An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness - Softcover

"An invaluable memoir of manic depression, at once medically knowledgeable, deeply human and beautifully written . . . at times poetic, at times straightforward, always unashamedly honest."
--The New York Times Book Review

"Stands alone in the literature of manic-depression for its bravery, brilliance and beauty."
--Oliver Sacks

"Jamison's [strength] is in the gutsy way she has made her disease her life's work and in her brilliant ability to convey its joys and its anguish. . . . Extraordinary."
--Washington Post Book World

"The most emotionally moving book I've ever read about the emotions."
--William Safire, The New York Times Magazine

"Written with poetic and moving sensitivity . . . a rare and insightful view of mental illness from inside the mind of a trained specialist."
--Time

"Enlighting . . . eloquent and profound."
--San Francisco Chronicle

"Piercingly honest. . . . Jamison's literary coming-out is a mark of courage."
--People

"Brave, insightful, richly textured and chillingly authentic."
--Boston Globe

"A riveting portrayal of a courageous brain alternating between exhilarating highs and numbing lows."
--James D. Watson, Nobel laureate and author of The Double Helix

"In a most intimate and powerful telling, Jamison weaves the personal and professional threads of her life together. . . . [She] brings us inside the disease and helps us understand manic depression. . . . What comes through is a remarkably whole person with the grit to defeat her disease."
--Cleveland Plain Dealer

"A riveting read. I devoured it at a single sitting and found the book almost as compelling on a second read. . . . An Unquiet Mind may well become a classic. . . . Jamison sets an example of courage."
--Howard Gardner, Nature

"Stunning. . . . [An] exquisite (in both a literary and medical sense) autobiography. . . . This is an important, wonderful book."
--Jackson Clarion Ledger

"Extraordinary. . . . An Unquiet Mind must be read."
--The New England Journal of Medicine

"A beautiful, funny, original book. Powerfully written, it is a wonderful and important account of mercurial moods and madness. I absolutely love this book."
--Pat Conroy, author of The Prince of Tides

"A landmark. . . . The combination of the intensity of her personal life and the intellectual rigor of her professional experience make the book unique. . . . A vibrant and engaging account of the life, love and experience of a woman, a therapist, an academic, and a patient."
--British Medical Journal

"Affecting, honest, touching . . . fluid, felt and often lyrical."
--Will Self, The Observer (London)

"Quite astonishing. . . . Cuts through the dead jargon and detached observations of psychiatric theory and practice to create a fiery, passionate, authentic account of the devastation and exaltation, the blindness and illumination of the psychotic experience."
--The Sunday Times (London)

"Rises to the poetic and has a mystical touch. . . . A courageous and fascinating book, a moving account of the life of a remarkable woman."
--The Daily Telegraph (London)

"Fast-paced, startlingly honest and frequently lyrical. . . . Jamison has] a novelist's openness of phrase and talent for bringing character alive."
--Scotland on Sunday

"Superbly written. . . . A compelling work of literature."
--Independent on Sunday (London)

A definitive examination of manic depression