Books › The Center Cannot Hold
The Center Cannot Hold
First published 2007 · 352 pages
A beautifully written, harrowing, and ultimately triumphant firsthand account of navigating the terrifying realities of schizophrenia.
What it feels like
Reading this memoir feels like stepping directly into the terrifying, disorienting reality of severe mental illness, guided by a remarkably eloquent and frank narrator. The pace is steady and deeply introspective, pulling the reader through harrowing experiences of paranoia, hallucinations, and suicidal ideation. Despite the dark and frightening atmosphere of the author's internal world, the tone remains incredibly articulate and moving. The prose is beautifully written, offering a clear-eyed view of psychological obstacles that seem insurmountable. It is a deeply affecting journey that arcs from the terrifying onset of psychosis to a place of hard-won professional and personal triumph. This book will profoundly resonate with readers seeking an honest, firsthand understanding of schizophrenia and the resilience required to survive it.
- Mood
- harrowing
- terrifying
- introspective
- triumphant
- Tone
- eloquent
- frank
- moving
- reflective
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- living with severe mental illness · the reality of psychosis · overcoming immense obstacles · professional achievement
- The writing
- Beautifully written, eloquent, and frank in its depiction of internal psychological terror.
- The arc
- Moves from the terrifying onset of uncontrollable paranoia and hallucinations to a hard-won, triumphant stability and professional success.
- Who it's for
- Readers seeking an articulate, firsthand account of navigating severe mental illness and achieving professional success.
Content notes
- suicide attempts
- suicidal ideation
- hallucinations
- paranoia
- severe mental illness
About the book
Elyn R. Saks is an esteemed professor, lawyer, and psychiatrist and is the Orrin B. Evans Professor of Law, Psychology, Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the University of Southern California Law School, yet she has suffered from schizophrenia for most of her life, and still has ongoing major episodes of the illness. The Center Cannot Hold is the eloquent, moving story of Elyn's life, from the first time that she heard voices speaking to her as a young teenager, to attempted suicides in college, through learning to live on her own as an adult in an often terrifying world. Saks discusses frankly the paranoia, the inability to tell imaginary fears from real ones, the voices in her head telling her to kill herself (and to harm others); as well the incredibly difficult obstacles she overcame to become a highly respected professional. This beautifully written memoir is destined to become a classic in its genre.
Description from Open Library.
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