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A review by natsirt_esq
No One Cares about Crazy People: The Chaos and Heartbreak of Mental Health in America by Ron Powers
3.0
The title of this book comes from an aide to Scott Walker.
The author had two sons, both developed schizophrenia. He tells both the history of mental health diagnosis and treatment, and the history of his son's diagnosis, treatment, and for one of them, ultimate suicide.
For awhile the book alternates chapters between history in general, and family stories. I did not find the family stories particularly interesting. Towards the middle of the book the stories about his sons are barely restrained bragging. Either Powers' sons were both amazing musicians, or he's the annoying father who has to tell you all about his kids. I suspect in this case it's somewhere in the middle. Either way, these passages are boring. It becomes a combination of "feel sorry for me, I've suffered," "my kids were the best," and "what went wrong? Could I have done something different?" The descriptions of the kids music is particularly difficult to slog through.
Ultimately I think the author wrote this book for himself as a sort of catharsis. I'm sure that in so doing he helped heal some wounds. I'm sure he had some demons he needed to work through, and I suspect this helped him remember better times with his sons. It just didn't make for a good book for the general public. I applaud him for his dedication to improving mental health treatment in this country. He has certainly raised awareness on the issue with this book. (Even if you don't read it, just seeing the title helps.)
The author had two sons, both developed schizophrenia. He tells both the history of mental health diagnosis and treatment, and the history of his son's diagnosis, treatment, and for one of them, ultimate suicide.
For awhile the book alternates chapters between history in general, and family stories. I did not find the family stories particularly interesting. Towards the middle of the book the stories about his sons are barely restrained bragging. Either Powers' sons were both amazing musicians, or he's the annoying father who has to tell you all about his kids. I suspect in this case it's somewhere in the middle. Either way, these passages are boring. It becomes a combination of "feel sorry for me, I've suffered," "my kids were the best," and "what went wrong? Could I have done something different?" The descriptions of the kids music is particularly difficult to slog through.
Ultimately I think the author wrote this book for himself as a sort of catharsis. I'm sure that in so doing he helped heal some wounds. I'm sure he had some demons he needed to work through, and I suspect this helped him remember better times with his sons. It just didn't make for a good book for the general public. I applaud him for his dedication to improving mental health treatment in this country. He has certainly raised awareness on the issue with this book. (Even if you don't read it, just seeing the title helps.)