's Best of 2001
Sometimes, the legacy of depression includes a wisdom beyond one's years, a depth of passion unexperienced by those who haven't traveled to hell and back. Off the charts in its enlightening, comprehensive analysis of this pervasive yet misunderstood condition, The Noonday Demon forges a long, brambly path through the subject of depression--exposing all the discordant views and "answers" offered by science, philosophy, law, psychology, literature, art, and history. The result is a sprawling and thoroughly engrossing study, brilliantly synthesized by author Andrew Solomon.

Deceptively simple chapter titles (including "Breakdowns," "Treatments," "Addiction," "Suicide") each sit modestly atop a virtual avalanche of Solomon's intellect. This is not a book to be skimmed. But Solomon commands the language--and his topic--with such grace and empathy that the constant flow of references, poems, and quotations in his paragraphs arrive like welcome dinner guests. A longtime sufferer of severe depression himself, Solomon willingly shares his life story with readers. He discusses updated information on various drugs and treatment approaches while detailing his own trials with them. He describes a pharmaceutical company's surreal stage production (involving Pink Floyd, kick dancers, and an opener à la Cats) promoting a new antidepressant to their sales team. He chronicles his research visits to assorted mental institutions, which left him feeling he would "much rather engage with every manner of private despair than spend a protracted time" there. Under Solomon's care, however, such tales offer much more than shock value. They show that depression knows no social boundaries, manifests itself quite differently in each person, and has become political. And, while it may worsen or improve, depression will never be eradicated. Hope lies in finding ways--as Solomon clearly has--to harness its powerful lessons. --Liane Thomas


