Suicide Books

I literally judged this book by its cover - the cover is uniquely creative, whimsical and moving. The book is all this and more. I don't want to bring it down to the level of pop psychology, but anyone who grew up with slightly (or extremely) nutty parents will recognize the conflicts children face as they struggle with their profound love for their adored parent, and their growing sense of betrayal by an irresponsible and selfish adult. London's account of a family swept up in the cultural maelstorm of the 60's while contending with madness in their family is very polished and self-assured. From time to time the book is overly structured - towards the end, in particular, he lets his gimmicks get the best of him - but overall, I was delighted to read it, and I'm shocked that it didn't get picked up by a bigger publisher. On the other hand, then it wouldn't have its charming cover.

This coming-of-age story is an odd mish-mash. It is well-written and features compelling characters and settings, yet it never really gels as a sustained narrative. I wonder if the title was a good idea. "The World's Room" refers to a second-hand shop the narrator's neurotic mother is forever hoping to open, in which to display all the tchotchkes and foreign junk she has amassed during their life on the road. As a metaphor for his first book, however, I fear that, like the narrator's mother with her shop, London has tried to stuff too much disparate material into the world of his novel. The first (and better) half of the book seems to be about the narrator's complex relationship to his older brother. But after the older brother commits suicide (an event we learn of in the novel's opening sentence), the narrative begins to slacken, and the novel reads more like someone's private journals modified lightly into fiction. Still, London has a strong prose style, and I look forward to reading his next book.

This book is written with such grace, empathy, and authentic intelligence that I was captivated from the very first sentence. Todd London begins with a sequence of haunting, bitingly funny memories, then lodges them into a narrative groundwork that is both surprising and satisfying. This is a family story, told by the youngest and sanest member, but every character is fully, generously realized. The writing is so deft that we see the family clearly even when the narrator cannot. There is humor at every level - a kid's word games, a hilarious look at academic pretention, the pure situational absurdity of this family on the run. I got to the end and started over. The best book I've read in a long time.

I can't find enough words to describe this beautiful book. Do not be put off from the subject matter because this is not a depressing book! The main character loses his brother to suicide and shows how he and his family deal with grief and each other. I lost my brother to suicide as well and this book is a rare one where the siblings are discussed and not only the parents or children of the deceased. The author's characters and descriptions are perfect. I am recommending this book to all my friends and family.

When I first started reading it I thought it was going to be just another book educating teens about their own issues. However, I found it to be sympathetic to uncomfortable situations and a compelling read. The characters were not only likable, they were also easy to relate to on a number of different levels. It left me wanting to read more about the adventures of maggie and to discover more of her world. I have not stopped thinking about it since I finished it days ago. I would think that it is not just a teen book - but would satisfy a much larger range of readers.

This book was a good read for young adults. I liked the side characters as well as the main character, Maggie. There were some twists to the plot that I didn't see coming. I would recommend this to young adults readers - the same age range that likes the Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" series.

I thought the author gave wonderful voice to the teenage girl Maggie Chase. Maggie was a very likable character. The book was laugh out loud funny in spots, and agonizingly wrenching in other places. I look forward to it's publication and to the sequels

Gideon Fell is the most brilliant detective of all time. I just want to say that first off. Second, this is the shortest, and most fun Dr. Fell novel. Gideon Fell heads off to Scottland, to slove why or if Angus Campbell jumped to his death. At first, it seems to be an open and shut case of suicide.

Then, his brother, Dr. Colin Campbell attempts to jump to his death. Then, long time Campbell enemy, Alec Forbes, kills him self by hanging. All of the people kill them selves behind locked doors, where no one could get to them. Dr. Fell, with Alan and Kathryn Campbell in tow, looks for an answer among the dead.

...in the sense that, like all of his mysteries, it is intricately, fairly, and most bafflingly plotted. What separates this Carr book from most of his fine mysteries, at least for me, was how amusing the more or less usual rowdy misbehavior of some of the characters was, and how well drawn the B-plot romance was. These elements are very often present in Carr mysteries, but are executed with particular excellence in this book, to the extent that they almost offer more pleasure than the central chilling and puzzling mystery, which is almost always far and away the great pleasure of reading Carr. The WW2 homefront context is nicely drawn too and adds quite a bit of tension, with blackout windows and the threat of bomber raids lurking in the background.

