Monday 17 March 2014

Gum on My Shoe Concept Statement

“You’re stuck with me now, Frannie. I hope you realise that.”
“Like gum on my shoe...”

Best friends Marty and Fran live three thousand miles apart. Fran has lived with depression and bipolar disorder for over twenty years: Marty is her main support, carer and lifeline. In Gum on My Shoe: One Step at a Time with My Bipolar Best Friend, they share what they’ve learned about growing a close, mutually supportive relationship between a “well one” and an “ill one”.

This book is a companion guide for those walking a similar road. With one in four experiencing mental illness in any given year, you or someone you know may be one of them.

Using plain, non-technical language, real life conversations and examples from their own experience, Marty and Fran offer original approaches and practical tips for taking the good and the bad “One step at a time”. Uniquely, they show how technology and the internet mean no one is too far away to care, or to be cared for.

Written from the well one’s perspective, this book focuses on being there. Discover how to build a relationship strong and flexible enough to handle mania, depression, and suicidal thinking. Explore what illness means, learn strategies for wellness and how best to support your loved one and take care of yourself, whether you live on the same street or oceans apart.

Draft Concept Statement for Gum on My Shoe: One Step at a Time with My Bipolar Best Friend, by Martin Baker and Fran Houston, March 2014.

2 comments:

  1. Excellent resource idea - maybe snippets could be posted on twitter to generate a following before publication. Just an Idea - no pressure

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  2. That's a good idea and something we want to do more of. We do post some snippets to our facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/GumOnMyShoe) but it would be good to have more of them here on the blog, and then shared out via Twitter &c. Thanks for taking time to comment, much appreciated. ~Marty

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