Suicide Books

If you are bewildered by the debates over physician-assisted suicide, suicide prevention, and the legal right to suicide, then this book should answer your questions. Szasz demonstrates clearly and logically what a mess we have made of dying and how we can choose ethical, compassionate options that give power to the dying rather than to government and physicians. Why should individuals be deprived of the right to the means of dependable, dignified suicide? What are the dangers of giving doctors the power and tools to kill people? Why are physicians --who are themselves three times more likely to commit suicide than the general population-- the appropriate persons to engage in "suicide prevention"? How is the "war on drugs" stripping us of the power to control pain and death? Szasz tackles these and many other questions. He points out that in Holland, where physician-assisted suicide in common, 23 percent of physicians say they have participated in the killing of a patient WHO DID NOT AGREE TO BE KILLED. Is this compassionate medicine or nazi-style euthanasia? Szasz provides convincing answers to the complete array of questions surrounding suicide.

Thomas Szasz is one of century's brilliant social thinkers. He's best known for his criticism of psychiatric pseudo-science and coercive practices, but his intellectual reach is vast. In this remarkable book about suicide he defends the right of individuals to control their bodies and lives -- including the ways they choose to die. He takes issue with physicians having the power to determine our fate and places the choice and responsibility for suicide into the hands of the individual. He would end drug prohibition (including limits on access to prescription drugs), and permit adults (not children) to obtain the drugs necessary to commit suicide. He presents a convincing argument that physician-assisted suicide takes us farther from personal autonomy, making us more dependent and vulnerable. He notes that about a quarter of physicians in Holland, where physician-induced euthanasia is common, admit to having killed a patient without asking for the person's permission. As I write this review the American Medical Association is enlarging its interest in suicide prevention, but Szasz points out that doctors and psychiatrists commit suicide at much higher ratest than the general population. Szasz asks readers to look to the historical record of physician participation in euthanasia (Nazi germany, for instance) to see what moral depravity and mortal mayham have resulted. Szasz flatly supports the right of an individual to commit suicide without interference from physicians, psychiatrists or government. As is always true with Szasz writings, this book is tightly reasoned and beautifully written. It is a work of great compassion and honesty.

Fatal Freedom: The Ethics And Politics Of Suicide by Thomas Szasz (Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, State University of New York Health Science Center, Syracuse) is a thoughtful and persuasively written defense of the individual's right to voluntarily choose the time and manner of their own death. Criticizing the inhumanity of the established legal and medical policy prohibiting suicide for any reason allows extensive and widespread suffering, Fatal Freedom also reveals how suicide has been viewed down through the ages alongside other social practices about which public perception has changed. Very strongly recommended for academic and community library social issues collections in general, and psychology/health reference sections in particular, Fatal Freedom presents an emphatic presentation not to be ignored.

In his new book, FATAL FREEDOM, Dr. Thomas Szasz has taken the first step in destigmatizing suicide. In so doing he reminds us that not so long ago in England the failed suicide was punished by execution and his family deprived of his property. To "insanitize" him, that is, render him non compos mentis, seemed the only just solution.

Dr. Szasz does not admit the existence of mental illness unlike Dr. Kay Jamison who, in her book NIGHT FALLS FAST, assumes in the suicide its "almost ubiquitous presence." She discounts the will as a vital force in determining behavior; he emphasizes it as follows: Suicide is not a disease but a deed and as such, poses a moral, not a medical, problem. To allow medical experts to pathologize it is indicative of our willingness not to think, but to be thought for. More, these agents of our ever-expanding "therapeutic state" seem unable to call things by their right names. For example: Why say suicide is an unnatural act when they mean it is a wrongful one? Or misname medical intervention for the dying as medical treatment? Szasz deplores imprecise language because it rigor-mortises thought and begs significant questions. How can we, for example, without empirical evidence, accept the idea that mental illness is like any other illness?

Dr. Jamison reminds us that suicide among the young has tripled in the last forty-five years; Dr. Szasz asks whether suicide prevention in its present form does not increase its likelihood. Her study echoes the latest orthodox belief in biologically-based mood disorders. He, on the other hand, takes issue with our tendency to pathologize socially unacceptable behavior: Only yesterday we believed masturbation and homosexuality cause insanity. Today insanity causes suicide. To call the subject ill and to incarcerate him "for his own good" not only presupposes his act unjustified, it relieves him of responsibility for it;-and because it is more blessèd to forgive than to blame, relieves us of responsibility too.

Szasz goes further: If we have birth control, why not death control? If we allow justifiable homicide on grounds of self defense, why not justifiable suicide? The question gives one pause.

Death is the final indignity imposed by time; it is, paradoxically, our only refuge from it. "One loves ultimately one's own desires," writes Nietszche, "not the thing desired." And when desires fade from old age or debilitating illness, are we not sometimes obliged to relieve our loved ones and ourselves of further agony? Yes, says Szasz. For suicide is not only an act of will, it may be a moral responsibility.

