Manic: A Memoir Used Books New.|
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| ♥♥♥♥♥ | Best book on bipolar illness I've read |
| Another reviewer, who did not enjoy this book, asked if anyone who is actually bipolar had really liked it. Definitely! I have been diagnosed since I was 19 and have read, over the past three decades, a large number of books by doctors, therapists and, increasingly lately, patients. This one is by far the best and the most fascinating of any of the books so far.
The main thing that sets it apart is it's very well-written. It almost seems like a novel at times, though of course it's even more interesting because it's true. And yes, I do believe the strange anecdotes that Cheney retells are true. Mania can be quite an adventure. Depression can be quite a nightmare. Telling her story in episode form, and without regard to time sequence, was a good decision. There is no need to tell this kind of tale in a standard chronological format, like a regular autobiography. What is interesting are the individual episodes, the high points and low points, and I liked the way the book jumped around to different parts of her life. It was not confusing at all. I read the book in three days and was compelled to keep returning to it. Many of her experiences matched my own, especially dealing with bipolar illness on the job, hypersexuality, and clashes with insensitive and sometimes brutal police officers who have no training to know how to handle manics. This book simply hit a more responsive chord with me than any other memoir of this type that I have read. I kept thinking, "The same thing happened to me!" She has a sense of humor, even about horrible memories. Plus, her intense honesty is captivating and unrelenting. She seems to hold nothing back, laying bare the details of her life even though they are painful, strange and sometimes embarrassing. You have to give her credit for opening up about all these events and feelings for the world to see. I am not sure I could. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has the disorder, their friends and families, and everyone else who wants to understand what it really feels like to have this illness. All in all, it's a sad book because it describes her many struggles and disappointments, but it also is hopeful and encouraging, because she has lived on and triumphed. She is now helping many, many people. That is an accomplishment indeed, and a truer one than anything she could have accomplished as an entertainment lawyer. |
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