A Bounty of Books

He Wanted the Moon: The Madness and Medical Genius of Dr. Perry Baird, and His Daughter's Quest to Know Him by Mimi Baird is comprised largely of the account of her father's stay in a mental institution in the 1940s. Using his original manuscript that she edited for clarity, Baird recounts the story of the man whose illness stole him from her.

Dr. Perry Baird was a successful dermatologist in the Boston area in the 1940s. He suffered from what today would be called bipolar disorder. The lack of understanding and effective treatment of mental illness during this time led to his involuntary incarceration in Westborough State Hospital.

Without giving too much away, I find myself wondering, as Dr. Baird himself did, if the treatment he received while in the hospital only exacerbated his problem and led to the drastic measures both he and the medical community would later take. Dr. Baird's description of his treatment and his thoughts during his manic times is remarkably clear and well articulated. He allows the reader to almost feel what he was going through. Mimi Baird's contribution that describes the rest of her father's life after his manuscript ends adds to the dismay I felt for Dr. Baird and his family. The separation imposed by society at the time between the mentally ill and everyone familiar to him only added to the brokenness of the situation.

Anyone interested in the history of mental health treatment in America will find He Wanted the Moon an engaging read. Those interested in family relationships and the dynamics of society in the 1940s will also find  this book of interest.

Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

The Invisible Front: Love and Loss in an Era of Endless War by Yochi Dreazen is the story of a military family who experienced two unimaginable losses in less than a year. Both of their sons died, one by his own hand and one in combat. The response by the military community, and the community as a whole was so different, that it further added to the family's grief. This led to the parents' crusade to end the stigma associated with mental illness within the military community and improve the systems available to the untold number of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with PTSD.

Major General Mark Graham and his wife Carol's fight to change and improve such an entrenched culture, and sprawling bueracrcy, as that of the United States Army is inspiring. If they didn't have such a personal motivation, I don't know that they would have been able to keep fighting. I'm glad they did though. The changes General Graham was able to make at Ft. Carson that have since been adopted at bases throughout the United States have probably saved countless lives. The suicide epidemic the military is facing is not likely to go away any time soon. The emotional wounds that lead to suicide cast a shadow much longer than that of deployment or the year immediately following one's return from combat. We as a country must do a better job of supporting our returning soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines.

While the content of this book was difficult to read, the quality of the writing and the flow of the pace make The Invisible Front an engaging, fast paced read. I couldn't put it down. I felt as though I was in the narrative at times. At others, I found myself having a hard time not skipping ahead to find out what happened next. Dreazen did an excellent job of telling the story in a way that connects the reader to the characters, without adding his own bias. It's clear that he views the mental health system in the military as broken and ineffective, especially in the early years of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; however, I don't consider that a bias in this case, as the majority of rational people would feel the same way.

The Invisible Front is thoroughly researched, extremely well-written, and covers such an important topic. I recommend this book to pretty much anyone. Everyone has been touched by mental illness whether directly or indirectly. The message of this book is that there is hope and there is help, but it often involves a fight to receive it. The fight is worth it, and must be fought by advocates of those who need the help, not just those in trouble. The stigma must be thrown aside, and the problem dealt with directly. Regardless of our feelings about the politics of war, we owe those who have fought on our behalf at least that much.

Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255