For people with bi-polar disease, this book seems to be a lot of things - maddening, frustrating, spot-on, a travesty, a manifesto. For those of us who love people who are bi-polar, This book is a must read - a rare ( dynamically thought provoking) chance to understand the hypomania, mania, and depression our friends and family members go through. I can never fully understand the condition, but I'm much better equipped to empathize, thanks to Jamison's book and mindset is considered: funny, smart, and honest-to-the-bone prose.
Jamison, it seems, never set out to write an argument for any particular treatment of bi-polarism. She is not a case study - she's a specific, individual person, and she views herself with extreme perception and self-criticism. She doesn't back away from the horror of mania, but she isn't afraid to express the beauty and seductive nature of hypomania (seductive to both the victim and the people who surround her, it seems), which is so valuable to readers who do not suffer from bi-polarism.
"An Unquiet Mind" is a rare find - a book that explains the unexplainable, that allows the reader to empathize and understand. Because Jamison doesn't try to analyze a "typical" bi-polar patient, only herself, many victims of bi-polar disease will see some significant differences with their experiences (just read some of the reader reviews). For those of us love people with bi-polarism, the book gives us the tools to empathize, and love them all the more.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679763309?ie=UTF8&tag=myfix2rehab-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0679763309"
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