No One Cares About Crazy People: The Chaos and Heartbreak of Mental Health in America

"Extraordinary and courageous . . . No doubt if everyone were to read" this personal and social history of mental illness in America "the world would change" (New York Times Book Review). From the centuries of torture of "lunatiks" at Bedlam Asylum to the infamous eugenics era to the follies of the anti-psychiatry movement to the current landscape in which too many families struggle alone to manage afflicted love ones, New York Times–bestselling author Ron Powers limns our fears and myths about mental illness and the fractured public policies that have resulted. Braided with that history is the moving story of Powers's beloved son Kevin—spirited, endearing, and gifted—who triumphed even while suffering from schizophrenia until finally he did not, and the story of his courageous surviving son Dean, who is also schizophrenic. A blend of history, biography, memoir, and current affairs ending with a consideration of where we might go from here, this is a thought-provoking look at a dreaded illness that has long been misunderstood. "[A] heartbreaking tribute to [Powers's] sons . . . and an urgent plea for reform." ―People "Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Powers . . . presents two searing sagas. . . . This hybrid narrative, enhanced by the author's considerable skills as a literary stylist, succeeds on every level." ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "One of the most engrossing accounts of raising a family I've ever read, one in which Mr. Powers makes universal his themes of parental love, bewilderment, and rage at the vagaries of biological fate." —Wall Street Journal "Powers gives us powerful stories of real suffering and societal apathy toward the plight of our fellow citizens. Their struggles must not be forgotten as we continue to debate reforming our health-care system." ―The Washington Post View Less