Carr's most popular (I suppose) detective, the historian Gideon Fell, is in good form in this book, convincingly brilliant and eccentric as well as amusing--though not in the over-the-top way that he (and his doppleganger Sir Henry Merrivale) sometimes descended into. Carr mysteries are usually experienced through the eyes of a less brilliant narrator/ assistant to the detective, clearly so that we as readers would share their awe at the superior insight and deductions of the great man, much as we had to experience Nero Wolfe through Archie's eyes, and Holmes through Watson's. If Holmes, Wolfe, or Fell narrated their own books, what mystery or suspense could there be--we would know all much too quickly! And fortunately in this book Fell's "Watson," a Canadian college professor, is lively and intelligent in his own right, and is thrown together with an at least equally lively and intelligent female professor and rival/ love interest. Carr's "Watsons" were at times ciphers who added nothing to the atmosphere or interest of the books in which they appeared, but that is decidely not the case in this typically, and more than typically, fine mystery.

"The Case of the Constant Suicides" (1941) is a fun read and one of the author's more interesting mysteries--three men die and the reader must determine who committed suicide and who was murdered. This book is very much of a howdunit as well as a whodunit. Carr's serial detective, the humungous Dr. Gideon Fell, galumphs into view about a third of the way through, after one man is already mysteriously deceased. Old Angus Campbell meets his end after plunging out of the window of his locked tower bedroom. The door has to be broken down in order for the deceased man's bedroom to be examined. The only unusual object in the tower room is an empty animal carrier, its wire-mesh door tightly shut.

Professor of history, Alan Campbell and his second cousin Kathryn Campbell meet on the train taking them to Scotland and immediately dislike each other. Too bad, because they are forced to share a sleeping compartment on the crowded, blacked-out train. They bicker all the way to the Castle of Shira at Inverary where Angus had jumped or was forced from his bedroom window the previous week.

Here they meet the insurance agent, the Castle's lawyer, and Angus's brother Colin arguing about whether Angus was murdered or done himself in. Carr's serial detective, Dr. Gideon Fell wheezes and chuffs through the castle like an off-the-track steam engine, dropping mysterious hints as he goes. Colin decides to spend a night in his brother's former bedroom, just to lay rumors of ghostly goings-on, and he too defenestrates himself.

When a third man is found hanging in a locked fishing cabin, Dr. Fell sorts out the murder and attempted murder from the suicide, rewards the innocent, and sets a murderer free if only he will sign a fake confession.

John Dickson Carr takes a turn to heavy-handed humor in "The Case of the Constant Suicides." Most of the roistering is caused by a malt whiskey called 'the Doom of the Campbells.' A pesky American newspaperman is drenched, shot at, and hunted from the castle grounds whenever the Doom is flowing through the inhabitants of the castle. This isn't my favorite Gideon Fell mystery, but it was fun to read--more smiles than frissons of terror.

Joseph Addison's (1672-1719) Play "Cato: A Tragedy", first staged in 1713, inspired many enlightened thinkers in the 18th century with its portrayal of the Roman senator Cato the Younger's (95-46 B.C.E.) willingness to commit suicide rather than to live under the tyrannical rule of Julius Caesar. The play takes place during Cato's final hours of resistance to Caesar. George Washington remarked it was his favorite play and had it performed for his men in Valley Forge during the revolution. Washington found in the play a powerful statement on patriotism, liberty, virtue and honor. He quoted from it extensively in his writings. The most famous use of the play was when he met with disgruntled officers in Newburgh, New York right after the war. They had met to contemplate taking over the government by force because the Continental Congress hadn't paid them. Washington got their attention by taking out a pair of glasses to read a letter he had recently sent to congress. As he donned the glasses he quoted a line from the play, "I fear I have grown old in the service of my country." After this remark it is reported that there wasn't a dry eye in the room and after he read the letter the officers dispersed. Nathan Hale echoed another line from the play, right before he was to be hanged by the British as a spy; "I regret, but that I have only one life to give to my country."

