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The Noonday Demon
The Noonday Demon: An Atlas Of Depression | Andrew Solomon
With uncommon humanity, candor, wit, and erudition, award-winning author Andrew Solomon takes the reader on a journey of incomparable range and resonance into the most pervasive of family secrets. His contribution to our understanding not only of mental illness but also of the human condition is truly stunning.The Noonday Demon examines depression in personal, cultural, and scientific terms. Drawing on his own struggles with the illness and interviews with fellow sufferers, doctors and scientists, policymakers and politicians, drug designers and philosophers, Solomon reveals the subtle complexities and sheer agony of the disease. He confronts the challenge of defining the illness and describes the vast range of available medications, the efficacy of alternative treatments, and the impact the malady has had on various demographic populations around the world and throughout history. He also explores the thorny patch of moral and ethical questions posed by emerging biological explanations for mental illness.The depth of human experience Solomon chronicles, the range of his intelligence, and his boundless curiosity and compassion will change the reader's view of the world.
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Leftcoastzen
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#BookBinge #AboutMentalHealth ANational Book Award winner I have been meaning to read.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 💔💛📚 7mo
Eggs Great choice 👏🏻👏🏻 7mo
46 likes2 comments
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Martyn_J_Pass
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Pickpick

This was a totally comprehensive piece on the history and treatment of depression. It was beautifully poignant in places and very eye opening to the signs, symptoms and causes of the illness. Although it gave me plenty to think about, given my own mental health issues, I did feel that the harsh reality of the overall difficulties in effectively treating depression were a little disheartening. Still, a fantastic read.

julesG Your cat looks grumpy. 5y
Martyn_J_Pass @julesG It‘s a picture off the internet that made me laugh hard! 5y
12 likes2 comments
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Martyn_J_Pass
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Powerful for me right now...

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HeatherBookNerd
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Pickpick

Excellent book about the nature of depression, how different people experience it, and what treatment options are out there. Solomon showcases extensive research and firsthand knowledge of depression, examining the topic with great insight and compassion. He‘s a marvelous writer and beautifully expresses what it is like to live with the illness.

AmyG I recommend any of his books. He is excellent. 5y
HeatherBookNerd @Amy I still need to finish Far From the Tree. There is a wonderful FFTT documentary if you haven‘t seen it. 5y
39 likes1 stack add2 comments
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farrahkohn

I read “Noonday Demon” when I was in my twenties, and remember that I loved it. I have decided to re-read it, along with other books, for my research into this “brain-difference-memoir-research” genre as I am writing my memoir this year.

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PirateJenny
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I don‘t normally post this sort of thing but I‘ve been rather sporadic here lately, especially on weekends. I‘ve been having a rough time for a bit and after discussion one of my meds has been tweaked. I have been trying to pay attention and reply to some of the question posts but often they—and reading—get beyond me. I know I‘ll get through it, it just sucks during. Here‘s my snugglebuddy #catsofLitsy

SkeletonKey Many hugs for you 💜 6y
Samplergal ❤️❤️❤️ 6y
TrishB Hugs ❤️ 6y
See All 12 Comments
ReadingSusan Sending you good thoughts and lots of hugs! Hoping everything will get regulated for you soon. 6y
JoScho ❤️❤️❤️ 6y
AmyG Sending a hug. We‘re always here. 6y
CoffeeK8 Good thoughts to you 💖 6y
DrexEdit Sending good thoughts your way. Hope the adjustments help! 💕 6y
LazyDays 🌈🌞 6y
mcipher Hope things are feeling a little better today!💕 6y
PirateJenny @mcipher they are thanks! slowly getting there 6y
PirateJenny thanks for the good thoughts everyone. it means a lot. 6y
26 likes12 comments
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nofutureparttwo
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Depression is the flaw in love. To be creatures who love, we must be creatures who can despair at what we lose, and depression is the mechanism of that despair. When it comes, it degrades one's self and ultimately eclipses the capacity to give or receive affection. It is the aloneness within us made manifest, and it destroys not only connection to others but also the ability to be peacefully alone with oneself.

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Incredible. I'm in tears.
Wow.

mrozzz Yes. Wow. 6y
nofutureparttwo @mrozzz Solomon manages to articulate so elegantly, with surgical accuracy, a basic part of my own lived experience which I've spent over a decade trying to explain and understand. This book is, frankly, a gift. 6y
mrozzz From what little I know so far, from your quote and description here, it certainly seems so! I've added it to my Amazon wishlist. 6y
nofutureparttwo @mrozzz i'll be interested to see your thoughts about it! 6y
mrozzz I unfortunately won't get it soon (I'm supposed to be on a bookbuying ban) but perhaps in January!! 6y
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HeatherBookNerd
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Libby1 I don‘t remember Uncle Tom‘s Cabin being that long! I did read it about 25 years ago, though. 😳 6y
HeatherBookNerd @Libby1 oh it is a doorstop! 6y
30 likes2 comments
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Strangechord
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HeatherBookNerd
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Here are my #yellowcovers for day 2 of the #riotgram challenge. All from my TBR shelf.
@bookriot

28 likes1 stack add
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ComradeMao
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2017, Book 7 "It is often said that depression is a thing to which a leisured class falls prey in a developed society; in fact, it is a thing that a certain class has the luxury of addressing. Between the Inuit's silence and our verbalized self-awareness lie a multitude of ways of speaking of psychic pain, of knowing that pain. Context, race, gender, tradition, nation- all conspire to determine what is to be said and what is to be left unsaid."

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everlocalwest
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Pickpick

Doorstop of a book that is huge in scope but remains compelling throughout. Solomon does an amazing job of looking at depression through many different lenses...from the emotional to the scientific and political, he puts depression into perspective even while acknowledging that we don't exactly know what this great melancholy is.

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Orbeck33
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Pickpick

Solomon expertly combines memoir and detailed research to create a beautifully written depiction of what it means to be depressed. Recommended for everyone; not only those touched by this disease.

7 likes4 stack adds