I think of the Myth of Sisyphus, its corollary in our lives: Sisyphus, whose punishment was to push a boulder up a mountain that must always roll down again, could not choose but submit. Can free will have taught us that unless we find joy in our struggles we had best not struggle at all? Shall we all lie down and sleep in the shadow of the rock? Yes, if we choose, says Szasz! Yet he does not advocate suicide, only its option: Who but we should control how and when we die? he asks. But to sanction such a choice for every adult?

Running rampant among the young today is the infectious disease of despair that breeds on the fallacy that things difficult are necessarily impossible, and what is largely true is wholly true. And symptomatic of this disease is the alarming insistence that there is nothing to prevent the pendulum from swinging us all into annihilation. Statistics don't lie. These are parlous times.

And our suicide-prevention programs are failing. Should we abolish them then? No, says Szasz, we should abolish coercive suicide prevention, and instead practice verbal persuasion as do the Samaritans in England. They, in respecting the suicide's wishes, more often than not dissuade him from the act.

I don't remember the last time I talked back to a book. FATAL FREEDOM is an exciting read, a tonic breath of fresh air. I recommend it highly for lay people and medical professionals alike.

In this important and disturbing work, Professor Szasz pulls the plug on murder masquerading as medicine, and sanctifies suicide as the ethical act of a moral agent--the natural evolution of autonomy and personhood.

What a great book, Was recommended to me by a high school teacher saying she had learned so much from the book and wanted every student she had to read it. I agree. It would make our young people so understand what we are facing as a nation . It is also a great read as well as a marvelous learning experienc.

Post-9/11 Syria is a conflicted place. No one is sure who to trust, who might be working for the government, or who might come to arrest you with no notice and seemingly no reason. Seventeen-year-old Nadia is conflicted as well, about her more Westernized friends and family members and the economic and social hardships her country is facing. Every day there is more news about bombings. Nadia and her cousins must be careful when they go out, because being caught without identification could have serious repercussions.

The one stable thing in Nadia's life is her devotion to Islam. She believes in a modern education and wants to go on to university to study medicine rather than marry young and raise a family immediately. By wearing the hijab and acting modestly, as she thinks a proper Muslim woman should, she believes she is living her life in the best way she can. All around her, however, people who share her ideas on Islam are being arrested, thrown in prison and tortured, including her cousin Fowzi. While other members of her family are focused on dismal job prospects, unhappy marriages and their potential for study in Switzerland, Nadia is looking for a way to avenge Fowzi's unlawful arrest and stand up for Muslims all over Syria.

Nadia's opportunity comes in the form of a young man named Walid, who is sympathetic to Nadia's more fundamentalist Muslim beliefs. He leaves her mysterious notes, organizing their rendezvous all over Damascus. Even though they must talk in secret and often don't get much time to speak, Nadia quickly falls for Walid's ideas, more like her own than her family's. Walid, like Nadia, is sure that America is full of many evil, materialistic people who believe their television sets and Pepsis are more important than tolerance and equality.

Although her cousin Bassam, back in Syria after years in America, tells her otherwise, Nadia can't believe his stories. She knows she has to take it upon herself to stand up for the Muslims of Syria, and is willing to do so in one of the most extreme ways possible. As she assembles a list of goods dictated by Walid, Nadia is sure she's doing what is right. But will she have the strength to follow the jihad plan to the end?

Although Nadia's religion, home and way of life may be something you've never experienced firsthand, or even read about, you will find Nadia to be a compelling, multifaceted character. She always believes that she is doing the right thing, and even when met with opposition from her cousins about her religious beliefs, she holds her ideals tightly, trusting that Islam is the way for her family members to achieve happiness and a good life. The important topics of life in the modern Middle East and Islamic fundamentalism are brought to light in a detailed narrative that will make you think about what it means to stand up for what you believe in.

--- Reviewed by Carlie Webber

... and it won't be hard to get them into this story.

I tore through In The Name of God as a reader first, led effortlessly by Paula Jolin's suspenseful plot, vivid characters, and fascinating details about teen life in Syria. Afterwards, though, the buried high school teacher in me came roaring to life, keeping me up late with ideas about how to use this book like mad in the classroom.

We'd read the book, for example, and then my students would pick three historical events in the last fifty years and describe them first in the voice of Nadia, and then through the eyes of an American teen who joins the Marines to fight terrorism. Or I'd get the kids discussing what they might be willing to die for and why. And so on ... how Jolin manages to create a sympathetic suicide bomber in the making is a literary study in itself.

17-year-old Nadia lives in Damascus, Syria, in a two-bedroom apartment with her mother and her brother. Every day the war seems to move closer, every day the poverty seems to get a little bit worse, every day Nadia sees everyone moving further from the God she knows, and every day Nadia gets more angry. When her cousin is taken to places and torture unknown, Nadia knows it's time to take a stand. But how? And why does no one else understand?

Her family can't seem to give her the answers that she needs. Lately they almost seem afraid of her. The only person who seems to understand is the mysterious rebel who appears with cryptic messages. With each meeting with this man, Nadia is more and more sure that he has the right idea. With his help she will finally be able to make her stand, as God intended.