In addition, Addison has a great reputation as an essayist admired by none other than Samuel Johnson and Benjamin Franklin. This edition includes 32 essays extolling the virtues of liberty, and government free of corruption. Tories and Whigs in the English Parliament admired him. Joseph Addison studied in Oxford in Latin and Greek Classics. He served as a member of parliament, and became widely known as an essayist, playwright, poet and statesman.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history of the founding era of the United States.

The Roman senator, Cato the Younger (95 BC - 46 BC) stubbornly resisted Julius Caesar's rise to power, but was ultimately defeated by Caesar in north Africa. Addison's play focuses on the last days of Cato's life, as Caesar's forces advanced. Although others urged Cato to come to terms with Julius Caesar, Cato resists to the end, finally committing suicide rather than surrendering. This tragedy has strong political overtones, addressing the conflict between individual liberty and government tyranny and republicanism versus monarchism.

Writing a political play during a period of intense political rivalry in England, Joseph Addison avoided charges of partisanship by having the prologue written by a Tory poet, Alexander Poe, and the epilogue by a Whig poet, Samuel Garth. Although this tragedy was held in high esteem throughout the eighteenth century, today's audience may find Addison's effusive praise of Cato's political virtue tends to be rather one-dimensional, and thus not entirely convincing.

Cato remained popular for decades in England and even longer in the American colonies, becoming a literary inspiration for the American Revolution. George Washington had it performed for the Continental Army at Valley Forge. The famous quotes by Patrick Henry and Nathan Hale were apparently derived from Addison's play.

Addison's characterization of Cato lacks the psychological depth and complexity that is found in Shakespeare's tragedies, or even what we have come to expect in modern biographical films like A Man for All Seasons, Lawrence of Arabia, Patton, and Gandhi. To be fair to Addison, Cato was described by his contemporaries, including his political enemies, as having high moral standards and incorruptible virtue. In contrast, Addison portrays Cato's sons Portius and Marcus, his close friend Lucius, and his protégé Juba, the prince of Numidia, in more realistic fashion, all decidedly loyal to Cato, but subject to private doubts and other emotions.

Cato is considered by many as the best tragedy written in eighteenth century England. I give it four stars, in part for its historical significance.

Note: Individual editions of Cato may not be easy to find, but it is often included in collections of eighteen century English plays. The Everyman edition, titled The Beggar's Opera and Other Eighteenth Century plays (edited by David Lindsay), is a good source.

Collaboratively and expertly co-edited by academicians Christine Dunn Henderson and Mark E. Yellin (both of whom are Fellows at Liberty Fund), Cato: A Tragedy, And Selected Essays is a compilation of the writings of Joseph Addison, beginning with his "Cato: A Tragedy" which is an account of the final hours of Marcus Porcius Cato (95-46 B.C.), a Stoic whose deeds, rhetoric, and resistance to the tyranny of Julius Caesar made him an icon of republicanism, virtue, and liberty to this very day. Although popular in its day (1713), the play had fallen into neglect and this is the first scholarly addition to be made available to the general reading public. The play is then added to in this volume to provide readers with examples of Addison's attempts to educate England's 18th century developing middle class of merchants and tradespeople in the habits, morals, and manners he felt necessary to the preservation of limited government and a free, commercial society. Also available in a hardcover edition (086597442X, $24.00), Cato: A Tragedy, And Selected Essays is a seminal and welcome addition to the growing library of literature promoting conservative values such as liberty, self-government, an opposition to tyranny, the advancement of justice, and the advocacy of honor, patriotism, and integrity.

Chitty's candid assessment, while not without its biases, shows the reader how science works, not linearly or dispassionately as many assume, but with different camps expending not inconsiderable passion. It also shows the amount of effort a scientist working in this field must expend (and how little control he/she has over the process being measured).

