Review
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"Extraordinary and courageous...I'm not sure I've ever read anything that handles the decline of one's
children with such openness and searing, stumbling honesty...[Powers] writes with fierce hope and fierce purpose to
persuade the world to pay attention. No doubt if everyone were to read this book, the world would change."―Ron Suskind,
New York Times Book Review
"[A] heartbreaking tribute to [Powers's] sons...and an urgent plea for reform."―People
"Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Powers (Mark Twain: A Life, 2005, etc.) presents two searing sa: an indictment of
mental care in the United States and the story of his two schizophrenic sons.... This hybrid narrative, enhanced
by the author's considerable skills as a literary stylist, succeeds on every level."―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Very emotional.... [Powers] reminds us how apathetic and cruel society can be when it comes to mental
illness."―Booklist (starred review)
"No One Cares About Crazy People is a woefully necessary kick in the teeth to society's understanding and of
mental illness. Reading Ron Powers is always an event--you can expect expert research and rich reporting in an
engrossing style--but what makes this book soar is the passion of Powers' conviction based off his own
experiences with schizophrenia. I put this book down days ago and I'm still reeling. It's the rare book that breaks your
life into a before and an after."―Susannah Cahalan, New York Times bestselling author of Brain on Fire
"Ron Powers writes eloquently, passionately, and persuasively about the failure to properly treat mental illness in
America. What makes this book really powerful is Powers's personal story-the harrowing, wrenching tale of his two sons
wrestling with the unholy demon of schizophrenia."―Evan Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Being Nixon
"Whether Ron Powers is writing about Mark Twain, small-town life in the Midwest, the state of television, or crime, his
books resonate. Now he has written the book he never wanted to tackle-about the schizophrenia of his sons and the cruel
failures of the American mental establishment."―Steve Weinberg, author of Taking on the Trust
"In telling this gripping and deeply personal story, Ron Powers puts chronic mental illness in the broad context of
history, society, and public policy. His compelling account helps shake us out of the embarrassment and apathy that have
tethered public discourse and lasting action to treat mental illness. Despite fitful progress, real and lasting progress
and empathy are still so easily tripped up by ignorance, fear, and unease. Ron Powers explains why we need to move
beyond the stigma that still makes progress difficult, and sometimes impossible. The story he tells is not a comfortable
one, but it's an important one."―U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)
"Ron Powers and his wife never expected to visit the exotic lands of schizophrenia until their two sons became affected.
A gifted professional writer, Powers takes the reader along on his explorations as he tries to understand why it
happened and what to do. What he finds is "the most dreaded of all human mental disorders." Very readable and highly
recommended."―E. Fuller Torrey, MD, author of Surviving Schizophrenia
"This is the book that Ron Powers, one of America's most elegant chroniclers, vowed he would never write. Too
disturbing, too painful, too . We are fortunate that he changed his mind. Powers has tackled his most
challenging subject yet with erudition, humanity, and courage. By allowing readers into the sanctity of his home, he
makes real the toll of mental illness on those who suffer, their families, and the community. No One Cares About Crazy
People is an unforgettable, insistent call for a nationwide conversation and action, for embracing our most vulnerable
benefits us all."―Pamela Rotner Sakamoto, author of Midnight in Broad Daylight: A Japanese American Family Caught
Between Two Worlds
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About the Author
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Ron Powers is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author. He is the
co-author of s of our hers and True Compass--both #1 New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction bestsellers. His
biography of Mark Twain--Mark Twain: A Life--was also a New York Times bestseller. He lives with his wife Honoree
Fleming, Ph.D., in Castleton, Vermont.
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