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Rating: 
Summary: Intensley Profound
Review: Danielle Steel is able to relive one of the saddest moments in her life and share with the world her own personal agony. I am grateful to have read the book although it leaves the reader with a sense of hopelessness and despair. My son is Bi-Polar (age 14) and I understand enough to know that all the love in the world can not necessarily save him, but I have to keep trying no matter what. The more informed we are about this disease, the better choices we are able to make. A personal comment regarding DS not wanting to invade her son's privacy by reading his diary, if it takes invading my son's privacy to save his life, I will most certainly do it, especially because he does not communicate with people but does express himself and true feelings in writing. Read this book if you live with a manic depressive person, or know one. It makes you realize that all the money in the world for the best medical care does not make a difference, nor does all the love you have in your heart as a parent. What was saddest was Nick saying that no matter how much money he put in the bank every day, he still woke up broke.
Rating: 
Summary: My 1st Danielle Steel Book...Ever.
Review: I admit it. I've never read a Danielle Steel book. I've never been interested enough, although I know many people who rave about her. Her stories just aren't necessarily my "cup of tea." However, I was highly recommended this true-story book about her son's life by a friend of mine, so I decided to give it a try. I got to experience DS's flair for writing and its conversational style. It was very easy to read and held my interest. Pages flowed into the next. I can see her widespread appeal. Not only was the story sad yet uplifting, but "His Bright Light" helped me to understand manic depressive behavior intimately as DS learned it herself over the years. It was quite the lesson in psychology for those who don't want to get bogged down with or can't quite grasp the technical or scientific aspects of it. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to know more about the disease, her son's life, as well as DS's life. She provides some great autobiographical material for those interested. It's a quick read, and it'll be worth the effort, especially if you know someone with similar challenges in their own life...
Rating:
Summary: My 1st Danielle Steel Book...Ever.
Review: I admit it. I've never read a Danielle Steel book. I've never been interested enough, although I know many people who rave about her. Her stories just aren't necessarily my "cup of tea." However, I was highly recommended this true-story book about her son's life by a friend of mine, so I decided to give it a try. I got to experience DS's flair for writing and its conversational style. It was very easy to read and held my interest. Pages flowed into the next. I can see her widespread appeal. Not only was the story sad yet uplifting, but "His Bright Light" helped me to understand manic depressive behavior intimately as DS learned it herself over the years. It was quite the lesson in psychology for those who don't want to get bogged down with or can't quite grasp the technical or scientific aspects of it. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to know more about the disease, her son's life, as well as DS's life. She provides some great autobiographical material for those interested. It's a quick read, and it'll be worth the effort, especially if you know someone with similar challenges in their own life...
Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking ... Felt like I knew Nick ...
Review: I am 27 years old, have bipolar, and often cried during my reading of
this book. I read most of it. At times, I felt I couldnt finish
reading it, because the pain described by Danielle Steel is so real.
God Bless her for writing it. I felt more heartbroken about Nick
than any woman who broke my heart in the past. I think the phrase
"brilliant mind, heart of gold, and tortured soul" sums up a
lot of it. It's amazing to describe so much in those few words.
I've research bipolar very extensively since accepting it almost
two years ago. I felt this book hit me hardest in terms of emotional
response. Danielle Steele's phrases, "Fly well my darling
boy, till we meet again" and one about this not being the book I
planned to write and dedicate for you brought tears to my eyes.
