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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 20 of 20. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dr. Bob on February 6, 2002, at 23:32:03
Hi, everyone,
OK, so let's give this a try. I guess the first order of business is to decide what to read? Does anyone have any suggestions? Let's maybe aim to have it read and to start discussing it in a month?
Bob
Posted by kiddo on February 7, 2002, at 8:54:57
In reply to Welcome!, posted by Dr. Bob on February 6, 2002, at 23:32:03
Is there a format for which books to 'nominate'? Fiction, nonfiction? Are we going for the self-help part of it?
Kiddo
> Hi, everyone,
>
> OK, so let's give this a try. I guess the first order of business is to decide what to read? Does anyone have any suggestions? Let's maybe aim to have it read and to start discussing it in a month?
>
> Bob
Posted by Dr. Bob on February 7, 2002, at 14:57:38
In reply to Re: Welcome!, posted by kiddo on February 7, 2002, at 8:54:57
> Is there a format for which books to 'nominate'? Fiction, nonfiction? Are we going for the self-help part of it?
I'd consider it open. Is there a type of book you'd be more interested in reading and discussing?
Bob
Posted by jane d on February 7, 2002, at 16:11:19
In reply to Re: which books, posted by Dr. Bob on February 7, 2002, at 14:57:38
I have no idea what kind of books we should be looking at so I thought I'd throw out a few specific suggestions to get things moving.
1. A Primate's Memoir - Robert Sapolsky. He's the one working on stress and neuron death and other discouraging things but this is about his studies of baboons. Amazon has sample pages available and it looks hysterical.
2. In Cuba I was a German Shepherd - Ana Menendez. The title intrigued me when Noa first mentioned it and the book looks interesting too. Stories. No excerpts on Amazon but there are reviews.
3. Noonday Demon - Andrew Solomon. I've been having trouble getting through this book. I think there are things that bother me and I wouldn't mind trying to figure out what by discussing it with other posters. A lot of people have already read it which may be good or bad.
(and now for something completely different)
4. The Onion Girl - Charles DeLint. Fantasy. This is the latest of a series. Set in modern Canada instead of medieval times but still with magical beings etc. Again, reviews are on Amazon.
Feel free to shoot these down.
Posted by NikkiT2 on February 7, 2002, at 16:49:47
In reply to Suggestions for books, posted by jane d on February 7, 2002, at 16:11:19
How about The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath... one we could all discuss at length I'm sure!!! :o)
Nikki x
Posted by Noa on February 7, 2002, at 17:25:31
In reply to Suggestions for books, posted by jane d on February 7, 2002, at 16:11:19
> 1. A Primates Memoir - Robert Sapolsky. He's the one working on stress and neuron death and other discouraging things but this is about his studies of baboons. Amazon has sample pages available and it looks hysterical.I like Sapolsky--so this would be ok with me.
>
> 2. In Cuba I was a German Shepherd - Ana Menendez. The title intrigued me when Noa first mentioned it and the book looks interesting too. Stories. No excerpts on Amazon but there are reviews.The story is in a collection called Best New American Voices 2000 edited by Tobias Wolff.
>
> 3. The Noonday Demon - Andrew Solomon. I've been having trouble getting through this book. I think there are things that bother me and I wouldn't mind trying to figure out what by discussing it with other posters. A lot of people have already read it which may be good or bad.I have been wanting to read this, too.
>
> (and now for something completely different)
>
> 4. The Onion Girl - Charles DeLint. Fantasy. This is the latest of a series. Set in modern Canada instead of medieval times but still with magical beings etc. Again, reviews are on Amazon.I'll have to look at the reviews.
>
Posted by djmmm on February 7, 2002, at 17:48:41
In reply to Suggestions for books, posted by jane d on February 7, 2002, at 16:11:19
> I have no idea what kind of books we should be looking at so I thought I'd throw out a few specific suggestions to get things moving.
>
> 1. A Primates Memoir - Robert Sapolsky. He's the one working on stress and neuron death and other discouraging things but this is about his studies of baboons. Amazon has sample pages available and it looks hysterical.
>
> 2. In Cuba I was a German Shepherd - Ana Menendez. The title intrigued me when Noa first mentioned it and the book looks interesting too. Stories. No excerpts on Amazon but there are reviews.
>
> 3. The Noonday Demon - Andrew Solomon. I've been having trouble getting through this book. I think there are things that bother me and I wouldn't mind trying to figure out what by discussing it with other posters. A lot of people have already read it which may be good or bad.
>
> (and now for something completely different)
>
> 4. The Onion Girl - Charles DeLint. Fantasy. This is the latest of a series. Set in modern Canada instead of medieval times but still with magical beings etc. Again, reviews are on Amazon.
>
> Feel free to shoot these down.
>A Primate's Memoir sounds good....