Ideally, the most valid hypothesis matures into the category of scientific theory while its nestlings die. This seems not to have happened in this area--at least according to the author. In the 1950's, Dennis Chitty seems to have abandoned more supportable (and subsequently, supported) theories. Now, years later he is still looking for the grail of genetic change despite the lack of scientific support this idea seems to have. If genetic change were the mechanism behing population cycles, breeding experiments should have been able to identify the genotypes, and the genes responsible.

Nevertheless, I strongly recommend this book given the view it shows of the field of rodent population ecology. I think D.E. Davis' statement in this book says it best. Looking for the causes of cycles obscures what we really need to understand, regulation.

This book, part autobiography, part critical assessment of the last fifty years in field ecology, represents a fascinating "summing up" of a lifetime career in pursuit of explanations for the abundance of animals in the wild. Chitty is remarkably candid about his own successes and failures, and one sees with clarity the attitude of a good scientist: no hypothesis, however elegant, is immune from "ugly little facts" that refute it. Along with Chitty's own work we get delightful cameo appearances (both flattering and otherwise) of many of the "greats" of mid-century ecology and evolutionary theory. Chitty makes it quite clear who he resepects and who he has difficulties with, and his commentary serves to humanize the "doing" of ecology. My only question is, how long will it take for the common sense shown in this book to penetrate contemporary text-books, many of which persist in errors that Chitty ably shows have been discarded by real practicioners often decades ago.

Interesting, with great photos and info about some of natures greatest mysteries... I love the title as well =)

This book is filled with power, passion, strength, humor and hope. With God we can survive. Hope is a real fighter and makes you rethink and appreciate what you have.

Roberta
Pittsburgh, Pa.

This is not feel sorry for the writer kind of book. This book inspired to look at myself and work to be a not only a be s better friend but wife and mother. To excel thru my personal situations. To say Thank you Lord even at the worst of time. Thank you JOY for allowing me to see Your Joy thru your pain.

Al

Do you know someone who feels a deep joy, no matter what is going on in their life? Hope Joy's offering, "Dying to Live" is an explanation of her personal joy.

After enduring years of depression, Hope finds herself in the unfortunate situation of hearing terrible news from her doctors. She faces a life threatening illness and has to undergo surgery. It is during her ordeal that she comes to realize her joy at living, and finds the source of that joy in her God.

This short book is a testimonial; it is one woman's moment of truth and her desire to share the joy she feels with people. In a no-nonsense, straightforward tone, Hope shares her tale, details her feelings and invites readers to develop their own testimonial through a workbook section at the back.

This work should be a help to some readers, a confirmation of beliefs for others.
Review by Heather Froeschl.

DeQuincy Lezine's account of his personal struggles with suicide combined with current research on adolescent suicide is a brilliant piece of writing that should be on every adolescent therapist's bookshelf. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. His writing is accessible to anyone, and he (literally) speaks to the reader in ways both touching and encouraging. The honest, candid account of his own thoughts and feelings during his adolescence is punctuated by old journal entries and e-mails to friends, which creates an intensely personal narrative. Deeply moving and highly important.

Having lived through my own pain of suicide, Eight Stories Up is insightful and a great reference for any adolescent or their families who may be caught up in the vicious cycle of suicide or suicidal behavior. It was a pleasure to meet Dequincy at a fund raiser for Laurel House in Stamford, Connecticut. After hearing his story, I realized that we both had something in common, I too used to size up buildings on the campus of the school I was attending and the only thing that kept me from jumping was the thought that if I lived through it, I would be paralized and I could not live with that.

I highly recommend this book to anyone facing the issues mentioned in the book or if they suspect that they have any mental health issues.

After meeting DeQuincy Lezine, hearing his story and reading his book, I have no doubt that he will save young lives. His memoir of his own experience with near suicide provides an insider's look at the feelings, thoughts and circumstances that can lead to a decision to end one's life, the interventions that can be made to prevent this tragic occurrence, and the healing that takes in the recovery process. The book is written for a teen audience , but is an equally valuable resource for adult family members of teens at risk and professional caregivers. More than just a memoir of one person's descent into hopelessness and subsequent recovery, it is also a guide for identifying, understanding and grappling with the issues and pressures that can result in teenage suicide. In less than 200 pages, the book covers a lot of ground. It is very clearly written and DeQuincy's personal story is seamlessly interwoven throughout the text with more practical information about suicide prevention, treatment and recovery. Included in the back are a glossary of terms, bibliography and a resource section with phone numbers and addresses for hotlines, organizations for suicide prevention and mental health advocacy, self-help groups and information services. This book would make an excellent addition to any high school or university library, as well as to the bookshelves of families, friends and helping professionals.

