Book Description
In this remarkable collection, 22 writers describe suicidal despair or mania-or coming to terms with a generational legacy of mental illness. Into Sanity includes personal essays by contributors from all over the United States and a preface by Mark Vonnegut, who judged the contest at Talking Writing magazine that sparked these true stories.The media has paid more attention to suicide risks and depression in recent years, especially after the death of well-loved celebrities. And yet, mental illness remains misunderstood. Into Sanity offers the lived reality. These writers underscore why the stigma makes mental illness so hard to talk about-and why it takes courage to speak up.You'll find intelligence, beauty, compassion, even comic flashes in these pages. You'll find love. People recover, but they still feel fragile, getting necessary support from doctors, ministers, family, and friends. Into Sanity delves into the flip sides of mental illness and health, shaking up the received wisdom like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope.- From the Introduction by Martha NicholsWriting has a revelatory purpose and a therapeutic effect. It raises writers up and out of the muck.- From the Preface by Mark Vonnegut
