Fevers of the Mind

Rating:
Summary: Mostly fun with some sadness
Review: First of all, I liked the title of this book, although it's mainly the second half of the book that deals with the "fevers of the mind"- namely the author's battle with bipolar disorder. I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of the book is about the author telling entertaining stories about his life. For the most part, he has a pretty good attitude about all the depression that he goes through, and it's nice to see that a story like this can have a happy ending. Some readers may be bored with some of the details of his treatment, but being bipolar myself, I thought the details were important and fascinating.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Read!!!
Review: Having been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, and being on medications that stunt my ability to focus well enough to read, this was the first book I've been able to read, cover to cover, in over 3 years! I couldn't put it down! I sat down to read it, and didn't get up until I'd read every word! The story of Avery's life is compelling, and holds special interest for me, being a native of his own home town. I particularly liked the casual, conversational manner of Avery's writing, and often felt like the author himself was sitting across from me, telling me his life story.
The information toward the end about the various neurotransmitters helped me form my own theory as to why my disorder presents itself the way it does in me. Although my disorder presents very differently from the author's, it's clear that here is a man with intimate knowledge of the workings of the Bipolar mind.
I was transfixed, and would heartily recommend this book to anyone with Bipolar Disorder, their loved one, or simply someone looking for a hands-on story of the person with the disorder.
I now have a new addition to my list of favorite books.

Rating:
Summary: Much ado about little
Review: I purchased this book hoping to glean some of the author's knowledge of the brain as it relates to bipolar illness. As I pondered though each incident in his very active life I kept waiting for the good stuff. Never found it. Instead I found a few pages of data relating drugs to dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. If you are looking for a portrayal of manic thinking you will find it here. If you are looking for answers, for a larger perspective, or even new, innovative, leading edge discoveries in the field you will not find it here.

Rating:
Summary: Highly entertaining and informative
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. First of all, it is very entertaining. The author has a unique story to tell and does a good job telling it. He tells a number of short anecdotes about his life, and this kept me interested and made me identify with him. I was curious how things would turn out. I also learned quite a bit from this book. The author seems to know quite a bit about the brain, since he was studying the brain at Johns Hopkins University when his depression really hit hard. He shares his ideas and theories about what is wrong with him- possibly bipolar disorder- and I found this interesting. I've read other books about bipolar disorder, but I've never seen anything written about some of the things he talks about. Overall, this is an enjoyable and interesting read. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put this book down
Review: once I started reading it. My psychiatrist recommended I read this book as my diagnosis is still unclear but appears to be bipolar along with some OCD and ADHD. Evidently, or at least according to my physician, this book is becoming quite a popular read in the mental health field. The author, while seemingly brilliant, talks about his insecurity of not knowing what is going on his head for some time. Conner's life story is spelled out from beginning to present day and is interspersed with many funny and touching anecdotes, such as going 'bumper skiing' at 50 mph with an idiot friend in college to the gripping account of Conner actually purchasing a gun with which to take his own life. Throughout the entire book, I found myself literally crying on more than one occasion, either from laughter or sadness of Conner's situation. My wife had a hard time believing one book could trigger so many emotions within me. I can't recommend this book enough - it was well written, compelling, emotional, humorous, and just plain hard to put down. "Fevers of the Mind" is a definite must-read and should be on the bookshelf of every physician in America, not just mental health professionals, but all doctors, seeing as how frequently general practioners prescribe depression and anxiety drugs these days. A word of warning though, I would recommend picking up this book when you have some time. While it's a very easy read, the "flow" of it makes it incredibly hard to lie down and come back to later. I sat down to read for 20 minutes and finally put it down 2 hours and 15 minutes later after I turned the last page. This book offers hope to not only those afflicted with mental illness but also to their loves ones - much needed hope and courage. I found myself thinking at various times while reading, "if Conner can overcome and deal with it, so can I." This book let me hoping Conner sits down and writes another one sometime in the not-so-distant future. This would make a great gift for not only those seeking help of any kind, but also to those who like non-fiction dramas.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put this book down
Review: once I started reading it. My psychiatrist recommended I read this book as my diagnosis is still unclear but appears to be bipolar along with some OCD and ADHD. Evidently, or at least according to my physician, this book is becoming quite a popular read in the mental health field. The author, while seemingly brilliant, talks about his insecurity of not knowing what is going on his head for some time. Conner's life story is spelled out from beginning to present day and is interspersed with many funny and touching anecdotes, such as going 'bumper skiing' at 50 mph with an idiot friend in college to the gripping account of Conner actually purchasing a gun with which to take his own life. Throughout the entire book, I found myself literally crying on more than one occasion, either from laughter or sadness of Conner's situation. My wife had a hard time believing one book could trigger so many emotions within me. I can't recommend this book enough - it was well written, compelling, emotional, humorous, and just plain hard to put down. "Fevers of the Mind" is a definite must-read and should be on the bookshelf of every physician in America, not just mental health professionals, but all doctors, seeing as how frequently general practioners prescribe depression and anxiety drugs these days. A word of warning though, I would recommend picking up this book when you have some time. While it's a very easy read, the "flow" of it makes it incredibly hard to lie down and come back to later. I sat down to read for 20 minutes and finally put it down 2 hours and 15 minutes later after I turned the last page. This book offers hope to not only those afflicted with mental illness but also to their loves ones - much needed hope and courage. I found myself thinking at various times while reading, "if Conner can overcome and deal with it, so can I." This book let me hoping Conner sits down and writes another one sometime in the not-so-distant future. This would make a great gift for not only those seeking help of any kind, but also to those who like non-fiction dramas.

Rating:
Summary: Fevers of the Mind is shocking!
Review: This memoir is simply an instant classic. Conner has the storytelling ability and charm of a Mark Twain, combined with the psychological insight of a Sigmund Freud. The story is told with tremendous pace from start to finish. It's partly about bipolar disorder, but more so about Conner's theory that he has a super high level of the brain neurotransmitter serotonin. This is the same brain chemical that is super high in the "alpha" animal for animals that live in groups with pecking orders, such as wolves and monkeys. So Conner claims to be all jacked up on serotonin, and from the stories he tells, I believe him. I think the book will appeal to anyone with a mental illness, anyone curious about how the brain works, or simply anyone who wants to read a highly entertaining story.