Customer Reviews

Manic: A Memoir

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

In MANIC, author Terri Cheney provides a fascinating glimpse into the experiences of someone suffering from Bipolar Disorder, AKA manic-depression. Rather than to narrate her story in a chronological fashion, Cheney presents each chapter as a stand-alone vignette from the chaos that is her life. Furthermore, each of these individual stories serves to highlight a particular insight, from the depths of depression which prompt a suicide attempt to the fine line between the joys of hypomania versus the craziness of mania itself. Cheney does tend to repeat herself a bit--for example, she names several different medications as the "one" that finally helped her and claims various depressive episodes to be the "worst" she ever experienced. Overall, however, from the perspective of both a psychologist and an avid reader, I felt that a sense of truth and candidness permeated Cheney's writing. This book provides a captivating read for almost anyone but should particularly appeal to the many whose lives have been personally touched by manic-depression; my overall rating is 4 1/2 stars.

I've dealt with depression and a bipolar condition all of my life. When I was younger, I didn't know what it was. At that point, it just manifested itself as a heavy sadness that would hit about every six months or so and last for about a week. Unfortunately, as I grew older and got knocked about by life every so often - especially when I got hammered through no fault of my own and didn't see the reason for it, that cycle accelerated and started lasting longer.

During those intervening years, I also pushed my writing hobby (probably cathartic in the beginning) into a full-time career. Which meant that I was forced to (and still do) live primarily out of my own head. That's not always a pleasant place to be. Too many nightmares exist there. And I've learned throughout my life where all the weak points are. When I'm in a downward spiral, I attack myself unmercifully. When I'm in an upward spiral, I can't sit still.

I started figuring out my own coping mechanism, based on materials and books I'd read. But that was only after I figured out what I was going through was different than the life other people dealt with. In fact, my first clues as to what I had to face were given to me by friends that suffered from the same anxieties and pressures.

These conditions aren't easy to deal with for the person who has them. Or for the people around them.

When I first read about Terri Cheney's book, MANIC, I immediately wanted to review it. Here was a successful person who admittedly dealt with the same issues I had, but I didn't know how honest she was going to be about those problems.

After reading Cheney's book in a single sitting (because I was mesmerized at watching a train wreck in motion and thinking how similar our strategies for self-destruction were), I have to admit that I couldn't find a single pulled punch. Cheney lays her life out there for inspection and offers no apologies for it. I have to admit, in a lot of ways she had it worse than I did. I had kids at an early age and couldn't allow myself to go full-tilt down some of those dark passageways that she explored. I think they were my anchor, though I know that isn't always the case for everyone.

Chaney's book describes her failed relationships, her attempts at chemical and electroshock therapy, her moments of self-discovery, and the seeming impossibility of merely coping in ways that I immediately understood. I don't know if laymen will truly appreciate everything she's done because you have to walk a mile (or several years) in our shoes to know how huge that mountain is to navigate.

People who have never dealt with bipolar tendencies or depression, or never had to share their lives with someone that did, probably won't understand everything Cheney writes about. Even without that insight, though, she tells a compelling story. And as every bipolar person is subject to doing, she jumps around in her narrative. I'm also ADHD and I'm willing to bet Cheney is to a degree as well. That's part of the creative mind as well, and part of what allows us to function at a high level on our own.

I loved this book. It's a savage song of survival, and a rebuttal of conventional life. The average life would be a wonderful thing, but it's not attainable by everyone. Cheney's book may not celebrate that, but she acknowledges it.

Whether you read for understanding, or just a voyeuristic interest in peeking into someone else's life, MANIC is heart-wrenching and a definite gut-check for those who don't realize how good they have it. I don't know if Cheney plans any more books, but I'll definitely be in line to pick them up if she does.

I read this book hoping it might prove worth passing on to family members as an insightful look at one person's struggle with bipolar disorder, since I was diagnosed with the same condition more than a decade ago and explaining it (without actually writing my own book) is nearly impossible. But Cheney's egomania (I can't count the number of times she referenced her beautiful red hair or how thin she is) is so pervasive, it takes away from her credibility when addressing a condition whose extremes overwhelm any sense of vanity. Her descriptions of suicide attempts are more about dramatic presentation than what triggers the death wishes. And even in retrospect, with the aid of proper medication, Cheney seems proud of her claims that she was a virtual Joan Collins when manic, captivating and seducing any man who crossed her wicked path. I'm not saying she's the new James Frey, exactly, but I'm not buying it, either. And I sure hope people don't use this as a resource for learning about bipolar disorder, since they'll wind up thinking we're all self-indulgent, spoiled brats. Too much pomp, not enough circumstance.

whether or not bipolar disorder touches your life, this riveting memoir is powerful and memorable, and is wholeheartedly recommended by this reader. cheney brings us into her world, from darkest depression to the headiest manic phases, creating a high-speed, high-stakes ride we don't want to disembark from until the final page. her magnificent use of language combined with gut-wrenching truth enhances the experience. it's a one-sitting read that shouldn't be missed.

