The Enigma of Suicide: A Timely Investigation into the Causes, the Possibilities for Prevention and the Paths to Healing [Paperback]

George Howe Colt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1992

For anyone trying to understand how and why suicide happens, here is a provocative exploration of the subject. Colt interviewed hundreds of people who have had intimate encounters with suicide to unveil the mysteries that surround this tragic phenomenon.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The U.S. purportedly has at least 80 suicides per day, with many times that number in failed attempts. Life staffer Colt attributes the alarming rise in adolescent suicides to multiple factors including drugs, loneliness, divorce, rootlessness, increased competition and the threat of global suicide hanging over us all. The most comprehensive, illuminating look at suicide to date, this monumental survey begins with an account of "suicide clusters" that shook Plano, Texas in 1983 and a tri-county area around New York City in 1984. Poignant case histories underscore the fact that "even to trained suicidologists, clues are often recognizable only in retrospect." Surveying the history of suicide from ancient Egypt to U.S. inner cities, Colt demonstrates that the way a culture judges suicide depends largely on that culture's view of death. After discussing the moral and legal issues raised by right-to-die advocates, he explores contemporary suicide prevention, including treatment centers, hot lines, survivor groups and unprecedented classroom efforts to educate students about suicide.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Written by a writer for Life magazine, this well-researched book covers all aspects of suicide, including its social, cultural, and legal history; the biological and psychological research available; attempts at prevention; the right-to-die movement; and the effects on survivors. Interspersing interviews with factual information, the author provides the reader with a deeper understanding of the study of suicide, and points out that for some people suicide may be the only choice. Some of the stories are depressing, but this book will probably be comforting to survivors who are trying to make sense of why their loved ones succumbed to this dreaded persuasion. Recommended for most libraries.
- Lucy Patrick, Florida State Univ. Lib., Tallahassee
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (April 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671760718
• ISBN-13: 978-0671760717
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,910,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for voyeours or those with casual interrest!, April 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Enigma of Suicide: A Timely Investigation into the Causes, the Possibilities for Prevention and the Paths to Healing (Paperback)

A must read for those with a serious interest in the study of suicide. I found this book six years ago after the suicide death of my friend's only child, a beautiful and talented 18 year old.

Of the books I've read on suicide this has been the most thorough at exploring the various schools of thought regarding the subject. George Howe Colt looks at suicide historically, culturally, philosophically, and as the intimate assault it is on persons, families, and communities. He unveils many unwieldy questions, including the right to die with candor and only a hint of occasional bias. Although he avoids no subject, he does not aggrandize himself by claiming to have the answers. From the outside view of prevention to the inside view of pain he explores and shares what is happening in the two worlds via interviews with survivors, memoirs of suicides, gripping case studies and more.

Having said that, let me emphasize that THIS IS NOT A BEREAVEMENT BOOK! This came piercingly clear when I opened the pages recently after the loss of my own child to teen suicide. A suicide survivor may find it difficult to navigate the wrenching realities this discourse brings. It is not a book designed for comfort, but rather one illustrative of our discomfort and only possible because of human suffering.

**A note for those struggling to regain equilibrium after a suicide. As a suicide "survivor", I have not yet found a book studying suicide that I can wholly recommend for grief work purposes. If you want an in-depth exploration and are emotionally ready, this is the book I would recommend. However, many suicide books purposely or inadvertently direct blame to those who can least bear it. For healing purposes I would recommend the excellent book When the Bough Breaks: Forever After the Death of A Son or daughter by Judith R. Bernstein & Nora Donaghy for those who have lost a child. For all bereaved persons I recommend A Broken Heart Still Beats by Anne McCracken & Mary Semel.**

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very thorough, March 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Enigma of Suicide: A Timely Investigation into the Causes, the Possibilities for Prevention and the Paths to Healing (Paperback)

Really an excellent survey of the subject, with heartbreaking case studies interwoven. This book is very well written, deals a lot with historical treatments and perceptions of suicide, as well as current scientific thinking. Lots of facts, not a "how-to-cope" book but very useful if you're looking for information.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, insightful, healing, life changing..., December 15, 2005

By 

P. Arsenault - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Enigma of Suicide: A Timely Investigation into the Causes, the Possibilities for Prevention and the Paths to Healing (Paperback)

I have faced head on the aftermath of suicide and this book was finally able to bring healing and answers after 10 years of not understanding 'why' and feeling guilty and ashamed. I would not have been able to face the catastrophic grief this book brings to life any earlier than this. This is not for someone in their first years of healing but if you have a suicide in your past or have ever contimplated suicide then read every page. I read every day, and most days had to stop when I couldn't see the words for the tears. But in the end I feel free of the guilt I carried for so long, and understood, and normal again. It's different but a new different. And it's stopped any thought of contagious or genetic suicide from effecting me. Walking through the grief of the surviving families was the most healing, powerful, insightful, life changing experience I've known.
Thank-you George Howe Colt!