This was a book that I desperately wanted to read, and was terrified of, all at the same time. I wasn't sure what I would come across, but I knew it was going to be important somehow. And it was, but not in the way that I expected.

One of the most important things I took from IN THE NAME OF GOD is that religious zealotry doesn't have to be a quick, dramatic event. It can be a slow, building descent, full of little moments that may not seem too consequential until you add them all together. Involved in it is a strong desire to do right, to fix things, to make things better, and to make a statement. You can't hate Nadia for believing so strongly, and for wanting to make a difference, as much as you hope that she changes her path.

Another thing that I found particularly telling was a moment when a friend of a cousin says he lived in the U.S. One of Nadia's cousins asks if he lived in New York or Hollywood. At first it was kind of funny, until I thought about it. Are those the only faces our country presents to the outside world? After that was more discussion about the perceptions of life in America versus the reality. Which was enlightening to say the least. If for no other reason than these, we need more books like this in the world. Maybe if there were, we would all be a bit more understanding.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

Paula Jolin has written an important book about making choices. Nadia is at once familiar and different. Different for the obvious reasons - she lives in Damascus, she's a Syrian Muslim. Jolin paints a picture of this particular family, peppered with a rich cast of characters. Although I had trouble at the very beginning keeping track of all the cousins, I knew each and every one of them well by the end of the book. The characters were authentic, never wholly good or bad, always a blend of the two, just like real folks.

Nadia is familiar. She's a typical teenager who thinks about her future (she wants to become a doctor), her values (she's a devout Muslim) and has good and bad times with her family. I thought her quite resourceful, given her restrictions (by her culture and her values) as she ducks in and out of buses and movie theatres to contact a revolutionary.

Nadia's transformation from devout to fanatic is believable. She's young, she's impressionable, and I feared for her. Nadia's desire to do the right thing drives this story. Jolin's debut novel offers great insight into how a person could be convinced to do almost anything, include killing themselves ... In the Name of God.

I am sure this book will provoke many thoughtful discussions amongst our teens.

Dr. Hafez focuses in the intifada campaign of suicide bombing for his research on motives for suicide bombers. He outlined the motives of the organization's that prepare, support and dispatch the bomber as well as a different one that that of the bomber, which is analyzed. The community/ society motives for support the campaigns is also analyzed. Since I have read the majority of the reference use by the author, I need to say that his work is a valuable one for this issue, easily read, short and precise, and a likely and useful framework.

Knowledgeably written by Mohammed M. Hafez (Visiting Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Missouri, Kansas City) Manufacturing Human Bombs: The Making Of Palestinian Suicide Bombers is an insightful and chilling study of the Palestinian suicide bombers during the Al-Aqsa intifada that began in the year 2000 and continues to be a primary weapon among Islamic fundamentalists. Providing western readers with an in-depth understanding of the deaths, war, killings, and reasoning and rationale to these terrifying and seemingly indiscriminate attacks, Manufacturing Human Bombs creates an intricate detailing of Middle East mentality, lifestyle, honor, and progression of those who elect to become suicide bombers and those who elect to employ them. Manufacturing Human Bombs is very highly recommended reading to all students of the Middle Eastern culture, the suicidal extremes of the bombers themselves, the attitudes of the victimized society that breeds them, and the issues surrounding phenomena of suicide bombers in countries such as Iraq, Israel, Chechnya, and Afghanistan.

Knowledgeably written by Mohammed M. Hafez (Visiting Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Missouri, Kansas City) Manufacturing Human Bombs: The Making Of Palestinian Suicide Bombers is an insightful and chilling study of the Palestinian suicide bombers during the Al-Aqsa intifada that began in the year 2000 and continues to be a primary weapon among Islamic fundamentalists. Providing western readers with an in-depth understanding of the deaths, war, killings, and reasoning and rationale to these terrifying and seemingly indiscriminate attacks, Manufacturing Human Bombs creates an intricate detailing of Middle East mentality, lifestyle, honor, and progression of those who elect to become suicide bombers and those who elect to employ them. Manufacturing Human Bombs is very highly recommended reading to all students of the Middle Eastern culture, the suicidal extremes of the bombers themselves, the attitudes of the victimized society that breeds them, and the issues surrounding phenomena of suicide bombers in countries such as Iraq, Israel, Chechnya, and Afghanistan.

Knowledgeably written by Mohammed M. Hafez (Visiting Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Missouri, Kansas City) Manufacturing Human Bombs: The Making Of Palestinian Suicide Bombers is an insightful and chilling study of the Palestinian suicide bombers during the Al-Aqsa intifada that began in the year 2000 and continues to be a primary weapon among Islamic fundamentalists. Providing western readers with an in-depth understanding of the deaths, war, killings, and reasoning and rationale to these terrifying and seemingly indiscriminate attacks, Manufacturing Human Bombs creates an intricate detailing of Middle East mentality, lifestyle, honor, and progression of those who elect to become suicide bombers and those who elect to employ them. Manufacturing Human Bombs is very highly recommended reading to all students of the Middle Eastern culture, the suicidal extremes of the bombers themselves, the attitudes of the victimized society that breeds them, and the issues surrounding phenomena of suicide bombers in countries such as Iraq, Israel, Chechnya, and Afghanistan.

