This is an important and poignant book. Ron Powers is a Pulitzer Price-winning critic and Emmy-winning TV commentator. He and his wife had two schizophrenic sons. By telling their story of their sons progressive schizophrenia, he tells the story of America's mental health policies, medical developments and big pharma, and general stigmas supplied by ordinary people like you and me.

Powers writes beautifully and this is an interestingly blend of excellent nonfiction writing and narrative story telling. He shares a lot of very personal exchanges within his family in the hope that more conversation will be stimulated on this difficult subject. While the focus is largely on schizophrenia, the messages apply to the broad array of mental conditions.

This is for those who experience mental illness (1 in 4 Americans?), but especially for those who care for people with mental illness.