did she kill herself? She explains who is responsible for what she has done -- in her own words on the tapes, she gives 13 reasons why -- and they all have names. Despite being horrified at what he might hear about himself and the others on the tapes, he forces himself to listen to them. Along the way, following the map included with the recordings, he finds himself both excused and also held accountable. What Clay hears that night changes him forever. Recommended!

Other than the social benefits of belonging to a church and the solace of the service, I have never understood why people need religion. But this novel gave new insight. As flawed as the Church of the Second Chance is, it provides what Ian, the main character of this story needs: practical help and morale support.

When Ian foregoes his college education and lets his friends and girlfriend drift away so that he can take care of children abandoned by his brother's suicide and their mother's overdose, it is what he knows is right and what the church tells him is right. He chooses to follow his conscience, knowing he will be eaten away morally if he walks away. He sacrifices his own development in many ways and doesn't have a life of his own into middle age. During the years the children are growing up, his personality almost disappears.

The reader cringes when he makes his choice and supports his parents' advice: finish school, this isn't your problem. Two of the children aren't even blood related, and the youngest is of dubious paternity. But there's no dissuading Ian, and as he struggles to become a parent over night, the reader begins to wish she could lend a hand with all of that laundry. His father is next to useless. His mother, crippled with arthritis, barely functions, but passes on her unrealistic optimism. The Second Chance day care/summer camp is recognized as pathetic by the children, but it's laudable for providing a lifeline.

Ultimately, it's gratifying that Ian doesn't choose the "Every Man for Himself" philosophy so prevalent in our time. His youth is stolen from him. The three children's views of Ian are well drawn and colored by their ability to remember their parents and the events before Ian stepped in. Daphne, the youngest, is Ian's child from the start, as much as if he had fathered her.

Without revealing the ending, let's say that Ian gets what he deserves, although he's almost unable to recognize it.

Bottom line: you can't go wrong with Anne Tyler.

Anne Tyler does a great job of writing about somewhat ordinary people and making them very interesting. Really she just does a great job of showing how complicated everyone is, even the people that appear boring at first glance.

Danny works at a post office and Lucy walks in and contemplates whether to send a package parcel post or priority mail. And because of her choice Danny is in love. And decides to marry her.

Lucy is a mystery. She has a past but we aren't sure what it is. She comes as a package deal, with two children.

Ian, Danny's brother, suspects Lucy of cheating on Danny and when he can no longer bear it, tells him.

Danny then commits suicide and Ian is left with the burden of guilt.

It is an excellent story of how Ian tries to rid himself of guilt; how he tries to redeem himself.

A lot of the story centers around Ian's involvement in a church, Church of the Second Chance. It is a very insightful account of the modern church and the every-man churchgoer.

The book is not fast paced; don't read it for that, but it is very thought provoking and for that I liked it a lot.

Anne Tyler does a great job of writing about somewhat ordinary people and making them very interesting. Really she just does a great job of showing how complicated everyone is, even the people that appear boring at first glance.

Danny works at a post office and Lucy walks in and contemplates whether to send a package parcel post or priority mail. And because of her choice Danny is in love. And decides to marry her.

Lucy is a mystery. She has a past but we aren't sure what it is. She comes as a package deal, with two children.

Ian, Danny's brother, suspects Lucy of cheating on Danny and when he can no longer bear it, tells him.

Danny then commits suicide and Ian is left with the burden of guilt.

It is an excellent story of how Ian tries to rid himself of guilt; how he tries to redeem himself.

A lot of the story centers around Ian's involvement in a church, Church of the Second Chance. It is a very insightful account of the modern church and the every-man churchgoer.

The book is not fast paced; don't read it for that, but it is very thought provoking and for that I liked it a lot.

Anne Tyler captures the essence of atonement as Ian Bedloe realizes his error for making a false accusation very early in his life. He spends the rest of his life atoning for this error. The fascination is that no one else seems to blame or even believe Ian is at fault. How often does this occur in our own lives when we take on the guilt of something we know we have done but others fail or refuse to recognize our fault. Ian Bedloe does the "right" thing and we are left wondering just why he makes this difficult sacrifice all in the name of reconcilliation. We only hope we would be as noble and charitable. Once again the novel informs us of who we are and how our culture treats us; we are not alone and we need such reminders of what life is all about. Anne Tyler kindly reminds us.

In "Saint Maybe" Anne Tyler focuses again on her favorite subject, people - a seemingly average family, the Bedloes.

Bee and Doug Bedloe live with their three children in a small town, on Waverly street, where everyone has their place - there are the newlyweds, the foreigners, the old lady... The Bedloes are the Happy Family. The ideal family. Average, so that they do not make others jealous of their achievements, but no scandalous behavior: the parents are happily married, the daughter, Claudia, is also happily married off and a good mother, the older son, Danny, works at the post office, and the youngest, Ian, is in high school. Everything is in balance, everything is just so. Until Danny suddenly decides to marry Lucy Dean, a perky divorcee with two children, who came out of nowhere and nobody knew anything about her. The speculations rise, and culminate in the birth of the baby, Daphne, just 7 months after Lucy's and Danny's wedding. Ian, who is the central character in the novel, decides to share his suspicions with Danny, who dies a moment after hearing the news, starting the chain of irreversible events which forever change Ian's and the whole family's life.