Knowledgeably written by Mohammed M. Hafez (Visiting Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Missouri, Kansas City) Manufacturing Human Bombs: The Making Of Palestinian Suicide Bombers is an insightful and chilling study of the Palestinian suicide bombers during the Al-Aqsa intifada that began in the year 2000 and continues to be a primary weapon among Islamic fundamentalists. Providing western readers with an in-depth understanding of the deaths, war, killings, and reasoning and rationale to these terrifying and seemingly indiscriminate attacks, Manufacturing Human Bombs creates an intricate detailing of Middle East mentality, lifestyle, honor, and progression of those who elect to become suicide bombers and those who elect to employ them. Manufacturing Human Bombs is very highly recommended reading to all students of the Middle Eastern culture, the suicidal extremes of the bombers themselves, the attitudes of the victimized society that breeds them, and the issues surrounding phenomena of suicide bombers in countries such as Iraq, Israel, Chechnya, and Afghanistan.

Fifteen-year-old Allie and her divorced mom move once again, this time back to the small town where her mom grew up. It's their last chance: mom to break free of low-paying jobs, and Allie to settle down in school and make something of her math talents. Allie is a loner; in this town, she picks up the habit of going to the burials of strangers. She attends the graveside service of a boy her own age, who would have been in her math class. She becomes convinced he has been murdered. Through her sleuthing, the story of the town and its families becomes known. Allie attacks everything with her wry sense of humor and caustic attitude, except--typical to teenage behavior--herself. The reader can check off Allie's growth toward maturity and individualism as she interacts with a kind teacher who sees through her bravado, and also with the best friend of the boy who died. In the end, Allie has "come of age", and so has mom, the murder is solved, and it's a good, hearty read that gets you there.

Alexandra Canarsie, a.k.a. Allie, has the strange obsession of visiting cemeteries during funeral services, funerals of people that she doesn't even know. Having just moved to a new town and into a trailer, Allie feels alone. After hearing about the death of a student from her school, Jimmy Muller, a boy she might have known and become friends with if only he hadn't died, she becomes positive that his death was no accident at all and sets out on a search for the truth.

While reading this, I kept thinking of how much Allie Canarsie reminded me of Veronica Mars. Of course, her sleuthing skills weren't the greatest, but, come on, she didn't have the same resources, and her attitude fell in the same catagory.

Alexandra Canarsie is not unfamiliar with getting into trouble; in fact, it happens quite often. She can't seem to keep her mouth shut when it would really help, doesn't always make the greatest or smartest decisions, but still comes out with incredible character and is easy to identify with. Allie's journey to find the truth about Jimmy Muller leads her to some unexpected places, friends, allies(not meant as a pun), and some realizations about herself.

All at once sad, funny, and hopeful, Susan Heyboer O'Keefe's book should not be overlooked. I am really glad to have read this. Sometimes I find things that I completely hate, like just a little, or really love, which is rare. I loved this book, and consider myself extremely lucky to have found it.

this book was awesome. the main character is really easy to relate to and u can't stop turning the pages until you know what happened. it's one of those books that at the end your like "so what happened next?" she should totally write a sequel!

This was an excellent book. It had everything, love , suspense, and a happy ending. It also had that one lovable/annoying character (in this case the english teacher)
that every succesful book has to have. I had a great time reading it and reccomended it to all of my friends. I guarrantee you will love this book!

This is a great read for middle-graders on up. Smart-mouthed but insecure Allie puts on a good self-defense act and alienates herself from family and those who might become friends. Her obsession with funerals (of people she doesn't know) and trying to unravel the mystery of what or who really killed Jimmy Muller will keep you turning pages as fast as you can read.

ISBN-13 978-1425102623

Many grieving parents, family members, and even mental health professionals find it difficult to answer the questions of children whose loved ones have taken their own lives. Thankfully, Carol Loehr's book
"My Uncle Keith Died" addresses these questions in a sensitive, compassionate, and honest way. A young boy named Cody learns about depression and how to help someone with depression. Also, there is a discussion guide that will help parents and professionals with questions children may ask. I highly recommend this book.

Ann Dumont, LMHC
Left Behind After Suicide Support Groups

This book ia wonderful tribute to and Uncle whom we all should have known. Explaining death to children is difficult at best but when a person has died at their own hand it is doubly difficult. The illustrations in the book are beautiful and the discussion guide is helpful for any parent or teacher. This book should be available in every school library in the English speaking world. God bless Keith's mother Carol for sharing Keith and the results of undiagnosed depression with the world. Dr. Gloria Horsley Host of Healing The Grieving Heart archived on [...]

When a family member or close friend dies by suicide, the wake left behind is indescribable. The pain, the grief, the guilt, and the "what ifs" become constant unshakable realities which fade over time but never seem to completely vanish. When my brother and very close friend who suffered from severe depression died of suicide 22 years ago at the age of 45, it was a crushing and overwhelming shock. A wonderful family, a wife and three children, were left to live through and somehow process this tragedy. If Carol Ann Loehr's book had been available then, it would have been a valuable resource for the children as well as the adults in our family.

Carol has managed to explain in very simple and understandable terms how severe depression is a leading cause of suicide. We are taken through this process with her grand nephew, Cody, who is featured as the catalyst in exploring why her son, Keith, died of suicide. She approaches this subject in a very sensitive, creative, and respectful fashion. The book is also excellently illustrated by James Mojonnier, and Julianne Cosentino contributes with a helpful Discussion Guide.

As one who has been there and knows the aftermath of suicide and the need for quality resources at such a time, I highly recommend this book to those who are struggling with the inevitable questions that come. It is very appropriately written for children and is an effective tool for adults as well. - Rev. Jeffrey E. Moody

I have a nonprofit dedicated to suicide prevention, intervention and grief support. Carol Loehr's insight into the devastating effect of depression is valuable to those who are struggling to understand the loss of a loved one to suicide. We have made her book available to the members of our suicide grief support group and consider it an important tool in our quest to understand.

After I lost my brother to suicide, I remember trying to read everything I could get my hands on to try to help me understand how this could happen to him. I received phamphlets at the funeral home about "Suicide." There was nothing that even gave me a clue as to why I lost my brother to the devastating disease, depression. Carol's book helps to explore areas that have not been explored before. Written as a children's book, it is extremely helpful when trying to explain the unexplainable to children, but I must add, that it can help adults as well. I wish that someone had handed me this book after Terry died. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is trying to understand depression and suicide, young or old.

As a minister in the house hold of God.I know couples of people going through what the author had personally experienced.She came out strong from depression, loving herself, and then able to love people around her through prayers and the power of her determination.

I recommend this book to everyone that would love to see this world a better place for all to live.I'm looking forward to have the author invited for a talk with the people going through depression in my community.

Great work!Patiently waiting for her next book.Please keep me informed when it is out.

On the Periphery of Death

I read Ta'Wand's book without knowing what it was about beforehand. As i read each page I was struck by the storyline and the common thread revealed in each persons life. There is a loneliness and indeed helplessness that and how we can realate to it. There is a loneliness and indeed helplessness that can come from our modern day lives. Ta'Wand has found words to express those feelings.

I won't discuss the specifics so as not to spoil the story for others.
But I will say this book is an easy read and many, as I have done, will re-read the book more than once.

I only hope she writes a second. I would buy that in an instant.

AFTER READING THIS BOOK...WE KNEW WE HAD TO HAVE THE AUTHOR ON OUR SHOW THE RANDALL REPORT.
THE BOOK TAKES YOU INTO A WORLD OF A WOMEN FINDING HERSELF AND DEPENDING ONLY ON HER SELF TO MAKE CHANGE IN HER LIFE.

THEN ON TOP OF THAT....HER STORY OF SURVIVAL COMING FROM HER OWN MOUTH.......HAD LISTNERS OF THE RANDALL REPORT IN AWE. MORE THAN A HALF A MILLION PEOPLE DOWNLOADED THE SHOW. THAT SHOWS YOU THE POWER OF PASSION FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN.

GOD BLESS THE CHILD WHO HAS GOT HIS OWN.

[...].
BRJ / THE RANDALL REPORT

Ta'Wand Allen opens up her heart to others sharing her story about depression and suicide. This book is a must read for anyone who has been depressed and knows others who have battled with suicidal thoughts. As a matter of fact this book is for everyone.

None of us got an owners manual for our brains or emotions. The information here can help anyone live a much more fulfilling life and raise their self worth.

She conquers a subject that has such a stigma with plenty of resources to empower oneself. Her commitment to help others is heartwarming.

I highly recommend you read this book and share it with love ones and friends.

Dr. Mike Shapiro

Dear Author,

After reading this book I will never be the same. About two years ago, I begin to have depressing thoughts. I would try to block them out, but I soon begin to notice that almost anything I perceived as negative would trigger them.

I was in an abusive relationship that left me with low self-esteem. I had heard of depression, but never in a million years thought I would experience it. My family has no history of mental illness.

To make a long story short. I credit this book with giving me a new outlook on life. As I read some of the passages, I felt as if you were talkign directly to me. There is such a negative stigma attached to depression in this country that I was really afraid to get help. I was wondering what others would say about me..

Reading your powerful story gave me the courage to get help. I am in therapy now, and for once in my life I feel optimistic about my future. I thought noone understood what I was going thru, and then I got a copy of your book. Finally, an easy to read book that is written by an everyday person (like me) who's sole desire is to change one person's life by sharing your powerful personal story of overcoming depression.

It is with tears in my eyes that I write this review and say THANK YOU!THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Everyone needs to read this book-really they do..

"Peace I Ask Of Thee, Oh River" by Lyda Phillips is the story of a young woman named El Campbell who had spent all of her childhood summers at Camp Nichia and who has now become a camp counselor. It's El's assignment to teach new cambers about Nichia's traditions and rituals, contests and classes - everything from how cabins are assigned to how friends are made. It was going to be the perfect capstone to El's life at Camp Nichia - until Tiffin, the troubled daughter of the state's governor, shows up and El's summer of perfection turns into a constant struggle with this very angry and out-of-control young girl. The first place winner of the 2006 Writer's Digest International Self-Published Books Awards in the category of Children's Fiction, "The Peace I Ask Of Thee, Oh River" is a superbly crafted novel which deftly addresses the issue of teenage depression, suicide and bullying. Journalist, novelist and screenwriter, Lyda Phillips is an obviously accomplished writer with a self-evident mastery of the storytelling arts and her novel should be a part of every school and community library collection of YA fiction.

Little Darlings is a very good, coming-of-age movie about teenage girls at summer camp, and Peace I Ask of Thee, Oh River shares many similarities with that movie. The story is presented from the perspective of the camp counselors, who are of high school age, mature enough to deal with some, but not all, the issues presented to them by the girls in their charge. The title derives from a camp song favorite of the girls, but this book for young adult readers is not one that will please overly protective parents. The characters in Ms. Phillip's book are real teenagers that have sex and smoke dope, and their trials and tribulations bring on the real-world angst personified so well in Stephen King's Stand By Me. This is a fascinating tale of teens as they really are. As long as you can read past the misleading title and ho-hum cover, you will find a carefully crafted, realistic story inside that deserves a place on your bookshelf.

Sitting down and reading Peace I Ask of Thee, Oh River took me back to my own summer camp experiences, most of which are good, though a few that I had to endure at a day camp aren't so pleasant. But no matter how distasteful my experiences were, they can't compare with the events that transpire in Peace I Ask of Thee, Oh River.

One of the things that I admire about Lyda Phillips's writing is that she brings out the inevitability of change, for good or bad. And Peace I Ask of Thee,Oh River reflects how events can unravel that forever altar the way a person interacts with the world, an inevitability that we all must accept and endure, no matter how much we'd prefer not to.

Peace I Ask of Thee, Oh River is about El Campbell and her first year as a counselor at a camp she has, up until the time of this story, visited as a camper. Things seem to be going great, and El is looking forward to a summer full of fun and adult antics. That is, until a troubled child named Tiffin shows up. What should have been a summer full of lighthearted cheer slowly tumbles into a nightmare that El wishes she could forget.

The excellent writing style of Lyda Phillips continues to shine through. The story is well told, well crafted, and easy to read. And the only complaint that I can offer up is the short length of the novel. The book seems a bit over priced for 108 pages of story, though there is the option of buying an electronic version of the book.

All in all, I think Peace I Ask of Thee, oh River is worth the price. And it's a book I'll gladly keep on my shelf.

-David Hoffman for Gloomwing Magazine

With this intense and at times disturbing novel, Lyda Phillips once again showcases her talent for voice and bringing characters to life. Certainly the issues it addresses - everything from mental illness to the complexities of friendship to the horrors visited on teenagers given too much responsibility too young - are compelling. These elements are woven in with lighter ones, deftly portrayed without heavy-handedness or sinking into melodrama.

But what really sets this book apart are the people, El and Tiffin in particular. From the first page, they are real. From that first page, you'll keep reading until their story has been told. And when you're done, some of them will haunt you.

Peace I Ask of Thee, Oh River
Lyda Phillips
iUniverse (ISBN: 0595361722, $10.95, Paperback)
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln, Nebraska 68512

With Peace I Ask of Thee, Oh River, Lyda Phillips proves that her recent novel, Mr. Touchdown, was no fluke. As crisp and wise and well-written as Mr. Touchdown, Peace I Ask of Thee also probes disturbing themes, weaving them in and through the comforting rhythms of everyday life.

In fact, the rhythm of life at Camp Nichia is one of the reasons El Campbell had spent all of her childhood summers there. Now that she was finally a counselor, it was her turn to teach new campers about Nichia's traditions and rituals, contests and classes, how cabins were assigned and friends were made... In other words, it was going to be the perfect end-of-childhood summer.

But it wasn't. Something happened, and instead of El changing her young charges' lives, one of them changes hers.

A wealthy, powerful family deposits their troubled daughter, Tiffin, at the camp, and El's summer of perfection turns into an ongoing confrontation with one very angry, very unhappy young girl. It's not just that Tiffin won't cooperate with any of the rituals and traditions - which she won't - it's that she's weird! Really, deeply strange. So sometimes it's easier to just leave her alone. And that's exactly what El and the other girls do. Whenever possible.

Eventually, El's unexamined, adolescent contempt for anybody different gives way to concern for her disturbed young charge. From that point on, she is in a race against time...trying to wake herself up from the soothing comforts of the cozily familiar, and see what is.

Once again, Phillips has given us a strong young voice. Described as a "normal, healthy teenager," El finds herself dealing with things she doesn't understand, doesn't want, and can't ignore. Hers is the heroine's journey -- down, down, into the depths of her own soul; to make sense of madness, to find meaning at the heart of chaos.

