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The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression
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Music Books > Jessica Andrews > Item 3
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The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression
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by Andrew Solomon
Sales Rank: 205135
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$28.00
At Amazon
on 12-29-2007.
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Features
Hardcover: 576 pages
Publisher: Scribner; 1 edition June 12, 2001
Language: English
ISBN-10: 068485466X
ISBN-13: 978-0684854663
Product Dimensions:
9.3 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
Sometimes, the legacy of depression includes a wisdom beyond one's years, a depth of passion unexperienced by those who haven't traveled to hell and back. Off the charts in its enlightening, comprehensive analysis of this pervasive yet misunderstood condition, The Noonday Demon forges a long, brambly path through the subject of depression--exposing all the discordant views and "answers" offered by science, philosophy, law, psychology, literature, art, and history. The result is a sprawling and thoroughly engrossing study, brilliantly synthesized by author Andrew Solomon.
Deceptively simple chapter titles (including "Breakdowns," "Treatments," "Addiction," "Suicide") each sit modestly atop a virtual avalanche of Solomon's intellect. This is not a book to be skimmed. But Solomon commands the language--and his topic--with such grace and empathy that the constant flow of references, poems, and quotations in his paragraphs arrive like welcome dinner guests. A longtime sufferer of severe depression himself, Solomon willingly shares his life story with readers. He discusses updated information on various drugs and treatment approaches while detailing his own trials with them. He describes a pharmaceutical company's surreal stage production (involving Pink Floyd, kick dancers, and an opener à la Cats) promoting a new antidepressant to their sales team. He chronicles his research visits to assorted mental institutions, which left him feeling he would "much rather engage with every manner of private despair than spend a protracted time" there. Under Solomon's care, however, such tales offer much more than shock value. They show that depression knows no social boundaries, manifests itself quite differently in each person, and has become political. And, while it may worsen or improve, depression will never be eradicated. Hope lies in finding ways--as Solomon clearly has--to harness its powerful lessons. --Liane Thomas
From Publishers Weekly
"Depression is the flaw in love. To be creatures who love, we must be creatures who despair," begins Solomon's expansive and astutely observed examination of the experience, origins, and cultural manifestations of depression. While placing his study in a broad social contex-- according to recent research, some 19 million Americans suffer from chronic depression--he also chronicles his own battle with the disease. Beginning just after his senior year in college, Solomon began experiencing crippling episodes of depression. They became so bad that after losing his mother to cancer and his therapist to retirement he attempted (unsuccessfully) to contract HIV so that he would have a reason to kill himself. Attempting to put depression and its treatments in a cross-cultural context, he draws effectively and skillfully on medical studies, historical and sociological literature, and anecdotal evidence, analyzing studies of depression in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, Inuit life in Greenland, the use of electroshock therapy and the connections between depression and suicide in the U.S. and other cultures. In examining depression as a cultural phenomenon, he cites many literary melancholics Virginia Woolf, Samuel Beckett, John Milton, Shakespeare, John Keats, and George Eliot as well as such thinkers as Freud and Hegel, to map out his "atlas" of the condition. Smart, empathetic, and exhibiting a wide and resonant knowledge of the topic, Solomon has provided an enlightening and sobering window onto both the medical and imaginative worlds of depression. (June)Forecast: Excerpted last year in the New Yorker, this pathbreaking work is bound to attract major review attention and media, boosted by a seven-city tour.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
Who, at least at one point in their life, has not been mildly depressed? As a counsellor, if you were to tell me that not once, ever in your entire life did you ever feel down or depressed, I would probably want to make sure you were still breathing. However, for many, depression can be a severe, chronic battle each and every day, and one of the biggest setbacks in an individual's life. It can be a family's nightmare, hinder careers and personal relationships, and play havoc with a person's self-image. For some, just getting up in the morning can take evey ounce of willpower. There have been many books written on depression, some are excellent self-help books, others ARE depressing to read. This book, however, is an insightful look inside depression in personal, scientific and cultural terms. The author also takes a look at the biological aspects of the disease which, for many, can be a controversial issue. Solomon has battled depression for much of his life. Through his research and studies, he has gained valuable knowledge on the subject which he openly shares with his readers. Of the vast number of books written on depression, "Noonday Demon" is definitely one of the most complete, accurate and informative ones to be found. I also enjoyed his easy manner, occasional wit and positive approach to an affliction that for a multitude of individuals can be a disabling, life-long illness.
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The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression
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