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lmreboy's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was a wonderful read - a mix of personal experience(s) and well researched information. Solomon was a writer/journalist at the time he published this book; he got his PhD in Clinical Psych much later. I've always enjoyed hearing him on NPR programs and I love the way he writes. For those looking for a more traditional "text" on depression, this is not your ticket. For those seeking an immensely engaging prose-style narrative about an enigmatic, long-time human experience, I highly recommend it. (Note:There is a newer edition than this; I got the book from our Library so I read what was available).
melissacushman's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
janasf26's review against another edition
4.0
Solomon is a solid writer (although this one isn't as impressive as Far From the Tree) and this chronicle of depression is an interweaving of his own experiences with serious depression, interviews with others, and research. I especially appreciated his look into how other cultures around the world think about and address depression.
annamoss's review against another edition
5.0
Solomon may be my favorite nonfiction author. He write both beautifully and clearly, thoughtfully and intelligently. I especially love how he treats his subjects with kindness and honesty and all in the context of his own humility.
Here, he shares his own experience with depressions, the experiences of several other people he has interviewed, the history of depression, various treatments, the politics and insurance, and the social implications. Bonus points because he acknowledges the interaction/intersection of race and poverty with depression.
Here, he shares his own experience with depressions, the experiences of several other people he has interviewed, the history of depression, various treatments, the politics and insurance, and the social implications. Bonus points because he acknowledges the interaction/intersection of race and poverty with depression.
yarnyoldkim's review against another edition
Compelling interesting but after a while I just couldn't read it anymore.
babetronically's review against another edition
5.0
Very curious about developments, evolution of depression, treatment, etc since the writing of this book.
celestelipkes's review against another edition
4.0
It is with great relief that I finally finished this book. In addition to its monstrous length, both the timing of my reading and the content between the book's covers made completing it difficult. But! I am glad I did. Though I found the second half of the book more compelling than the first, often grew annoyed at Solomon for not better curating his interviews (huge walls of quotations are common), and wished he had directly addressed more issues of psychiatric ethics, I do think a lot of this book is masterful and important. Though I dog-eared many pages, I think the section that struck me most was an interview at the beginning of the book with a woman who set up a refuge camp for orphans and depressed women in Khmer Rouge. She describes the process of rehabilitating women who, though they survived war, would now likely die from their depression and incapacitating PTSD. She distracts them with music, teaches them to work, and encourages community. The key to overcoming, she says, is knowing "these three skills--forgetting, working, and loving." In writing this book about his own depression, the depression of others, and the tangled issues of depression at large, I think Solomon allows himself to remember his own suffering in order to forget it. And, as he says at the end, "is that not a rare joy?"