Customer Reviews

Angelhead: My Brother's Descent into Madness

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Greg Bottoms is a fine writer: honest and brave. In ANGELHEAD, he describes a tormented, mentally ill sibling, and he exposes the pain the illness brought on the whole family.

From the outside, the Bottoms family was middle-class suburban. When his older brother Michael began experiencing psychotic episodes, though, that world was turned upside-down. A few neighbors and friends glimpsed what was going on, but the day-to-day tension of living with a man who could, in an instant, turn violently delusional must have been nerve-wracking for Greg and his parents.

At first, Michael's erratic behavior was attributed to recreational drugs or a lack of self-discipline. It wasn't until the Bottoms family was faced with the diagnosis of schizophrenia that Michael craziness finally made sense. Michael destroyed their home, and their lives; he drained their emotional resources, he even tried to kill them. They doggedly tried to stand by him and get help for him, but it wasn't enough.

Is every schizophrenic as scary or sad as Michael? No--Greg points out again and again that Michael's case was extreme, not all people with this problem are violent or unmanageable.

The real tragedy of this case is that Michael could only get the help he needed after he committed a serious crime, one that nearly claimed the lives of Greg's parents and brother Ron.

I know people who grew up in homes with a mentally-ill family member. Most "outsiders" would question whether this sort of thing can happen, if it isn't an exaggeration. Well, it does indeed happen, and it leaves scars on everyone. Greg Bottoms had the courage to come forward and share what he went through. There are many, many families out there who need to read this book, to know they are not alone.

I almost did not pick up this book due to the subject matter - too depressing. But I did pick it up, I read it, and I have no regrets. Yes, it is a terrible sad story of the horrific effects of mental illness on one young man and his entire family. But the story is told so well, so cleanly by Greg Bottoms that I could not put it down after the first page. Bottoms touches all the bases, including the differing theories on the causes and treatment of schizophrenia. He admits the tragic truth that what happens to these poor people is very much a mystery. That aside, the story itself is riveting and frequently scary (the 'smell' of madness....). At the end I was filled with sadness and compassion for this family. And I will look for more writings by Greg Bottoms who showed so much courage and heart in opening his painful world for us to see. Read it!

I was very moved by this book--to tears, which is unheard of for me. How Greg Bottoms gets into his brother's head creates amazing feeling. I couldn't explain how he does it. I'm no critic, alas, just an avid reader, particularly of books having to do with abnormal psychology, and also Southern literature. One of the reviewers below didn't like this tact (the same person mentions a trial when in fact there is no trial, only an admission of guilt to arson and attempted murder and then a sentence to the psych ward of a maximum security prison). To me this kind of imaginative writing and conjecture as to the state of the subject's mind during his crimes made what could have just been an interesting memoir into a special one, even a great one. I felt this rose above the level of personal tragedy and said something important about illness, family, and even contemporary society. Fine work, indeed.

I read this book straight through. Bottoms' account of what his family went through while his older brother descended into madness is an amazing and gut-wrenching work. Most impressive of all perhaps is that out of such pain and darkness, Bottoms was able to create such a genuinely moving and beautiful work. I'm looking forward to the next book by this talented young writer.

at least in my opinion.

i noticed several negative reviews of this book...particularly the few bashing the book because of it's portrayal of how schizophrenia affects the family's life.

well, hey, i'm sorry if that offends you, ya know, but guess what? it's true. that's just how it is. i'm sorry all of you parents of schizophrenic people(and other activists) are too engrossed in your sympathy to realize that there are other's affected by schizophrenia than the patient.

i would know.

i've been dxd with undifferentiated schizophrenia since i was 15 years old(i'm currently 19) i've been through this.

far and away this book is one of the most artistic books i've seen on schizophrenia, rivalled only, perhaps, by "quiet room" or "imagining robert".

this is an incredibly engrossing read and moves at a fast pace. even when the story is at a would-be boring part, the author's beautiful use of language carries it through. highly recommended.

btw, just to let it be known, the author does not seem to have a great grasp on the normal outcome of schiz...however such trivialties can be easily forgotten - if even noticed.

great book and a great read.

**this book should be read for what it is, rather than what the topic or genre is.

My wife got this book for school and I happened to pick it up and read it before she did. While the story itself is rather depressing the insight given by Greg's story is enlighting. We have so far to go yet in truely helping people with mental and emotional needs, yet we continue to throw drugs at people and hope they will just go away. Awesome book!

Too often the mentally ill are disregarded or worse, blamed for their condition. Bottoms' description of his brother's descent into madness should cure people of this temptation--it's all too clear that Michael Bottoms insanity was the result of some pre-existing factors over which he had no control--factors that may have begun to manifest themselves in small ways when he was a child (Greg Bottoms writes of his brother's violence as a child as well as his odd alienation).

It's truly terrifying to see Michael change from a fairly normal adolescent into a raging, paranoid, delusional teenager, and from there, to an adult incapable of managing reality who holds his family prisoner in his world of madness. Only tragedy can set them free, and that, unfortunately for Michael but perhaps best for his parents and brothers, is what eventually releases them from a disease none of them can handle.

I picked this up expecting something lighter, but I was not disappointed by Greg Bottoms' recreation of the horror and sadness his family faced dealing with his brother's schizophrenia. His writing is crystal clear and his story sympathetic without being sentimental.

This book is 200 or so pages of pure drama, pure brilliance. At times, it gets so intense that you just have to put it down and stop to think. It's a great book for anyone who has ever lived with anyone that has a mental illness. My mother has had OCD since I was 13, so I could entirely relate to Greg's experiences. I got into punk too, so I guess it's just a response to a world that seems unfair. This book will make you cry, but most importantly also make you think about life and its ups and downs

Angelhead is a gripping, searing memoir of madness and how it rips apart a family. It's also a powerful testament to the redemptive power of creativity, writing, and reading. Greg Bottoms and his family were terrorized by his schizophrenic brother for years. They thought he was a drug addict, a bad seed who couldn't get his act together, and they suffered crippling guilt when they discovered he was actually mentally ill. Bottoms has an economically powerful style--every word, every phrase has huge emotional impact. This is NOT just a book for those interested in mental illness, or family memoir--this is a book for anyone who cares about wonderful writing and the power of the creative process.

I knew Greg--not Gregory--back in the old neighborhood. I remember a sweetness about that kid, a calm. He would remember me too. He came to my 5th birthday party and called my older brother his best friend. I think I understood him, a wise spirit even then. I've always equated his name with the peace his presence extended. I was sorry to see him leave, sorry to lose the excuse for orbiting about him. I read this book out of curiosity and support for a boy, now a man and a remarkable artist, I knew 24 years ago. Even more, though, I read it to reacquaint myself with a comfortable soul. Perhaps the author and I shared this goal. As the book progressed, he seemed to shift focus from displaying his craft as an author to raw self-searching. I enjoyed the opportunity to empathize eventhough the details were, and always have been, painful.

His words forced me to see the infectious nature of mental illness, how it steals the individuality and softness of entire families. And who's to blame? And how do you prevent it? I still carry the frustration now 2 days after finishing the book. That said, I found great hope in the short instances where he shared the reflections that have and will continue to return softness to an exhauted and hidden soul.

I'm impressed both with the book and the author.