I liked:
and, for *anyone* taking antidepressant or anxiolytic drugs,I think the following should be read:
Clinical Psychopharmacology Made Ridiculously Simple (Medmaster Series, 2001 Edition) by John Preston, James Johnson
A Primer of Drug Action : A Concise, Nontechnical Guide to the Actions, Uses, and Side Effects of Psychoactive Drugs
by Robert M., Md., Ph.D. Julien...you can find them on Amazon
Posted by jane d on February 7, 2002, at 18:55:59
In reply to Re: Suggestions for books, posted by Noa on February 7, 2002, at 17:25:31
> > 2. In Cuba I was a German Shepherd - Ana Menendez. The title intrigued me when Noa first mentioned it and the book looks interesting too. Stories. No excerpts on Amazon but there are reviews.
>
> The story is in a collection called "Best New American Voices 2000" edited by Tobias Wolff.There is also now a book out by that name with additional stories by the same author.
Posted by ST on February 7, 2002, at 21:05:49
In reply to Suggestions for books, posted by jane d on February 7, 2002, at 16:11:19
I've been wanting to read
Electroboy-A Memoir of Mania by Andy Behrman.Supposedly he was a successful art dealer in NY whose spending sprees and jet setting turned in to art fraud and eventually jail time.
From a web site about the book:
"Electroboy is Andy's chronicle of his battle with manic depression or bipolar disorder - - the euphoric highs and desperate lows. He was misdiagnosed by more than eight doctors and even when he was finally diagnosed with this chronic illness, he was unsuccessful on any regimen of medication. With no hope of his condition stabilizing, he turned to the last resort: electroshock therapy also known as electroconvulsive therapy and commonly referred to as ECT."
Or how about Darkness Visible by William Styron.
If we are going to read something about depression or manic-depression, personally, I like books that chronicle a persons life who has the disease.
Sarah
Posted by mair on February 8, 2002, at 7:20:33
In reply to Re: Suggestions for books, posted by ST on February 7, 2002, at 21:05:49
I agree with Sarah - if we're going to read books about depression or other mental illnesses, personal memoirs written by those who have the illness or those who have lived with someone who is ill (see Jackie Lyden's book about her mother) are more interesting to me.
Mair
Posted by robinibor on February 8, 2002, at 9:14:32
In reply to Suggestions for books, posted by jane d on February 7, 2002, at 16:11:19
I can't promise to read it by the due date, but I think this is one that I could get into.
Robin> I have no idea what kind of books we should be looking at so I thought I'd throw out a few specific suggestions to get things moving.
>
> 1. A Primate's Memoir - Robert Sapolsky. He's the one working on stress and neuron death and other discouraging things but this is about his studies of baboons. Amazon has sample pages available and it looks hysterical.
>
> 2. In Cuba I was a German Shepherd - Ana Menendez. The title intrigued me when Noa first mentioned it and the book looks interesting too. Stories. No excerpts on Amazon but there are reviews.
>
> 3. Noonday Demon - Andrew Solomon. I've been having trouble getting through this book. I think there are things that bother me and I wouldn't mind trying to figure out what by discussing it with other posters. A lot of people have already read it which may be good or bad.
>
> (and now for something completely different)
>
> 4. The Onion Girl - Charles DeLint. Fantasy. This is the latest of a series. Set in modern Canada instead of medieval times but still with magical beings etc. Again, reviews are on Amazon.
>
> Feel free to shoot these down.
>
Posted by Dr. Bob on February 8, 2002, at 11:15:46
In reply to Suggestions for books, posted by jane d on February 7, 2002, at 16:11:19
> I have no idea what kind of books we should be looking at so I thought I'd throw out a few specific suggestions to get things moving.
Thanks for doing that!
I also want to say explicitly that just because a book isn't picked now doesn't mean it can't be picked later. So the question is what *this* group feels like reading *now*, not whether books are "good" or "bad"...
Bob
Posted by Noa on February 8, 2002, at 13:48:33
In reply to Menendez » Noa, posted by jane d on February 7, 2002, at 18:55:59
Great! Thanks.
Posted by Noa on February 8, 2002, at 13:52:38
In reply to Re: Suggestions for books, posted by Dr. Bob on February 8, 2002, at 11:15:46
I'd like to read something not too dry or heavy right now. I like the idea of the Menendez short stories, because people could read one or two stories if they aren't up to reading the whole book. Also, because I've read the title story and I want to read more of her work.
Posted by trouble on February 8, 2002, at 23:05:59
In reply to Re: Suggestions for books, posted by NikkiT2 on February 7, 2002, at 16:49:47
Nikki x,
Wow. You are a sister. I am obsessed w/ S.P., read 5 of her biographies, Letters Home, journals, poetry, etc. Here's one big vote!
