Sandy Ernest Allen
“The book is an attempt to contend with the fact that facts don’t always square; that there isn’t an ultimate answer to many of the big questions; that a work of nonfiction can’t make good on its promises unless it acknowledges that the record might not add up, or that there might be radically incompatible versions of the truth.”
“To pay great attention and devote steady care to the perspective of another is, in itself, almost miraculous—especially when the Other has been cast as mad and dangerous. Sandy Allen has brought forward their uncle’s life, rendering in exquisite detail what his experiences as a stigmatized, struggling man allowed him to see. This is a truly original piece of work. I urge you to read it.”
“Insightful . . . Allen offers readers an incredible glimpse into the life of a person battling with schizophrenia.”
“Deeply affecting . . . Evokes what it’s like to try to make sense of a troubled loved one from afar . . . The picture of a distinct but impenetrable life.”
Sandy Ernest Allen is an author, essayist and journalist whose work focuses on mental health and gender from a human rights perpsective. He’s contributed to many outlets, including Esquire, Cosmopolitan, The Believer, The Cut, Them, as well as the podcasts 99% Invisible and ThisAmerican Life. His acclaimed debut book, A Kind of Mirraculas Paradise: A True Story aboutSchizophrenia (Scribner, 2019), which was nominated as a top work of journalism of the decade byNYU’s j-school, amongst other honors. He’s long been at work on a sequel, about the future of mental health care. Sandy writes a newsletter about his life and garden and self-care strategies and other such called What’s Helping Today.
Open and right-click to download