As a psychologist I was struck by the frighteningly accurate portrayals of a condition where life and death are a daily struggle. As a voracious consumer of literature I was taken in by the absorbing quality of the writing.

Terri Cheney does an outstanding job of describing what hypomania and mania really feel like from the perspective of someone with bipolar disorder - herself. The book intentionally skips around, as Cheney relates some of the most memorable hypomanic and manic incidents from her life.

My wife has bipolar disorder, and many of the situations that Cheney describes ring true with my own observations and the way my wife describes her own manic mood episodes.

Cheney's writing style is superb, bringing each scene to life and moving the book along at a rat-a-tat-tat manic pace. I couldn't put it down.

As co-author of Bipolar Disorder for Dummies
and someone who has a loved one with bipolar disorder, I highly recommend this book. Those who have experienced bipolar mania will find comfort in her words, and friends and family of people with bipolar disorder will gain a deeper understanding and acceptance of their loved ones.

The title of this review is borrowed from the title of the biography of Dorothy Parker, a great poet, short story writer and critic. She was perhaps one of the most famous depressives ever to live. She tried to kill herself 3 times and failed every time. Ms. Cheney has her beat. She seems to have tried at least 5 times, and she too, failed every time.

Describing Manic-Depression or Bi-Polar disorder as the DSM-IV calls it, is a challenge. Ms. Cheney does it in a most unique manner. Instead of trying to describe the disorder, the disease, she tells how she lived her life as a manic-depressive. The story is compelling and difficult to put down once the reader starts it. It is about a 4 to 5 hour read and keeps you coming back for more every page.

Her presentation is not chronological, but it is pieces of a life, put together in an order that she remembers, not always with total clarity, but with precision of its own right. Her descriptions of how the disease affected her ability to do her job as an entertainment and intellectual property attorney is beautifully interwoven with the horror of the disease that she carried around with her every single day of her life.

Her particular brand of manic-depressive was severely debilitating and intensely bi-polar. Her manic highs were extraordinarily high and her depressive lows were incredibly low. She would sleep for days, and when she was not sleeping, she would eat and eat and eat, no matter what. She would eat baking soda by the box, coffee, cereal with no milk, anything just to fill her stomach with something that would stave off the craving for food. This is not necessarily how depressives react. Many depressives lose all appetite when they are highly depressed. Many depressives do attempt suicide, and many even succeed. But Manic-Depressives are a breed of their own. The vacillation between the two states is an excruciating existence.

The disease is more prevalent than most people realize in society today. While there is a genetic disposition for the disease, it is not always expressed in the same way as it appears in the parents or grandparents. But Ms. Cheney's version is perhaps one of the worst manifestations of the disease. As time goes on, and people become more familiar with the existence of the disorder, it comes to pass, that most people have some connection to manic-depression. If they don't have it themselves, they know someone close who does. The book is truly recommended for all people who wish to try and understand how the disease affects the life of those people afflicted with it. It is truly the best story of life with Manic-Depression that I have read ever. I highly recommend it to anyone who has it, and anyone who knows someone close who has it. It is truly a well considered and well presented piece of work.

I too have bipolar disorder, and was disappointed by this book. It was really hard to follow. I ended it feeling helpless and panicky. I found it very triggering.

I love this book so much I'm buying it for all my friends in book clubs and for a close relative who is manic-depressive. Because of Manic, I finally understand him on a gut level.

I have to confess I would not have bought it just to be informed about bi-polar disease. I bought it because it's a terrific read. I was hooked from the first sentence, "I didn't tell anyone that I was going to Santa Fe to kill myself." I stayed riveted all the way through one of the most chilling and nakedly honest first chapters I've ever read. If this were a novel, I might call it a literary thriller.

Terri Cheney passes my test for a good writer: she made me laugh and cry. The book is beautifully written, complex, and uncompromisingly frank. Readers are led by a sane guide that almost belies the dangerous places we are taken, like jail and a padded cell. She balances out the most gut-wrenching scenes with relatable humanity and a dry wit that always charms.

Even at the end, when she finds some sanity and balance in her life, she is uncompromisingly honest about the solution: "I didn't miss the life. But, God, how I sometimes missed the lie."

Here's what I got from this book: if you're really, really beautiful, you can make enough money and friends during the manic phase to carry you through the depressive one, where even if you call in sick for weeks at a time and refuse to answer your phone, you won't lose your high-paying, highly competitive job. Yeah, right. I was left with so many unanswered questions from the many disjointed and confusing episodes. This book is a frustrating read and hard to believe.