Rating: 
Summary: HONEST, ENTERTAINING AND RIVETING
Review: From the moment I picked up "Electroboy," I just couldn't put it down! I think I raced through the book in less than five hours - - reading it was certainly a parallel to the author's "manic ride."I have known several people suffering from manic depression, but never have I fully understood the intensity of this illness nor has it ever been more described for me so clearly. I really appreciated the author's candor about his own illness and found it to be a truly courageous work. I would recommend "Electroboy" for anybody interested in learning more about mental illness. Otherwise, it's a fantastic read and it's my favorite book in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: It made me accept myself...
Review: From the perspective of having suffered with manic-depressive illness for twenty-seven years I had great interest in reading, Electroboy: A Memior of Mania. I had read every autobiographical account that I could get my hands on. No other work that I had read affected me as deeply as Andy Behrman's book.
I devoured Electroboy in four hours. I became hypo-manic when I read it. Other accounts of the disease that I have read DESCRIBE the mood swings that one experiences having the disease, Andy Behrman makes you FEEL his highs and lows along with him. Andy Behrman's brutal honesty about his manic behaviors helped me to understand my own. I know longer feel the shame that I once felt and have achieved a self accetance that I never had before through his writing. My whole life I felt that I was speaking a language that no one understood. After reading Electroboy I felt understood. Andy Behrman understood me. The best part that a family member read the book and told me that after reading Electroboy she finally understood my illness after all these years. That understanding is a major accomplishment for which I would like to thank Andy Behrman for. When I got to the last chapter entitled Bodega Roses I did not know that it was the last. But through his words I sensed it and cried. I cried because it was over and I did not want it to end. In summary Andy Behrman's writing style is quick-witted and heart warming. It is a memior that in my eyes is the anthem for those who suffer from this serious disease and a helpful tool for family, friends and loved ones who live with those afflicted.
Rating:
Summary: INSIDE THE BRAIN OF A MANIC DEPRESSIVE
Review: From the very first pages of "Electroboy," you are thrown into the mind of the manic depressive - - his obsessions, neuroses, and rapid mood changes. The author is a man utterly at the mercy of his impulses, whether it be food, drugs, alcohol, money, sex or spending - - and you're forced to keep up with him at this rapid rate as he flies from New York to Tokyo to Paris and back in four days, voraciously devouring everything around him. This is a manic depressive who tries to live an entire lifetime in one day, and finally he comes down crashing from his euphoric high. It's a raw and gritty story and quite frightening, but it's extremely honest and a great read.
Rating: 
Summary: Totally Sensationalized
Review: Here is the itinerary for ELECTROBOY: Prologue, my relatively normal childhood, college, going insane in college, wasting lots of money out of college, some porn, attempts to produce an amateur film (which pans), therapy, job at Versace, meet male escorts, get job as stripper/hustler, move in with girlfriend, get job at sister's PR agency, some more therapy, more sex, and a job making deals for a prominent, industrial artist--Brace yourself, that's only the first 100 pages. From there on it is a wild ride describing Mr. Behrman's forgery schemes which make him a felon and send him to jail for five months, his diagnosis of manic-depression, the impulsivity which characterizes this disorder, and finally, after many attempts at medication, undergoing electroshock therapy, and then stabilization. While the book itself was by no-means dull, I have numerous criticisms of it. First of all, there was very little information about bipolar disorder. In fact, the only factual information I can recall was about the four theories on how electroconvulsive therapy can treat mental disorders. I know Mr. Behrman wanted his memoir to be "cool" rather than dry and factual, but he could have worked some facts into the narrative. Second of all, I found myself dissatisfied with a completely sensationalized telling of Mr. Behrman's life. Roughly half the book is taken up with pornography and bizarre sexual situations. I don't mind explicit sex but there was so much of it and if I had wanted to read a book about a post-college student's freaky sex life, I would have picked one entitled just that. It seems like Mr. Behrman was trying to "hide" his story under the respectable guise of a psychological illness, when really, he just fills it with details of sex, drugs, parties, and spending binges. Even the electroshock which supposedly saved him seems meant to be outlandish. The title "Electroboy" seems to be shouting "Look at me, look how crazy I am. I needed shock treatment!" Lastly, I feel that the reason why the manic-depression got so bad was because the author did not take treating his illness seriously. He quits taking various medications because they lower his sex-drive. Given his sexual impulsivity, I would think this would be a GOOD THING for him! I certainly wouldn't consider it a priority at a point where the man was psychotic! Overall, this just did not seem like a quality-book. The writing was okay, did well enough to carry the story. But I can't give this book better reviews for its writing style alone. Andy Behrman lacked the humor of Elizabeth Wurtzel or the poignancy of Susanna Kaysen. If you want a freaky, totally-out-there tome with some manic depression thrown in as a bonus, then read this. If you're looking for a memoir of a person with a crippling illness, read something else.
