Remembering Garrett: One Family's Battle with a Child's Depression [Hardcover]

D.C. Gordon Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2006

Oregon Senator Gordon Smith’s son, Garrett, battled learning disabilities and clinical depression for most of his life. At the age of twenty-two, while attending the University of Utah, this popular young man took his own life. As parents, Smith and his wife Sharon, who had adopted Garrett as a newborn, were heartbroken. And, as a senator, Smith was forced to question whether he had the strength or even the desire to carry on in politics.

For the first time, Smith candidly retraces his son’s life leading up to his suicide. He chronicles the crippling sadness he and his wife faced in the aftermath; and how, with the help of faith and those around him, he not only returned to politics, but became a fearless advocate of suicide prevention. His moving speech on the Senate floor upon the passage of his Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, which increases federal funding to combat the ever-growing problem of youth suicide, brought a rare moment of bipartisan support on the Senate floor and helped open a long overdue national discussion.

Remembering Garrett speaks from the heart to parents who have experienced the same tragedy, or are fighting for a child struggling with depression.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Senator Gordon Smith's first book tenderly describes his son Garrett's struggle with bipolar disorder and his final, desperate decision to take his own life. With moments of great honesty and pathos, Smith alternates between feelings of guilt over his long absences and the belief that Garrett's struggles were part of God's design. However, Smith's narrative includes so much back story (about his own parents, his work in the frozen foods industry and his eventual election to public office) that Garrett's story sometimes gets lost. The voices of Garrett's mother and sister are not heard until the epilogue, and those friends and family who are represented require more fleshing out. Smith's description of his mother-"a saint"-is indicative of a well-meaning but ill-advised reluctance to consider the flaws and contradictions that make his subjects human. Shoehorned bipartisan rhetoric ("pain and loss do not register as Republican or Democrat") serves to further distance Smith from the topic at hand. Other than the Senator's job title, there is not much to make this book stand out in a sadly overpopulated genre that includes books like Patty Duke's A Brilliant Madness and Kathleeen Finneran's lyrical memoir, The Tender Land.
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About the Author

Gordon Smith is currently serving his second term in the United States Senate, where he has represented his home state of Oregon since 1997. During his service in the Capitol, he has earned a reputation for independence, effectiveness, and an ability to bridge partisan differences. A graduate of Brigham Young University and Southwestern University School of Law,  Smith entered politics after a successful career in the food processing industry. The death of their son, Garrett, propelled Smith and his wife Sharon to embark on a mission to improve mental health programs and to combat the epidemic of youth suicide.    

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf; 1ST edition (March 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786717629
• ISBN-13: 978-0786717620
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,876,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartfelt Tribute, April 16, 2006

By 

James Hiller (Beaverton, OR) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Remembering Garrett: One Family's Battle with a Child's Depression (Hardcover)

I must admit. I didn't vote for Gordon Smith last time around. As a "dyed-in-the-wool" Democrat, I usually support my party candidates. Yet, he was re-elected, and is currently serving as a Republican senator from Oregon. In 2003, his son Garrett committed suicide, ending a long struggle with depression. Immediately my interest was peaked, as someone who suffering from episodic depression from time to time. With his usual composure, Senator Smith remained quiet about this intensely personal matter. And now, a few years later, Gordon Smith has written a book about his son, a stunning, personal memoir, "Remembering Garrett".

The book is partially a recounting of the amazingly normal life of Garrett Smith, the struggles he had with dyslexia, and the few brief successes he had with his church. Smith writes as lovingly and honestly as any parent could; reflecting upon his son's life with a familial quality that is pleasing to read. What even surprised me more about the book was how Smith wrote about questioning himself after Garrett's suicide. Smith has always appear strong and resolute; this event clearly shook him to the core.

Much too often, it appears that our politicians act without much forethought of the consequences of their actions. Clearly, this has changes Senator Smith's thoughts and actions as he has become a tireless advocate for the prevention of depression. While clearly parents who have suffered the loss of a child will relish every page of this book, most everyone, especially those of us who experience depression, will find some gems of wisdom in this beautiful tribute to Garrett. This book is a must-read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remembering Garrett, January 11, 2007

By 

Patricia L. Palmer "Oregon_reader" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Remembering Garrett: One Family's Battle with a Child's Depression (Hardcover)

This was a heartfelt telling of one family's struggle with coping with their feelings of guilt in missing the clues to their son's severe depression, which ultimately lead to his taking his own life. It shows us how easy it is for those closest to someone to not see how much that person is struggling with their depression, and how a family can heal after the loss of that child. Keep the tissues nearby, but no matter your politics, you have compassion for the depth of dispair this family reached in dealing with their loss. For a public figure such as Sen. Gordon Smith , writing this book exposing their heartache, took a great deal of courage, but was a big step in their healing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Transforming Tragedy into Hope, May 12, 2007

By 

Gina Nikkel - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Remembering Garrett: One Family's Battle with a Child's Depression (Hardcover)

Senator Smith's book is an easy, well written read about a wonderful son, a close knit family and the joys and heartache of life. The overlay is realizing that ones child is battling mental illness before you the parent fully understands. Senator Smith lovingly talks about Garrett's "angel mother" and his self doubts (and guilt) about what he should have realized; what he could have done better. The book ends with a reach out to encourage others in the same situation to recognize the signs of depression and to get help early. By telling his family's story Senator Smith honors Garrett, travels the road of healing, and brings compassion to the thousands of families that find themselves in the same boat after a precious child's suicide. You really don't want to miss this book!