an unquiet mind a memoir of moods and madness

Jamison has] a novelist’s openness of phrase and talent for bringing character alive.” “Fast-paced, startlingly honest and frequently lyrical. A courageous and fascinating book, a moving account of the life of a remarkable woman.” “Rises to the poetic and has a mystical touch. Cuts through the dead jargon and detached observations of psychiatric theory and practice to create a fiery, passionate, authentic account of the devastation and exaltation, the blindness and illumination of the psychotic experience.” A vibrant and engaging account of the life, love and experience of a woman, a therapist, an academic, and a patient.” The combination of the intensity of her personal life and the intellectual rigor of her professional experience make the book unique. Pat Conroy, author of The Prince of Tides Powerfully written, it is a wonderful and important account of mercurial moods and madness. exquisite (in both a literary and medical sense) autobiography. An Unquiet Mind may well become a classic. I devoured it at a single sitting and found the book almost as compelling on a second read. What comes through is a remarkably whole person with the grit to defeat her disease.” brings us inside the disease and helps us understand manic depression. “In a most intimate and powerful telling, Jamison weaves the personal and professional threads of her life together. Watson, Nobel laureate and author of The Double Helix “A riveting portrayal of a courageous brain alternating between exhilarating highs and numbing lows.” “Brave, insightful, richly textured and chillingly authentic.” Jamison’s literary coming-out is a mark of courage.”

a rare and insightful view of mental illness from inside the mind of a trained specialist.” “Written with poetic and moving sensitivity.

William Safire, The New York Times Magazine

“The most emotionally moving book I’ve ever read about the emotions.” To do this in loving memory of a partner is tribute indeed.' To write the truth with such passion and grace is remarkable enough. 'The great gift Jamison offers here, beyond her honesty and the beauty of her writing, is perspective: a cleared-eyed view of illness and death, sanity and insanity, love and grief. “Jamison’s is in the gutsy way she has made her disease her life’s work and in her brilliant ability to convey its joys and its anguish. “Stands alone in the literature of manic-depression for its bravery, brilliance and beauty.” at times poetic, at times straightforward, always unashamedly honest.” “An invaluable memoir of manic depression, at once medically knowledgeable, deeply human and beautifully written.

An unquiet mind a memoir of moods and madness