Rating: 
Summary: FRIGHTENING RAW, HONEST AND ACCURATE
Review: I also suffer from bipolar disorder, as does Andy Behrman, the author of "Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania." Never have I read a more brutally honest account, albeit raw, of this illness that ravages millions of Americans (including both my brother and sister). I've read accounts of mental illness by Kay Refield Jamison and Elizabeth Wurtzel, but I've just never been this moved and frightening reminded of the intricacies of my illness. Although Behrman's account seems to highlight an extreme case of manic depression, I really felt like I was taken along for the roller coaster ride of my own life. I became caught up in the frenzy of his mania - - the shopping sprees, the promiscuity and the psychosis. Although "Electroboy" is technically a memoir, fellow sufferers of the illness (or any other mental illness) will learn quite a bit from this account (as will mental health professionals). It's a must read - - highly informative, captivating and entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: FRIGHTENINGLY RAW, HONEST AND ACCURATE
Review: I also suffer from bipolar disorder, as does Andy Behrman, the author of "Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania." Never have I read a more brutally honest account, albeit raw, of this illness that ravages millions of Americans (including both my brother and sister). I've read accounts of mental illness by Kay Refield Jamison and Elizabeth Wurtzel, but I've just never been this moved and frightening reminded of the intricacies of my illness. Although Behrman's account seems to highlight an extreme case of manic depression, I really felt like I was taken along for the roller coaster ride of my own life. I became caught up in the frenzy of his mania - - the shopping sprees, the promiscuity and the psychosis. Although "Electroboy" is technically a memoir, fellow sufferers of the illness (or any other mental illness) will learn quite a bit from this account (as will mental health professionals). It's a must read - - highly informative, captivating and entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Can be enjoyed from either an insider's or outsider's view
Review: I enjoyed this book from an outsider's point of view (I don't have BP) and I felt like it was a tremendously revealing look into the mind of a manic-depressive. Probably the life Jack Kerouac would have led, had he been young in the 1990's and been born into a well off family. The author teeters on the brink of self destruction throughout most of the book but always seems to eek it out, along the lines of Catch Me if You Can. If you have no sympathy for the burden of mental illness, then this is definitely not the book for you but if you'd like incite into this world, you'll love it.
Rating:
Summary: Can be enjoyed from either an insider's or outsider's view
Review: I enjoyed this book from an outsider's point of view (I don't have BP) and I felt like it was a tremendously revealing look into the mind of a manic-depressive. Probably the life Jack Kerouac would have led, had he been young in the 1990's and been born into a well off family. The author teeters on the brink of self destruction throughout most of the book but always seems to eek it out, along the lines of Catch Me if You Can. If you have no sympathy for the burden of mental illness, then this is definitely not the book for you but if you'd like incite into this world, you'll love it.
Rating: 
Summary: not what i was expecting
Review: I just finished "Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania", an autobiography by Andy Behrman, and I was not all that impressed with it. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I find the book left me wanting more information regarding how Andy handled ECT, like what he felt, rather than the ins and outs of his involvement in the art world (including sexual escapades) and how he was able to organize ripping people off. Also, it was hard to follow the story, as the style of writing is fast and bounces around from place to place but doesn't really say anything so in a way it doesn't matter that its choppy because there isn't a real story just lots of bragging and shopping. What I was left with was that this person is a real self promoter. He was able to sell fake paintings, and was also
able to get me to buy his book. If I were you, I'd wait until you can grab
it from your local library. Just my .02 worth.
Rating:
Summary: WHAT A PAGE TURNER!
Review: I read practically every book on mental illness and a good friend of mine who is manic depressive told me that "Electroboy" was probably the most accurate account of the illness. I literally devoured "Electroboy" in two days. It's a thrilling tale of a man who experiences such dramatic highs and lows of a devastating illness - - I just couldn't put it down. If you're expecting Elizabeth Wurtzel or Lizzie Simon, you're not going to find that in "Electroboy." THIS IS THE REAL THING! The writer takes you into the mind of the manic depressive and takes you along for the ride. It's a must read!
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