By 
Jay Neugeboren, the Author of “Dickens in Brooklyn” “ Essays on Family, Writing & Madness” has written a heartfelt, poignant, and memorable book of essays. Is it ideal that truth is stranger than fiction? The essays pulled at my heartstrings. The author weaves his family and characters with the history and description of the timelines.One of the most potent parts throughout the book that resonates for me, is the relationship, and his attitude towards his brother. It seems that Jay Neugeboren falls into the role of a caretaker for his children other relatives, and people that come into his life. When his brother is younger he depicts their carefree relationship, the fun, the freedom and has shares some loving memories. When his brother develops mental illness, his mother has an especially difficult time dealing with this. What is so frightening and sadden is that I learned from the author that ways of dealing with mental illness, and hospitalization hasn’t changed in many years. The hospitals were like prisons, and there was no time to give adequate therapy. Often the patients were treated with rewards, or consequences, such as cigarettes. After thirty years, their mother moves to Florida, feeling that she did the best she could with the brother. The author takes him to his son’s graduation, and tries the best that he can to have the freedom to visit. He finds out when he visits his brother, that the psychiatrist has been giving him different medications without notifying the author.
In the essays, the author writes with such mastery, that he emotionally describes each person with intensity. I highly recommend this thought-provoking book.
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