Hurry Down Sunshine, by Michael Greenberg

Sometimes, I stumble upon a book I pick up and go “Huh. I should read this.”

Which is what happened yesterday during a lunchtime jaunt to Target, where I came upon Hurry Down Sunshine, by Michael Greenberg.

For a whole bunch of reasons, mental illness is a fascinating topic for me, and Greenberg’s memoir is, frankly, startling.

In telling the tale of the mental meltdown of his fifteen year old daughter, Sally (who winds up with a diagnosis of “bi-polar 1″) Greenberg doesn’t mince words. He gets confused, scared, angry, and feels guilt just like any concerned parent would when their child is taken over by the thoughts in their head. Sally’s story is alternately riveting and terrifying, as she goes back and forth between moments of lucidity and moments of being a stranger to those closest to her.

It’s a fast read – Greenberg isn’t a writer who feels the need to use filler – and an eye-opening one. Much has been made of novels like Girl, Interrupted and The Bell Jar, told from the protagonist’s point of view, but less often is the parental point of view shared, and the results can be just as shattering.

ALSO -

Greenberg’ll be in Chicago tomorrow night (incidentally) to talk about his book. (Details.)