Posted by trouble on February 8, 2002, at 23:18:08
In reply to Re: Suggestions for books, posted by ST on February 7, 2002, at 21:05:49
ANGELHEAD A MEMOIR
Greg BottomsChronicles brother's decline into hopeless case schizophrenia.
blurbs:
"A tour-de-force...Bottoms writeslike a poet,he writes as if he's on fire." ESQUIRE, A Book of the Year"I am on record as believing any day is better whwen I am not asked to read another memoir. But Greg Bottoms book caught my attention immediately and drew me in. I read it all in one sitting... It is a book people will talk about, perhaps productively." Ann Beattie
i read Angelhead in one sitting too. It was fine.
Posted by anniebananie on February 13, 2002, at 19:15:33
In reply to Suggestions for books, posted by jane d on February 7, 2002, at 16:11:19
> 3. Noonday Demon - Andrew Solomon. I've been having trouble getting through this book. I think there are things that bother me and I wouldn't mind trying to figure out what by discussing it with other posters.I only got about halfway through it and was also bothered by some of it and found some of it very helpful. It'd be great to have incentive to finish it and to see if we were troubled by the same things.
Because something about it really rubbed me the wrong way and I want to know what it is, Girl Interrupted.
And because Lauren Slater is one of my favorite writers and it brings up so many things like how getting better brought up good memories from her childhood, Prozac Diary.
Annie
Posted by jane d on February 15, 2002, at 7:32:09
In reply to noonday demon » jane d, posted by anniebananie on February 13, 2002, at 19:15:33
> > 3. Noonday Demon - Andrew Solomon. I've been having trouble getting through this book. I think there are things that bother me and I wouldn't mind trying to figure out what by discussing it with other posters.
>
> I only got about halfway through it and was also bothered by some of it and found some of it very helpful. It'd be great to have incentive to finish it and to see if we were troubled by the same things.> Because something about it really rubbed me the wrong way and I want to know what it is, Girl Interrupted.
> And because Lauren Slater is one of my favorite writers and it brings up so many things like how getting better brought up good memories from her childhood, Prozac Diary.
Annie,
Perhaps we should compare notes on Noonday Demon even if it isn't ever selected. I've never read Girl Interrupted but I am a bit curious about it. I did read Lauren Slater's books (not the latest) and didn't care for them much. My big worry about discussing this kind of book here is that people will get too personally involved with the stories. I find I react to these books in two ways. Either I really identify with the author or I feel that the author is a complete alien and the book leaves me totally cold. For some reason I do not find that these books broaden my understanding of or sympathy for people different from myself. This isn't true of all books. Just most of the true life "How I struggled with mental illness" books. I really do think it has something to do with the quality of the books. Perhaps it is just that the authors are relying on instant acceptance from people who have experienced the same thing and don't bother to make their writing generally accessible. Perhaps their editors are afraid to be too critical since the subject is mental illness. I do worry that if we try to discuss these books here people who relate to a particular book will interpret criticism of the book as criticism of them.
Jane
Posted by anniebananie on February 16, 2002, at 2:39:14
In reply to personal accounts » anniebananie, posted by jane d on February 15, 2002, at 7:32:09
Jane,
> Perhaps we should compare notes on Noonday Demon even if it isn't ever selected.
Sure, I'd be up for that.
> I did read Lauren Slater's books (not the latest) and didn't care for them much.
Then you would probably really dislike "Lying". I find some of her writing florid (it kind of turns my stomach) but she addresses some things that I've never seen anybody else get to, so for that I hope she keeps writing and writing and writing.
>I find I react to these books in two ways. Either I really identify with the author or I feel that the author is a complete alien and the book leaves me totally cold.
I'm curious about what makes these accounts work or not for different people. It's got to be more complex than how similar the author's experience is to the reader's.
> I really do think it has something to do with the quality of the books. Perhaps it is just that the authors are relying on instant acceptance from people who have experienced the same thing and don't bother to make their writing generally accessible. Perhaps their editors are afraid to be too critical since the subject is mental illness.
Wouldn't it be great to know? And how come most of them are written by women? That's one of my concerns -- that men think of them as "chick" books.
> I do worry that if we try to discuss these books here people who relate to a particular book will interpret criticism of the book as criticism of them.
Might not these same people interpret criticism of any book they like as criticism of them? I know what you mean about the vulnerability that comes from identifying with a personal account, but I'd like to think that anyone who joins a book club is sophisticated enough to understand that disagreements are part of a discussion, that sometimes you can gain an appreciation for something that didn't do it for you when you hear what others appreciated about it, sometimes the other way around.
Maybe Noonday Demon is a good idea -- you get both personal account and loads of impersonal info.
Take care,
Annie
Posted by BarbaraCat on March 17, 2002, at 21:16:09
In reply to noonday demon » jane d, posted by anniebananie on February 13, 2002, at 19:15:33
I love everything Lauren Slater has written. She's a therapist who has had awful bouts of depression, med horrors and commitments and yet writes with humor, compassion, and a wonderful literary style.
This is the end of the thread.
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