From Publishers Weekly
"Depression is the flaw in love. To be creatures who love, we must be creatures who despair," begins Solomon's expansive and astutely observed examination of the experience, origins, and cultural manifestations of depression. While placing his study in a broad social contex-- according to recent research, some 19 million Americans suffer from chronic depression--he also chronicles his own battle with the disease. Beginning just after his senior year in college, Solomon began experiencing crippling episodes of depression. They became so bad that after losing his mother to cancer and his therapist to retirement he attempted (unsuccessfully) to contract HIV so that he would have a reason to kill himself. Attempting to put depression and its treatments in a cross-cultural context, he draws effectively and skillfully on medical studies, historical and sociological literature, and anecdotal evidence, analyzing studies of depression in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, Inuit life in Greenland, the use of electroshock therapy and the connections between depression and suicide in the U.S. and other cultures. In examining depression as a cultural phenomenon, he cites many literary melancholics Virginia Woolf, Samuel Beckett, John Milton, Shakespeare, John Keats, and George Eliot as well as such thinkers as Freud and Hegel, to map out his "atlas" of the condition. Smart, empathetic, and exhibiting a wide and resonant knowledge of the topic, Solomon has provided an enlightening and sobering window onto both the medical and imaginative worlds of depression. (June)Forecast: Excerpted last year in the New Yorker, this pathbreaking work is bound to attract major review attention and media, boosted by a seven-city tour. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
In addition to the self-help and parental advice genres is the literary and philosophical study of depression that harks back to Richard Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy. The Noonday Demon, based on an article that Solomon wrote for The New Yorker in 1998, is such a book. The backbone of this superb work is the author's narrative of his own struggles with severe depressionDhis musings on its multifarious causes and on the role that his privileged socioeconomic status has played in its successful management. Solomon also interviewed scores of other depression sufferers about their trials with treatment and visited Africa, Greenland, and Cambodia in search of different cultural perspectives. This journalistic approach allows Solomon to convey a great deal of information in the form of fascinating, if sometimes horrific, life stories. This compassionate work that never simplifies complex matters is essential for all collections. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From the New England Journal of Medicine, February 21, 2002
Andrew Solomon is a successful and much admired author. He writes regularly for a number of periodicals and is an award-winning novelist. By his own account, he grew up as a healthy, happy, white American from a privileged background. He enjoyed positive relationships with his family and had a strong network of friends. Yet, in the early 1990s, depression crept up on him and took over his life, so that even getting out of bed and going to take a shower became an overwhelming challenge that he frequently failed to overcome. Despite success in his career, he became unable to undertake the simplest tasks, had frequent periods of intense anxiety, and avoided social contact with friends. Solomon can give no easy explanation of why he is vulnerable to recurrent depression, and he does not associate any specific events with the onset of the episode he describes in detail. However, he clearly had all the classic symptoms of a major depressive episode and was so debilitated by this disorder that he returned to live with and be cared for by his 70-year-old father. Solomon describes the incredible sense of loneliness that characterized this time in his life, and he writes graphically about the despair and hopelessness he felt. He tried a number of treatments, including psychoanalysis (which he says was ``like firing a machine gun at the incoming tide'') and various types of medication (some of which he used simply to obliterate the day). Not wishing to kill himself by more conventional means, he decided, with the logic that characterizes a man on the edge, that indulging in frequent unsafe homosexual sex with strangers would put him at high risk for AIDS. He reasoned that if he contracted AIDS, he could finally escape his miserable existence, but he could also die in a way that would cause his family less distress than a sudden suicide and, he believed, would be more acceptable to the rest of society. In the opening chapter of The Noonday Demon, Solomon digs deeply into his experiences and takes us on a vivid journey through his personal hell. However, he does not stop at the analysis of his own breakdowns; his insights into depression span not only autobiography, but also the scientific and historical roots of depression, its treatment, and the effect of this disorder on the Western world. Thus, this book is neither an autobiographical account of the experience of clinical depression nor a textbook exploration of the theory and therapy of this disorder. Solomon explores depression from personal, social, and political perspectives. Such a project is ambitious, and those who have had clinical depression may be disappointed that he does not try to console other sufferers or to offer specific self-help techniques. Clinicians may quibble about his definitions and descriptions of various treatments and their mechanisms of effect (for example, he calls cognitive therapy a psychodynamic psychotherapy). However, such criticisms miss the point. Solomon has made an important contribution to the public understanding of the notion of depression. He uses his considerable skills as an author to explore the problems of definition and diagnosis -- when, for instance, does human sadness become clinical depression? He derides attempts to use mathematical formulas to measure the severity of depression and emphasizes the need to view depression as a human condition afflicting the mind as well as the brain. Solomon rails against the use of terms such as ``chemical'' in discussions of causation -- not because he fails to recognize the importance of biologic change, but because such reductionist terminology is meaningless. Solomon cogently argues that, in the end, everything about a person can be described as chemical if one wishes to think in those terms: if depression is chemical, then so is love and so is intelligence. He also exposes the apparent conflict between the tendencies, on the one hand, to trivialize major depression and, on the other, to use selective serotonin-reuptake-inhibitor antidepressants as a panacea for an array of nonclinical problems. He makes a strong case for the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of clinical depression and deplores the ignorance that leaves many without the chance to receive adequate or appropriate treatment that might ``give them back their life.'' One of the amazing things about this book is that Solomon writes about depression, loneliness, and his loss of belief in a capacity for love with humor, vitality, and passion. Although the personal meaning of his depression is a background theme throughout the book, the accounts of his interviews with sufferers, clinical experts, and health policy advisors, along with the opinions he expresses repeatedly, reveal his curiosity, intelligence, and wit. Although the focus is on the misery of depression as experienced by persons from various social and cultural contexts throughout the ages, this is not a depressing book to read. It is an accessible book that persons from clinical and nonclinical backgrounds can and should read. Solomon gives insights into the experience of depression (he describes it as a living death) but manages to avoid trading in cliches. His candor about his own fight against depression and the elements of the experience that challenged him to learn, to change, and to salvage something positive do provide some hope for the future. He denies that the goal of writing the book was catharsis, stating that his intention was rather to reach out to others who experience the terrible isolation that results from depression. The author writes that the horrific loneliness he endured when he was depressed has enabled him to value intimacy. He expresses the view that, ultimately, this episode has made him a better person, and he concludes by reflecting, ``each day I choose to be alive, is that not a rare joy?'' Jan Scott, M.D. Copyright © 2002 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. The New England Journal of Medicine is a registered trademark of the MMS.


From AudioFile
An accomplished writer narrates his intimate essay on the world's most pervasive emotional malady. His memoir thoughtfully looks at how people across the globe react to their depressive vulnerabilities and/or their life-draining circumstances. The excellent abridgment looks at all manifestations of depression, from violent acting out to morbid self-loathing, and the author doesn't spare any details in the telling of his own trail of symptoms. But from the authority of these experiences comes a message of limitless hope and a heartfelt urging to never give up when besieged by depression in any of its forms. Read with compelling immediacy, this is an audio you won't forget. T.W. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Review
Christine Whitehouse Time The book for a generation...Solomon interweaves a personal narrative with scientific, philosophical, historical, political, and cultural insights...The result is an elegantly written, meticulously researched book that is empathetic and enlightening, scholarly and useful...Solomon apologizes that "no book can span the reach of human suffering." This one comes close.


Book Description
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, policy makers and politicians, drug designers and philosophers, Andrew 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 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. With uncommon humanity, candor, wit, and erudition, award-winning author Solomon takes readers on a journey of incom-parable 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.


From the Publisher
The 2001 National Book Award Winner for Nonfiction.


