Background
Ron Powers, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, novelist, and non-fiction writer. He also lost a son to suicide and almost lost the other. Both were impacted with mental illness. This book documents their family’s journey through the events and brought them through to today. It also gives a history of mental illness in America and the policies and politics shaping how we react to them.
My Comments
Mr. Powers is a great writer. His style is engaging and his story telling is first rate. I empathize with his plight and, as a father of 4, I can’t imagine losing one of my precious kids.
That said, I didn’t enjoy this book. I put it aside a number of times because it would upset me. Part of my being upset was at the system in general as Mr. Powers intended but, only part… It is my belief he gave a one sided Micheal Moore style view of so many things. So much rhetoric… He ran the gamut of what is wrong without giving much in the way of what could be right.
To declare my bias, I have worked in the mental health industry. I hold a BS in sociology with a minor in psychology and my studies were with criminality and deviance. From my experience, there is so much more to the issue than this book presented. Mr. Powers paints with a very broad brush and dismisses nearly everyone with whom he doesn’t agree.
Recommendations
I wouldn’t recommend this book. While there is some value in understanding his families plight, I think the book was cathartic for Mr. Powers. I can’t recommend it.