NAMI BOOK CLUB NOW ONLINE
OUR BOOK CLUB IS GOING VIRTUAL!
Our book club has switched to an online format. We will still, however, meet from time to time to enjoy a movie together. Check back here for our summer movie date and time soon to be announced. All of our movie nights are free and open to the public. Just show up and enjoy some popcorn and the show!
HERE'S HOW OUR BOOK CLUB WORKS . . . . .
After you've read the book, e-mail me your comments (Subject Line: Book Club) at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Know of other good books on the topic or have any helpful links providing additional information? Send those too. I am also interested in whatever suggestions you have for future books.
BOOK CLUB SPRING READINGS ANNOUNCED
Here are our spring titles. For more information about our book club visit our web site at NAMI-BC.org!
April: The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man’s Quest to Be a Better Husband by David Finch. This book chronicles one man’s attempt to be a better husband after being diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. Finch is open, honest and humorous and gives readers true insight into a world where relationships are difficult at best, empathy is a learned art, and working to rewire the brain becomes a daily challenge. Although it’s a book about Asperger’s, any married couple may pick up some valuable pointers through Finch’s unique take on becoming a better husband.
May: Use Your Brain to Change Your Age by Daniel Amen. Renowned clinical neuroscientist, psychiatrist and brain-imaging expert Amen details his anti-aging program for the brain for improving memory, focus and energy. The brain, says Amen, is involved in everything you do; how you think, feel, act and get along with others. Amen details what you can do to help your brain reach its full potential and stay healthy including simple steps such as getting eight hours of sleep nightly; putting enough lean protein, healthy fats and high-fiber carbohydrates in your diet; exercise; dedication to lifelong learning and much more.
June: My Schizophrenic Life: The Road to Recovery from Mental Illness by Sandra Yuen McKay (2010). In this memoir, the author chronicles her lifelong struggles with mental illness. Yuen illustrates the ways in which schizophrenic delusions take over her life and introduces readers to a greater understanding of what it is like to live with schizophrenia including her hospitalizations, relationships, therapeutic activities and quest for recovery. Markay is not only a writer but also an artist who uses creative insights taken from her more severe bouts of her illness to express herself.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR OUR NEXT MOVIE NIGHT
Next movie: "Girl Interrupted" will be shown on June 21, 2012 at our NAMI office. The movie details one woman's struggle with Borderline Personality Disorder (as played by Winona Ryder). Our movie night is free and open to the public.
2012 WINTER BOOKS:
January: I am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help by Xavier Amador, 2007. A professor of clinical psychology, who has a brother with schizophrenia, Amador details how to help someone with mental illness accept treatment. Amador offers great insight into how it feels to suffer from a mental illness and the best ways to help someone struggling with mental illness (without making matters worse!). His tips for communicating with a loved one about treatment are particularly useful. This book has received great acclaim from professionals and laypersons alike.
February: Voluntary Madness by Norah Vincent, 2008. A journalist, pretending to be in need of psychiatric hospitalization, commits herself to three different mental health facilities with varying approaches to treating mental illness.
March: Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet, 2006. An exploration inside the extraordinary mind of someone living with autism . . . and genius.
ABOUT OUR BOOKS . . .
Our book selections include personal accounts of family members and individuals struggling with mental illness, those who are struggling with the dual diagnosis of mental illness and addiction, in-depth looks at various forms of mental illness such as biopolar disorder or shizophrenia, fictional accounts, and how-to books.
CHECK OUT OUR LENDING LIBRARY!
NAMI Butler County's lending library continues to grow and is open before our monthly education meetings, Family-to-Family classes, support groups, etc. Please check it out and check something out! Many of our past book club selections can be found there as well. We are also pleased to include your donations of fiction and non-fiction books and even DVDs covering mental health topics. Thanks to those who have donated books this month!
A big thanks to Suzan Stracke, a NAMI Board Member and Ambassador who has volunteered to manage our library.
Want to read past book club selections? Here is a list of some of our 2011 selections . . .
DECEMBER: Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain by Portia de Rossi: Chronicles the actress's diagnosis and treatment of bulimia and anorexia nervosa, 2011.
NOVEMBER: Here's the Deal: Don't Touch Me by Howie Mandel, 2009. Details the comedian's struggles with severed obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
OCTOBER: Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness by William Sytron, 2007. A first person account of what it was like for this award-winning author to suffer from debilitating depression.
SEPTEMBER: A Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic Depressive Illness by Patty Duke, 1992. A study in contrasts, this book details Duke's life before and after diagnosis and treatment and her great relief and appreciation for learning she had a brain disorder that could be treated.
AUGUST: Born for Love: Why Empathy is Essential and Endangered by Bruce D. Perry and Maia Szalavitz. This book discusses how and why we bond with others and why it's necessary in order to develop into healthy adults. It also explores how technology, child rearing practices and lifestyles could hinder this development.
JULY: In July we watched the movie A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe. It's the story of a brilliant economics professor who is diagnosed with schizophrenia. There are several copies available at the Lane Library if you haven't yet had a chance to see it.
JUNE: Worry by Edward Hallowel, MD. This book offers hope and help from something we all suffer from in varying degrees at one time or another. While some worry is constructive (it's the force behind saving money for a rainy day or doing a good job at work), worry can also get out of control. Dr. Hallowell discusses all types of worry, explores its causes, and outlines the best strategies for keeping worry in check.