Danny's death and Lucy's sleeping pills overdose shortly after make Ian feel terribly guilty. This guilt and its consequences are really what "Saint Maybe" is about. The events I described above, leading to the tragedy, are only the beginning (that is why I do not consider the description a spoiler). The novel is, in this respect, anti-climactic - everything happens at the beginning and the most dramatic event is only a starting point. The real subject is the analysis of guilt, atonement and despair, and a profound change in Ian Bedloe's life after his brother's death. Ian feels burdened with responsibility and decides to take up the upbringing of Lucy's children - Tommy, Agatha and Daphne. He feels weak and at a loss, but perseveres despite his doubts and difficulties. His path is very much influenced by the Church of the Second Chance, a small congregation of slightly peculiar views...

"Saint Maybe" is not a novel with a rich plot or surprising turns of events and no straightforward answers are given to the obvious questions, which may pop into the reader's head as suggested at the beginning (Was Lucy really cheating? Is Daphne Danny's daughter?), so do not look for them. Instead, this novel is a great study of painful, lifelong guilt and coming to terms with it. The questions answered are more universal. The characters are stereotypical, they are supposed to be so (that's why I am surprised to see the criticism of "foreigners" in some other reviews - these are not real people; these are foreigners how the neighbors from their small town, for example Doug Bedloe, see them). Only towards the end, marked by experience, they finally come to life.

Anne Tyler wrote a very good book, solid and lifelike, tackling a real problem and managing to get to its core with humor, sadness, hope and love.

I keep a copy of this book on hand so I can give as a gift to someone who is suffering a loss. I have had nothing but positive feedback.

"The Fall of Freddie the Leaf" is a great book about dealing with loss. It's billed as a children's book, but adults will appreciate it as well. Freddie is a leaf on a tree, and learns from the wise leaf Daniel that all the leaves will eventually die and fall to the ground. When Freddie says he is scared, Daniel tells him that "We all fear what we don't know, Freddie. It's natural, yet, you were not afraid when Spring became Summer. You were not afraid when Summer became Fall. They were natural changes. Why should you be afraid of the season of death?" In addition, "Freddie the Leaf" delivers the important message life is bigger than any individual thing, that we're all a part of it, and that it goes on. As someone who lost his dad very recently, I can recommend this book to anyone going through the loss of a loved one.

The Fall Of Freddie the Leaf is a wonderful book for young and old alike to read if a loved one is dying. I for one will be using this book in my daily practice as a Hospice nurse.

The Fall of Freddie the Leaf is an absolutely awesome book. It is everything friends had told me it would be. I read it to my 4 year old grandson and of course had to read it to him again within a couple of hours. What a beautiful way of explaining the life and death process!

What an absolutely beautiful parable! The facts of life and death are poetically revealed through the story of a maple leaf named Freddie, who experiences a year of life. I understand that the purpose of writing this book was to explain the reasons behind death, and the result is exceedingly poignant.

This book was the very first book I read since my partner committing suicide. I found it to be so helpful in my process of grieving. What I am going through is normal for a suicide. I am not going crazy. It is written with love and compassion, I urge anyone who has lost someone to this awful illness to read it, it will help.

This book is wonderfully written and will be a staple on my bookshelf for years to come. This book is perfectly paired with proven facts and touching stories of many other survivors and their own particular stories. It "normalizes" the choas of the situation, and provides ever-needed understanding of the survivors' special circumstances. The writer does a wonderful job weaving her own story with the decoding of technical terms revolving around suicide, and other the individual survivors' stories. I wore out a highlighter with all the information related to my own story, and it will provide me with short-term as well as long-term guidance as needed in the future.

I read this book in two days, through many tears. I lost my beloved father to suicide just 5 months ago and have been struggling with the "what ifs" and "whys" and the massive guilt, grief, anger, bewilderment that all survivors carry around. This book is clearly written, no holds barred (descriptions of suicides are a bit jarring) and honest. I have been attending Survivors of Suicide support group and this book had been recommended to me by several other survivors. I would recommend it to all survivors as required reading.

I took a highlighter and marked many passages for my husband to read. He ssid that it helped him to understand more about what I have been feeling and why.

Easy reading - I like that with each person interviewed that it gave details like what they do and their age - made you feel a little closer to that person and what they are. Didn't like some of the "detail" if you catch my drift, it's hard enough getting the "detail" of my fathers death out of my head, let alone someone else's. Author even emailed me when I emailed her about support groups in my area. Made me feel cared about.

It has been almost 3 months since my dad's suicide and until I read your book, I have felt completely lost. He decided to take his life after years of illness that was finally diagnosed as Pulmonary Fibrosis. I was told of his diagnosis on a Sunday and by that following Monday he had taken his life.

I did not get a chance to say goodbye. I did not get a chance to tell him all the things I wanted to tell him. He decided to leave us and so that he would not be a burden (on daily life and financially). However, he left us with another sort of burden that is difficult to express.

Over the past 3 months, I have been searching for a book that could help me with my grief. I read a few but they just scratched the surface. After reading the reviews of this book, I decided to order it hopeful that it would shine a light. I received it yesterday and read for hours into the night. I felt like the words were written just for me. Although some of the content can be difficult at times, the stories would not be as real if the details of the suicides were left out. Unless you have the details in many of the stories, you cannot truly understand why the pain is so big and so raw for the survivors.

Thank you for writing this book. I am comforted to know that my grief, anger, sadness, emptiness, confusion, despair and need for answers to questions that I will never get are emotions shared by other survivors of suicide.