About the Author
Andrew Solomon studied at Yale University and Jesus College Cambridge. He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker, ArtForum, and The New York Times Magazine. He is the author of The Irony Tower: Soviet Artists in a Time of Glasnost and a novel, A Stone Boat, which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times First Fiction Award. He is the winner of the 2001 National Book Award.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
"Atlas" is an apt word to describe this riveting chronicle of depression, which covers the author's own harrowing experience, as well as the accounts of numerous others. The detail with which Solomon describes the nuances and subtle moods of depression -- as many as there are points on a map -- is stunning. Days are composed of moments that alternate wildly between a suffocating blanket of anxieties and irrational fears; more manageable, but equally inescapable, malaise; haunting memories of past pleasures and pain; inexplicable grief; even moments pregnant with hope for recovery, or at least, remission -- each mood rendered with a precision that engrosses the reader in Solomon's agonizing ordeal. Never has a writer rendered such a vivid portrait of depression as a disease of the mind.

The gripping personal accounts that serve as the book's framework are gracefully dovetailed with a more clinical examination of this debilitating disease -- scientific findings, the history of depression, a view of the illness in its political context, and the options for treatment are all expounded throughout the course of Solomon's story. Readers who have suffered from depression will identify with the long succession of therapies, medications, and psychoanalysts the author recounts. However, few depressives have gone to such lengths to alleviate their suffering; in one fascinating chapter Solomon describes a trip he made to Africa to undergo the mystical ndeup ceremony that is said to eradicate mental illness.

In the field of "depression memoirs," which is often rife with self-pity and navel-gazing, this book sets a new standard. It is a mature, perceptive, and compassionate reflection -- not without a touch of humor -- on a topic that affects almost everyone in some way. Solomon's graceful blending of the disparate elements that make up the experience of depression positions The Noonday Demon to be the landmark work on this disease for both sufferers and health care professionals. (Karen Burns)

FROM THE PUBLISHER

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, policy makers and politicians, drug designers and philosophers, Andrew 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 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. With uncommon humanity, candor, wit, and erudition, award-winning author Solomon takes readers 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.

SYNOPSIS

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.

FROM THE CRITICS

Book Magazine - Rochelle O'Gorman

Few audiobooks impart the kind of gentle wisdom found throughout Solomon's National Book Award￯﾿ﾽwinning tome on depression. Part memoir, part analysis, it describes Solomon's anguished battle with depression and examines the role this affliction has played through the ages. Solomon is a sincere and engaging reader who brings emotional shading to the material, and there is not one dry note. The only flaw worth mentioning is the abridgement: While nicely handled, it isn't necessary. Listeners may find themselves reaching for the printed book for more on this fascinating topic.

Publishers Weekly

Calling depression the "flaw of love," 2001 National Book Award-winner Solomon (A Stone Boat) brings a stunning breadth of research to this widely misunderstood and often stigmatized illness. At least 19 million Americans suffer from chronic depression, and Solomon concedes its diagnosis and treatment are as complex as the illness. The eloquent, cerebral prose distinguishing his book (the writing of which, he says, consumed his life for five years), is mirrored in Solomon's equally articulate and refined reading style, marked by traces of a crisp British accent and a consistent, soothing tone. While outlining the major treatments, Solomon's discussion covers brain chemistry, the classes of antidepressants and their possible effects and efficacy rates, as well as the successful resurgence of electroshock therapy, talk therapy, surgical options and alternative therapies (e.g., herbal, homeopathic and hypnosis). Some laypersons may find the audio format ill-adapted for this technical portion. However, Solomon's unequivocal candor about his own at times incapacitating struggle with depression, and the compassionate, hopeful perspective he conveys more than makes up for this. Loaded with personal anecdotes, snippets of letters, interviews and recalled conversations with fellow sufferers, this audio creates a sense of intimacy many listeners may find therapeutic. Based on the Scribner hardcover (Forecasts, May 14, 2001). (Feb.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

In addition to the self-help and parental advice genres is the literary and philosophical study of depression that harks back to Richard Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy. The Noonday Demon, based on an article that Solomon wrote for The New Yorker in 1998, is such a book. The backbone of this superb work is the author's narrative of his own struggles with severe depression--his musings on its multifarious causes and on the role that his privileged socioeconomic status has played in its successful management. Solomon also interviewed scores of other depression sufferers about their trials with treatment and visited Africa, Greenland, and Cambodia in search of different cultural perspectives. This journalistic approach allows Solomon to convey a great deal of information in the form of fascinating, if sometimes horrific, life stories. This compassionate work that never simplifies complex matters is essential for all collections. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile

An accomplished writer narrates his intimate essay on the world's most pervasive emotional malady. His memoir thoughtfully looks at how people across the globe react to their depressive vulnerabilities and/or their life-draining circumstances. The excellent abridgment looks at all manifestations of depression, from violent acting out to morbid self-loathing, and the author doesn't spare any details in the telling of his own trail of symptoms. But from the authority of these experiences comes a message of limitless hope and a heartfelt urging to never give up when besieged by depression in any of its forms. Read with compelling immediacy, this is an audio you won't forget. T.W. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews