Rating: 
Summary: Darkness described
Review: If you seek a book on depression, you are probably looking for clinical texts written by people in the health professions. You may hardly expect this slim book by novelist William Styron--a memoir, but also a literary self-analysis regarding his condition. DARKNESS VISIBLE is a revealing and engaging look into the life of a particular man who suffers this disease. Although I can only imagine how a victim of depression would respond to such a book, I would suppose it would offer something like companionship or camaraderie with someone who has experienced what they feel others can't understand, as well as a glimmer of hope if read to the end. As a reader not afflicted with depression, the book was a story that illustrated his philosophical dilemmas, agonizing psychological pain, and his experiences in a personal and thoughtful way. If it was not as entertaining as the novels of his that I have read, I'm certain it wasn't meant to be. But if you suffer from depression, treat people who suffer from depression, or are just interested in the affliction, you might be interested in reading about Styron's attempts to grapple with and understand this often fatal disease that strikes so many people.
Rating: 
Summary: Short and sweet
Review: My one-line summary is a cliche, of course, but entirely appropriate; after all, if fatigue is but one of depression's many demons, what person suffering from this affliction is going to have the energy to read a lot? (Darkness Visible is, fortunately, about eighty pages long. I think it's great fortune that the book is short.) I think it's important that this book was written by an author of the same stature as famous writers who did take their lives. The difference is that Styron came out on the other side of this malady, saw it for what it was. At times he makes remarkable observations on depression, worthy of a clinician in a psychiatric hospital; for example, when he writes sentences such as, The physical symptoms of this affliction trick the mind into thinking that the situation is beyond hope. As with many, Styron's physical predisposition to depression (a), led to (b) feelings of despair, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts, which further fed the symptoms and perpetuated the disease. This literary work helps dispel the idea that depression is "fashionable" and that suicide among the literati is "cool." His "no holds barred" discussion honors those who fight this affliction. (By the way, the title is from John Milton's epic "Paradise Lost," "darkness visible" is one of many ways Milton described the Hell into which Satan and his demons were tossed.)
Rating: 
Summary: moving essay on suicidal depression
Review: If you have never experienced depression - or have not learned what tools there are to cope with it - this is as good a place as any to begin to find out about it. Late in a successful life with a happy family, Styron was afflicted with a serious depression and nearly killed himself. He describes it with such anxious clarity that it is almost unbearable to read if you or someone close to you has suffered like this. He recovers, of course. What is lacking in his story is a clear understanding of what it may have meant - why he became so depressed at that time in his life. Instead, it is viewed more as an illness that attacked him from the outside, though he does acknowledge some personal issues obliquely. And a large part of his cure is finding the right kind of medication, with talking therapy as an adjunct. This was disappointing to me, as I think that there must have been issues that meant something throughout his life and in the immediate circumstances that set it off. Instead, it appears we are to believe it is more genetic than environmental. Perhaps it is, but I would have preferrred more introspection and as such felt this was superficial. However, this is my bias. Recommended as a starting point.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting protrayal of the horrors of depression
Review: William Styron has written an incredibly interesting book, although at times it was hard to truly feel the despair he was obviously feeling because the reader is not allowed far enough into the author's mind. (I recently read a wonderful book entitled "The Music of Madness" where the author not only talks about her deep depression but lets you directly into her conscious thoughts so that the reader can truly experience the horrors of depression). I wish Mr. Styron's book had focused more on his own inner thought processes. There is a great deal of focus on his friends and other rescuers that surrounded him and he was fortunate to have such a wonderful support system, but to truly experience the horrors of depression, one must be led into the dark recesses of the tormented mind itself. This book is brave in its honesty however and to share something so personal in such a public way is a tribute to the author's strength of will. In the final analysis this book is definitely worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Bullseye !
Review: This is the best description of what it is like to suffer depression I have ever read. I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, and related to SO many of the authors problems. I was in a hospital for 3 weeks, outpatient for 4 1/2 and am still on partial disability. My wife is now reading the book so she can get at least some idea of what this is like. This really hit home,and I feel it is a must read for every sufferer of depression, and just as importantly, the key people in their lives.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling story of depression and recovery
Review: "Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness" is an autobiographical work in which distinguished novelist William Styron recalls his battle with clinical depression. A lean 84 pages, this is a straightforward and eloquent book. In an author's note, Styron explains that this book started out as a lecture given at a symposium sponsored by the Department of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The lecture was developed into a "Vanity Fair" essay before ultimately becoming this book. Styron describes depression as "an insidious meltdown" of the mind, a "tempest in my brain." He reflects on the depression and suicide of other individuals whose lives had touched his. He describes in detail his own struggle with suicidal thoughts. Also covered are the medications he took, as well as his hospitalization and therapy. Styron's book is both a fine piece of literature and a very informative window into a particular mental illness. Styron has been in the pit of despair, but has survived; I commend him for his courage and candor in sharing his experience in "Darkness Visible." Recommended companion text: Audre Lorde's "The Cancer Journals," about a poet's battle with breast cancer.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing story
Review: This is not a big book (like "Sophie's Choice" or "Nat Turner") but it is nevertheless packed to the hilt with riveting reading. For those who don't know, Styron was sticken with depression late in life. This is amazing and disturbing on so many levels in that he was successful, had lived through just about everything a person is expected to live through, and as an author, evidently had the insight and hindsight to "know" who he was, where he had been, and where he was going. And it is for this reason that the book was so disturbing to me: The fact that depression can strike anyone, anytime, anywhere. One would think that if it hasn't raised its ugly head by your teen years, that you'd be immune. Not so, and this is what makes "Darkness Visible" so haunting. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has ever been depressed, or knows someone who has suffered with this illness. And even if you haven't, you'll find it a riveting read. Also recommended: PRINCE OF TIDES and Jackson McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD
Rating:
Summary: Into the dark
Review: In this slim volume, William Styron documents his descent into near-suicidal depression and his eventual recovery to something near normalcy. He eloquently describes his condition, and discusses some things about depression and how it's sometimes different for each individual. By telling of his journey, he offers a sense of hope through the depths of depression. I do wish this book were longer, if only to hear more about his battle and to see more clearly the path he walked.
Rating:
Summary: A ticket to travel
Review: to the depths of the most dark part of the human spirit.
As in La Divina Comedia, you can feel like Dante, guided by the most bright mind and the more sensitive spirit in our times...
The Most Terrible Mind Disease.. That is Depression: Those who have not felt it can`t understand the heinous pain that can drive a person to end his/her life.
But this man can show it in his book... If you have the talent and the sensibility to watch... fasten your seat belt to life, because you are going for a visit in hell
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I was expecting
Review: I was very disappointed in this book. It was not at all what I was anticipating. Not that is necessarily a bad book, but it was not what I had in mind. It seemed to plod along and wind around. It didn't seem to me to be a clear narrative of his problem. Plus, I thought it would be more hopeful. It was instead very very sad.
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