Overview

A bracing and fresh look at a lifelong struggle with depression and mental illness Plagued by depression her entire life, it wasn’t until her early fifties that writer and book critic Bethanne Patrick, advocating for her own care, received a medical diagnosis that would set her on the path to wellness and stability. Recognizing the intergenerational effects of trauma and mental health struggles, Patrick unearths the stories of her past in order to forge a better future for herself and her two daughters, dismantling the stigmas surrounding mental health challenges that can plague families into silence and resignation. Life B is an intimate portrait we haven’t yet seen—of a lifelong struggle with depression, of midlife diagnosis and newly found strength. Most important, it’s a life-affirming blueprint of how to accept and transcend the limitations of mental illness.

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9781640091290

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Reviews

In Life B, Bethanne Patrick takes readers on a harrowing journey to the cliff edge of suicidal despair, so that they might stare into the abyss of depression and better understand this debilitating condition. Not since William Styron's Darkness Visible has there been so enlightening a book on mental illness. Fearless, generous, fascinating. --Adrienne Brodeur, author of Wild Game

Bethanne Patrick has long been a hero in the literary world-a tireless supporter of writers and writing. Now she has given us this brave, elegant work. It's so good. Radical truth. -Luis Alberto Urrea, author of The House of Broken Angels Insightful, honest, and ultimately life-affirming, Life B shines a light on a secret life many experience in shame and silence, and shows that it's never too late to take those first steps toward healing. Bethanne Patrick's perseverance in getting a correct diagnosis and treatment at midlife gives hope to everyone who has ever wondered if life will get better. --Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk To Someone In Life B, Bethanne Patrick takes readers on a harrowing journey to the cliff edge of suicidal despair, so that they might stare into the abyss of depression and better understand this debilitating condition. Not since William Styron's Darkness Visible has there been so enlightening a book on mental illness. Fearless, generous, fascinating. --Adrienne Brodeur, author of Wild Game

Author Information

BETHANNE PATRICK maintains a storied place in the publishing industry as a critic and as @TheBookMaven on Twitter, where she created the popular #FridayReads and regularly comments on books and literary ideas to over 200K followers. Her work appears frequently in the Los Angeles Times as well as at The Washington Post, NPR Books, and Literary Hub. She sits on the board of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation and has served on the board of the National Book Critics Circle. She is the host of the Missing Pages podcast.

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