A Brilliant Madness: living with manic depressive illness, by Patty Duke and Gloria Hochman

I have just finished reading Patty Duke’s book A Brilliant Madness: living with manic depressive illness. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I found myself in tears again and again, reading her story. The book is especially effective because the chapters telling her personal tale are interleaved by chapters by Gloria Hochman providing background on the condition, its impact on those with bipolar (called manic depression throughout the book) and those who love and care about them.

As I told Fran just now: “Patty Duke’s story isn’t yours, of course, but it helps me see a bigger picture. I don’t know her at all. I couldn’t pick her photo out in a line up or recognise her in a movie or a show if I saw it. But I love this woman. Her courage and heart and honesty... I know those... I recognise those...”