Rating:
Summary: Good book - but a very biased truth
Review: If you're a manic depressive or a parent of a manic depressive - don't read this book for advice. You might relate, but it won't help you. The fact is that being a manic depressive makes you VERY susceptible to any kind of addiction. Did Nick commit suicide? Maybe - or he just died of an overdose without meaning to. I'm a manic depressive, and can relate to what he was going through. I do however disagree with what his mother thinks the causes of his problems were. My medical symptoms are remarkably similar to Nick's, yet my upbringing was a lot different. The second of five children, there were very few times when my parents could make ends meet. My father was a boilermaker, but due to an accident at a site he was working on, he became disabled. This left a lot of responsibility not only on my oldest sister's shoulders, but on mine as well when she left to go to boarding school. My mom always insisted that there was nothing wrong with me, with the school noticing my lack of impulse control etc. instead and sending me to the school shrinks. Her denial that I had problems even went so far, that when my eyesight became too bad to see on the blackboard, my teacher took matters into his own hands and took me to an optometrist one day after school. Without an overprotective mother, I had to find ways to cope on my own. (The various shrinks did help - I took a mixture of their advice and found out the best ways for me to cope) My mom was also working so hard that the responsibility for my younger brother and sisters mostly fell on me. Responsibility is one of the biggest reasons why I'm alive today. After high school, I went to study nursing - my responsibility load dropped dramatically. I essentially lost my reason for living - and tried to commit suicide twice. Many people think that depressives try to commit suicide to get attention - only my best friend ever knew of my attempts and always only afterwards. I never wrote suicide notes and I never told anyone that I was going to commit suicide. Each time I survived, was because my body `ignores' many drugs and I was able to sleep off the residual effects. I dropped out of college soon after - not being able to handle the workload and the people. Then I met my ex-husband and became pregnant. Now I had another reason to live - my child. Even with all the ups and downs - being hospitalised and changing medications, I've never tried to commit suicide since. Even with the emotional down of my divorce. What do I think went wrong with Nick?
- His mother was over-protective. He never needed to develop alternative ways of coping with his illness. He might be alive today if he had.
- Leaving Link 80, made him leave his biggest responsibility behind. No responsibility gave him no reason to keep on living.
- He had a drug addiction that his mother never truly admitted to. In the book she makes it sound like he experimented with drugs occasionally. If his true situation corresponds to mine the way his does to me, his knowledge of pharmaceuticals would have rivalled that of a pharmacist. He might not have been physically addicted to one specific substance, but he was mentally addicted. I know I still am....
Rating:
Summary: His Bright Light
Review: This book is a true story written by Danielle Steel portraying the life of her son Nick Traina who was diagnosed with manic depression and committed suicide at the age of 19 yrs. Danielle Steel, a picture of beauty and strength, writes very candidly about the struggles she endured in raising him amidst a large family and a busy schedule. The book tends to be somewhat graphic, a little morbid, but might be very helpful for parents who struggle with difficult children or those suffering from mental illness in their lives. I appreciate Danielle Steel as an author even more after reading this book because of her willingness to share her true feelings and pain.
Rating:
Summary: Nick Traina - A Star in His Own Right...
Review: This book was powerful. I mean truly wonderfully powerful. I have always loved Danielle Steele books but this one was different and odd and REAL. The fact that THIS book was about a real person, her son no less, made it all the more intriguing and I could NOT put it down. I read it in less than 4 hours - the entire book. I loved it, every page. It makes you realize that there are so many people who are loved every day and still struggle with who and where they fit in. I believe this is definitely one of Ms. Steele's best books yet.
Rating:
Summary: Very stimulating
Review: This well-written story shares the experiences of one family with a Bipolar young man who ultimately commits suicide. Although interesting, most parents cannot afford full-time bodyguards for their child,nor some of the other interventions that the wealthy and famous author could--even though they didn't work. While this is a touching story, it can be somewhat depressing for parents struggling to find ways to prevent their child from becoming suicidal. Other resources can provide more practical advice that helps parents successfully handle the daily challenges of parenting a bipolar child. --Sheryl Gurrentz, author
"If Your Child is Bipolar: A Parent-to-Parent Guide to Living With and Love a Bipolar Child"
Rating:
Summary: One of the most ....
Review: Touching stories I ever fread.
I read this book about 3 years ago and I still get moved by it's reallity whenever I cross it. Amazing true story.
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