Rating: 
Summary: A major triumph for those living with bi-polar disorder.
Review: Anyone skeptical that there is such a thing as bi-polar disorder will have no choice but to believe in it after reading this book. "Touched With Fire" is not filled with the technical jargon that deters many readers away from medical books. Instead, Redfield shows off her desciptive writing skills. What I most admire is that she really put her career on the line by admitting her own illness. Luckily, by doing so, she has not only established herself as a defender of the mentally ill, but by writing such a first rate memoir, I'm sure her collegues have grown to respect her even more. In all, one of the best books I've read this year.
Rating:
Summary: A wondrously frightening story of a courageous life
Review: Dr. Jamison conveys her story so eloquently, not flinching at the difficult aspects and with a beautiful candor, tells of an illness with which she must always live, and control. Her words comforted me, freed me from isolation of my own illness and inspired me to gain the most knowledge of this unpredictable illness.
Rating:
Summary: A soul-binding experience that is infectuous.
Review: "An Unquiet Mind" is immeasurably enlightening, inspirationally thought provoking, exquisitely poetic, and above all reveals the inner soul's pure emotions, providing a window of opportunity to express a life that is blinded to others who don't suffer from manic-depression, and also to those who have so courageously unveiled the darkness, revealing an infectuous stream of light that so heart warmingly guides others into a ray of hope, love, comfort, and unity. It has truly touched my soul in crevices so deeply hidden, and at one point, thought non-existent. Kaye Redfield Jamison is a blessing to society and has brought tears of joy and love for her courage and determination. I would be eternally grateful to meet such an exceptional person such as her, a rare being once thought to be extinct.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Books I've Ever Read
Review: I found Unquiet Mind to be an incredibly well-written memoir of life with a serious mood disorder. This book has been a source of inspiration and encouragement to me. I was thrilled to read the life-story of a female scientist who has managed to make such impressive contributions to her field while managing a life-threatening illness. I am also inspired by the author's erudition and eloquence. Some people have raised doubts about whether Kay Jamison wrote her own memoirs. If the other accomplisments chronicled in Unquiet Mind are to be believed, I see no reason to suspect that writing such a volume would be beyond her. I believe that this book will become a classic. This memoir reads like a well-crafted novel but still manages to impart a great deal of scientific and experiential information about bipolar illness. Unquiet Mind is unusual because the author is a world-famous expert on bipolar disorder as well a bipolar patient. Her work should earn her a place next to such famous medical essayists as Oliver Sacks, Sherwin Nuland and Lewis Thomas.
Rating:
Summary: Helped me understand my mother
Review: Even after living with a manic-depressive mother for twelve years, I never fully understood how much people with this disease suffer until I read Dr. Jamison's book. It made me weep to realize how often I've accused my mother of using her illness as an excuse only to see so many descriptions of her behavior and emotions written by a complete stranger. The combination of Dr. Jamison's clinical expertise and personal struggle lead to an understanding of manic depressive illness that I have never seen paralleled.
Rating: 
Summary: A personal account; good supplementary reading.
Review: If you enjoy memoirs and want to read a reflective account of life with the illness, this is not a bad choice. Dr. Redfield Jamison's style is literate, though a bit dry. Imagine, if you will, a book written by X-Files agent Dana Scully if the paranormal were inside her head, not outside.
Rating:
Summary: The best I've read on the subject.
Review: After reading the wonderful comments made by other readers, what more can I say? As a bipolar person myself, she gave me hope. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant,provocative,courageous
Review: From the moment I started reading this book,I knew I had found a treasure.As one who has suffered long and without ever knowing until recently,why,I found myself crying with joy,because it was there in black&white! I wasn`t alone! Someone else was,and had felt the same things!!Thank God she was also gifted enough to be able to share with those of us less talented!!!A must read for anyone,for at one time or other,we have all been affected by someone who is afflicted.I must now read her other book,I can hardly wait!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Crucial for Understanding Bipolar
Review: I picked up a copy of this book at an airport bookstore on my way to a job interview. I typically never read autobiographies or memoirs, but the title of this "An Unquiet Mind" resonated so perfectly with the type of hypomania that I experience. I had just been diagnosed and was (am still) dealing with the stigma, questioning, repercussions, misunderstandings, explanations, etc. This book, written by an authority with both clinical and personal knowledge of manic depression, gave me a better understanding of my own condition, as well as the means to educate others (friends, family) who can't grasp that what they thought was me is actually my illness. Jamison's is the best book I have found to date that can provide insight into the lived experience of both mania and depression. I recommend it to anyone in the field of mental health, as well as to those of us diagnosed bipolar and our families and friends. This is definitely crucial reading to develop an understanding of this devastating disorder.
Rating:
Summary: A courageous and inspiring view from the inside of illness
Review: Many of my patients suffer from manic depression; I have recommended this book to them all. Most have been immensely relieved that a professional in the field seems likely to be able to understand what they've been through. Some have been angered by the book, a response that really surprised me at first. On exploring these reactions further, they often seemed to have come from the near homeless sufferers who find it hard to believe that a "doctor who still has a job" could really "get it." I can only say that I took one of the most skeptical of these with me to a lecture by Dr. Jamison; he was totally converted by the evident humility and caring she showed in person as well as in this book. Some envy celebrities and rant against the revelations of illness, abuse, and addiction that become public; I am so grateful to such heroic persons for the self-disclosure that educates and inspires the rest of us. These brave souls may never know how many persons they have touched and given hope to; those of us who care for the sufferers hear about it every day. I am grateful to Dr. Jamison (and to all the others) and commend without reservation this book to sufferers, their families, and all care providers who wish to see a colleague's courage in action and one way that compassion is formed.
|