And best of all, the author takes us on that journey, without giving up one bit of the fun and romance and silliness and boredom, and the wonder of one's 18th summer. The tastes and sounds and smells of camp... songs and chores... goofy traditions...and the sweetness of a first summer love... Phillips' obvious love of nature, combined with her exceptional gift for description, let us hike and swim and shoot the rapids right along with El and her friends.

This wonderful story, with its fast-moving plot and engaging characters, will be thought-provoking for readers of any age. It tackles such tough topics as mental illness and the cruelty often displayed by groups against individuals it fears, and it does so in a richly detailed, multi-textured world, as vibrantly alive to the reader as it is to El and her fellow campers.


Susan Marya Baronoff
Reviewer

Undeniably the best read I've had in awhile. I couldn't put it down. Darren Greer has become my new "most favorite" author.

I purchased this book over the summer and at first was anxious to read it, but once I actually had time to sit down and read it I kept putting it off. I think the back description turned me off a bit. I thought it might have turned out to be cliche or a "shocker" book, a book that only focuses on shocking the reader. Once I got into the story, however, I couldn't put it down. And once I finished it, Greer's characters and theories stuck in my head. This is definately a book you should consider.

I received this book as a gift. Based on the description on the back, I wasn't sure what to expect. The book was easy to get into, and grew on me the more I read it. I really enjoyed it, and the characters stayed with me after I finished the book. I highly recommend this book!

This is one of the best novels I have read in years. It is utterly original, with something unexpected happening on practically every page. The author has written it in a fully unusual style, with short chapters, sometimes only a sentence or two, stories within stories, and lists. And the ending is terrific. Buy this book. You won't regret it.

Still Life with June is a rare and haunting novel that deserves to be read at least twice.

Stylistically, Still Life is brilliant, juxtaposing textual fragments written in distinctly different voices. Greer achieves ambiguity through calculated precision as his plot and characterization shift between realities.

The text is often confessional, with the protagonist sharing everything from seemingly-insignificant details to the most intimate revelations. The result is a protagonist so realistic that I sometimes forgot he was fictional, feeling implicated by my own voyeuristic presence.

Grafting beauty onto pain, Greer creates a world as enticing as it is disturbing. Intelligent, hilarious and profound, Still Life is a novel to savor.

Dr. Heckler, through his brief quotes of interviews and journals, was able to travel through the REAL LIFE experiences of about 50 people that had attempted suicide and survived. You will see a variety of processes that brought these individuals to the door step of death.

Dr. Heckler is the ONLY person, involved in suicide research, to paint and define the components of the recovery from any attempt. You will see a very wide variety of recovery approaches. I feel the reader, whether a support person of someone who attempted or the attemptee, will gain TONS of insights into ways to start the process of recovery.... Litterly the most difficult task you will ever take on..

Almost every book about suicide focuses on its causes, often chronicling the final descent of its victims. This heartfelt study does something different and long overdue - it examines the lives of "failed" suicides and lets them describe how they emerged from of the seemingly bottomless darkness that nearly claimed them. Harrowing in its depiction of the pain that fills the suicidal mind, deeply moving in its stories of overcoming that pain and living beyond it, this book is an invaluable resource. By the time you turn the last page, hope will be even more tangible to you than despair. A book that should be kept permanently in print.

Having the disorder of depression; and teetering in and out of suicidal thoughts; I went in search of a book which explained what I was going through. After reading several books, I came across this one. THIS IS IT ! It is the ONLY book I have found that "gets it". I have bought 5 copies - one by one - and have loaned them all out to friends and therapists whom I wanted to really understand what I was going through.

This book was almost an obsession....I HAD to keep reading it. It also managed to give me some hope when I didn't think it was possible and wasn't looking for any.

I'd buy a copy to keep for myself, but I can't find one....This one needs to be put back into print ! It may save lives.

After losing my brother to suicide a few months ago, this book was recommended to me to gain an understanding of his mental state before he took his life.

The author, Richard Heckler, articulates the suffering of one who is suicidal with great skill and insight. He also demonstrates a deep and clear understanding of the thought processes of those who have suffered long term and chronic pain, disfunction, and significant trauma.

It was with terrible sorrow that I recognized my lost brother in these pages. It was equally painful to find myself in the accounts shared, but I was not left feeling hopeless. Dr. Heckler diligently presents the hopeful possiblity of relief from such despair.

This is a truly wonderful book, written with profound compassion for those who suffer. I would recommend it to anyone who has survived the death by suicide of a loved one, and to those in pain who seek a deeper understanding of themselves.

A few weeks after a failed attempt at suicide, I found this book when searching for some understanding of suicidal feelings. When I read the stories and the quotes of those who have overcome the tempation, I felt that someone really did understand the way the mind narrows to the point where sucide is the only option. I bought copies for those who were surprised, and hurt, by my attempt. If you battle suicidal urges or want to know what it is like to enter the "vortex", I would reccomend this very helpful book. I thank the author and all he interviewed.