When Lincoln was killed he was an old man of 56, while Booth was only 27 at the time of the assassination. I really can't figure why this fiction was written, as the travesty was done when John Wilkes Booth was gunned down from a slat in the barn. He had no way to escape!

It's just like the rumors which spun about Elvis Presley that he was an informant for the FBI and did not die of an overdose of drugs in his mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, that he was relocated to Germany. Do you think that man could have spent all these years hiding and not singing. No Way!

Just like the fiction that Booth lived to confess years later. Could he have gone on with his life without acting on the stage? Whyever would he confess and link the Vice President to the conspiracy. Andrew Johnson was supposed to have been abducted at the same time as Lincoln, only his assailant got too drunk to do the deed. Now, this little myth maker tries to make us think that he was in on the kill of Lincoln so that he could take over. He had his hands full of the reconstruction and other things which were continually going wrong. He was definitely not like Lincoln in any way, but a man from Tennessee who had been governor of this Volunteer State would never have done that. Now Texas is another matter altogether. Why this was written, I'll never know! It's just not worth the bother to look at, or read trash about an honorable assassin. He had health problems and perhaps though he was dying anyway. Who will ever know? No one who reads this volume in history.

All Lincoln scholars will find this book of interest particularly for when and how it was written. Had to have been a "bestseller" in 1908!

This book is great and he did act on stage after the assassination. Why the other person wrote that this book is not worth reading I will never know. It shows two pictures of Booth after the assassination when he was living under an alias. It is filled with evidence. If you would like to know who was killed in the barn instead of Booth you should read "Return of the Assassin John Wilkes Booth". It is filled with new evidence. Both of these books are must reads.

Michael Nelken gives us new insights into the man whose obsessions killed millions of people and changed the world forever. It is a profound book which should be read by anyone who wants to know more about Hitler, World War II or the in depth psychology of suicide and destruction.

The enormous human suffering produced by the Second World War makes it a subject of intense interest for those who seek to understand how irrationality can take hold of human behavior on such a massive scale.

Of course, Adolf Hitler was not operating in a vacuum when he launched the war that killed and maimed millions of human beings and left behind millions of tormented survivors. Following the First World War and the Great Depression, millions of people were ready to be seduced by his call for an all-or-nothing battle for glorious victory. As Nelken's numerous quotations make plain, Hitler always put the alternatives of death or glory before his listeners.

Arguably the reckless, open-ended ambition of would-be world conquerors like Hitler (or Napoleon for that matter) is ultimately self-limiting and self-destructive - when he eventually manages, through his aggression, to build up an overwhelming force against himself.

But where does such cold-hearted, cruel ambition begin?

In Parts Two and Three of this book, psychiatrist Michael Nelken presents a strong argument that the enormous destructiveness and cruelty of the Hitler regime in Germany can be understood in terms of Adolf Hitler's own highly dysfunctional early family life.

Nelken contends that Hitler's mono-maniacal career was set in motion by a family pattern Nelken calls "the encapsulated eldest son syndrome" (EESS), in which a male child (1) is taken emotionally as a substitute mate by an unhappy wife and (2) is assigned the role of his father's rival and adversary (or even enemy). Although it is fashionable in some circles nowadays to be dismissive of the importance of the role of early childhood experiences in shaping character, when one considers that a small, helpless, and powerless child has very few resources to draw on when it is placed in such an insecure and untenable position, it seems clear that the future consequences of such an extremely bad family system for the child will be profound and could turn out -- as in Hitler's case, arguably - to be catastrophic.

