NO ONE CARES ABOUT CRAZY PEOPLE:
My Family and the Heartbreak of Mental Illness in America
By Ron Powers
I believe this book originally came into my to-read list after seeing it in a list of books to-read. A back and forth narration between one family’s horrific battles with mental illness, specifically schizophrenia, and the history of mental health treatment (or lack thereof) in America.
This was a tough read. Not in the writing, but in the content. While powers does infuse glimpses of joy, happiness and hope through the story of his family, by reading this you are brought completely face to face with the reality that mental illness, in its almost innumerable forms, is very present and many times, very detrimental.
Despite seemingly strong advances in treatment and advocacy, there still exists a strong stigma and social out casting/ignorance of those among us who suffer from such diseases.
Below I have included a quote from the NYT book review that exactly pinpoints the potential and ability for change that this book can hold in our modern society.
This isn’t light reading and will most likely work up the emotions, but I highly recommend for anyone who is interested in learning about mental health in America.
“No doubt if everyone were to read this book, the world would change. But its clumsy title (taken from a stunningly cruel offhand remark by one of Scott Walker’s staffers) is painfully correct. The mentally ill are still viewed with fear or suspicion, as broken, as damaged goods or objects of pity. Still, Powers will surely help to correct that perspective; it’s impossible to read his book without being overcome by empathy for his family, respect for his two beleaguered boys and, by the end, faith in the resilience of the human heart” – Ron Suskind, April 4, 2017, New York Times Book Review
Link to the NYT Review Article
Amazon Link to the book
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