From the description, this almost sounds like a 'between two worlds' type of story...but it's not. It's a grim-visaged man just shy of thirty years of age in 1977 looking at the college kids of that time...musing how they'd never subject their brightly colored outfits and neatly styled hairdo's to the nightstick like his brothers and sisters had done in 1970. "Another circle completed," he sighs. "WE are now the noisy elders acting out of sexual frustration." Through his remembrance of a fascinating young woman, with whom his protagonist had hitchhiked the highways of the American west, and the tragedy of her death, Mundell takes us on an emotionally charged fast-paced visual journey through police roadblocks, redneck cafes, semi sleeper compartments, student ghetto households, a carload of revolutionaries,streets full of dying speed freaks, rancid clouds of teargas, counterculture soup kitchens and many other authentic locales of the polarized, confrontational America of 1970. In less than three hundred pages is presented the full tragic, triumphal vista of a generation cut loose from its social moorings... and mores. The wondering, wandering protagonist provides the perfect medium for the reader to assimilate this scene, and draw one's own conclusions, yet the emotion pouring forth from the authentic characters of the counterculture he meets in his wandering cannot fail to grip the reader as well. I'm biased, of course, since the people Mundell introduces in the story were MY brothers and sisters in those long-gone but never to be forgotten days, just like the characters in the Duncan and Cassell books were, but I've read it three times in its brief lifespan since publication and have never failed to break down in tears at the end. Whether you've got a plane ride coming up or just a few hours at the end of another busy day, An Aquarian Tragedy is a worthwhile addition to the briefcase, the suitcase or the bookshelf!

I spent the period of 'An Aquarian Tragedy' in my native Ireland, (with a European road trip thrown in there somewhere). The happenings of the late sixties and early seventies in the United States were just short sequences of images on a TV screen or a blurred photograph in the local newspapers. James Mundell has managed to bring that era in the US into sharp, almost painful, focus.
Gerry Prentice has all of the savvy of a seasoned traveler ... and all the naivete of a love sick thirteen year old. That such a character is utterly believable is testament to Mundell's talent.
"An Aquarian Tragedy' is a compelling study of an age that changed the country...and one young man's journey through it. So descriptive that you will feel the cold, experience the hunger and suffer the pains of forlorn love right along with Mr. Prentice as he moves inexorably to an ending that is both shocking and uplifting.
Five stars, becaue it deserves them.

This young man is four years older than me at the time of the adventures he flashes back to while on the plane to Albuquerque. I can FEEL his hunger...for food...sometimes for just a kind word from the woman that for reasons known but to him he has come to love. As far as I'm concerned there is more tragedy to the story than its stunning and highly emotional [for me anyway] outcome. His REAL love is right there with him all the time...she faces all the dangers of a very hostile road with him and they are such a team. Who wouldn't want a girlfriend like that? Yet he remains so devoted to Serena. And she remains so committed to Brent. This book gave me a very different insight into what the so-called Age of Aquarius was really like than we get in history books or in most accounts I've read. The anatomy of the Berkeley riot at the time of the moratorium was very interesting... in a disturbing way. The book calls up very deep emotion and seems to me it had to be true to be described so well. I read it all in one sitting. I found myself wishing the protagonist had gone on to the seminary, like he asks himself in his despair. Anyone interested in those times should read this...and discuss it on the Amazon forum.

From the description, this almost sounds like a 'between two worlds' type of story...but it's not. It's a grim-visaged man just shy of thirty years of age in 1977 looking at the college kids of that time...musing how they'd never subject their brightly colored outfits and neatly styled hairdo's to the nightstick like his brothers and sisters had done in 1970. "Another circle completed," he sighs. "WE are now the noisy elders acting out of sexual frustration." Through his remembrance of a fascinating young woman, with whom his protagonist had hitchhiked the highways of the American west, and the tragedy of her death, Mundell takes us on an emotionally charged fast-paced visual journey through police roadblocks, redneck cafes, semi sleeper compartments, student ghetto households, a carload of revolutionaries,streets full of dying speed freaks, rancid clouds of teargas, counterculture soup kitchens and many other authentic locales of the polarized, confrontational America of 1970. In less than three hundred pages is presented the full tragic, triumphal vista of a generation cut loose from its social moorings... and mores. The wondering, wandering protagonist provides the perfect medium for the reader to assimilate this scene, and draw one's own conclusions, yet the emotion pouring forth from the authentic characters of the counterculture he meets in his wandering cannot fail to grip the reader as well. I'm biased, of course, since the people Mundell introduces in the story were MY brothers and sisters in those long-gone but never to be forgotten days, just like the characters in the Duncan and Cassell books were, but I've read it three times in its brief lifespan since publication and have never failed to break down in tears at the end. Whether you've got a plane ride coming up or just a few hours at the end of another busy day, An Aquarian Tragedy is a worthwhile addition to the briefcase, the suitcase or the bookshelf! M. V. Dooley

This all too brief book is so immediate and lucid that you feel you know all the characters and places personally. The story runs headlong across the lives of young people living their dreams and heartache in America in the 60's. It lets you enter the lives of the characters so completely that you feel that you have travelled the same life's journey that they have travelled and you feel enriched thereby.