Indeed, Nelken argues that in almost every personal, political, and military move he made, Hitler was reenacting the terrible drama of his early life as a helpless, self-less being, subject to abuse by his alcoholic father (which eventually took the form of lashings with a belt) and the smothering emotional dependence of his fear-ridden mother, who looked to him as a protector.

Nelken presents an imaginary psychoanalysis of the young Adolf by Sigmund Freud that one would like to see enacted on the stage or screen.

A major fault of this controversial, insightful, at times brilliant book is that the author sometimes falls into a telegraphic style, treating metaphor as fact, or adopts a kind of personal short-hand that treats painful and serious subjects in a flippant manner. The author no doubt has his reasons for giving the reader such a jarring ride, but one wishes a manuscript editor had told this gifted author to "stifle himself" on these occasions, so that his ideas would get the serious attention they deserve.

Adolf Hitler is an icon for 20th century evil. His name is synonymous with genocide, "ethnic cleansing", and the horrible costs of war. While several authors have recorded the history of the Third Reich, few have examined the psychology of its architect, seeking to understand what could have driven him to his role in such a tragic episode of German and world history. Dr. Nelken, a psychiatrist and child psychiatrist, seeks to do so in this, his first book.

The book has three parts. In the first, the book's longest, Nelken looks at World War II, juxtaposing German military events and Hitler's actions as commander so as to paint the image of Hitler as a man who took nearly every opportunity, not only to lose the war but to drive Germany into the ground. Although this part is not directed at the nature of Hitler himself, it seeks to identify behaviors from which Nelken will later draw implications about Hitler's thought process. Not intended as a textbook of the war, the account is interesting, even if it does cut overly broad paths through military history.

In the second part, Nelken examines Hitler's upbringing using what facts are available. As with Freud's case of the Wolf Man, Dr. Nelken is limited to published material and does not have the opportunity to evaluate the man himself. While this is a great handicap to any mental health professional, Hitler's prominence in history assures us that many year's curiosity have brought some interesting facts and speculations to light. Nonetheless, this part of the book risks the error of generalizing from too little material.

The third part ends the book with the introduction of Nelken's theory, "the encapsulated eldest son syndrome". Nelken observes that a certain family constellation can be found in the personal history of several prominent men. The reader is still left wondering what makes some of the syndrome's suffers famous and others infamous. One also wonders to what extent this syndrome has been validated.

Although the author doesn't always seperate fact from conjecture, his perspective is a provocative one. The text is interesting and entertaining, and it reads well and quickly. If you want a detailed history of the war or of Germany you must look elsewhere. If you are interested in one psychiatrist's view of the personal dynamics that might have guided this twisted man's "final solution", final years and final actions, this book will give you food for thought.

A dignified gentleman visited young Kuwahara's household of an evening in 1943 to congratulate the family on the youngster's exceptional academic achievements. After some further civilized speechifying, the gentleman revealed that he served in the Emperor's air force, and would like to honor the family by inducting the youth in that organization. " 'Ah so', remarked my father, with carefully manufactured surprise'".
This book tells an extraordinarily convincing story of Kuwahara's experiences in boot camp and as a pilot who watched many of his friends die in the final assaults on Allied forces in the Pacific. Moreover, it contains an early description of the hellish scene after the American atomic attack on Hiroshima, where Kuwahara was spending some leave time when the bomb was dropped.
Readers will find that there was indeed dissent against Tokyo's war inside Japan, and in fact within the military. I read this book when I was still a child, and have ever since been proof against the Japan-baiting so common here in America.

This autobiographical work by a Japanese Army Airforce pilot is a must for anyone with an interest in World War Two. Detailed, often brutal descriptions of Japanese training and discipline shed a new light on the war, in that POW's were treated only slightly worse than military recruits. Don't miss this one!

Very intense description of the author's military life during WWII, as a Japanese army fighter pilot. Details reffering his relation with the Kamikaze phenomenom are deep and impressive. Although certainly thrilling, I wonder to which extent the author kept himself to the real facts, throughout the narrative. Some passages seem to be too perfect, almost "novelistic", to be true. However, it certainly gives the emotional experience of what was like to be a 16 year old suicide pilot in 1945.