Customer Reviews

Struck by Living

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Struck by Living is a true account of the author's struggle with depression. Since she has kept a journal from childhood on, the book's dip into her journey is haunting. The book illuminates what depression can feel like from the inside of the person who is suffering. It shows us how very desperate and hopeless a usually high functioning person can become when struggling with this disease. It is heart wrenching at times but also uplifting. The author survives her suicide attempts and has now given us a wonderful gift - insight into the disease and also hope. The chapters transition well and the reader will enjoy the page turning qualities of this story. It is a must read for anyone who has suffered from depression or knows someone who has the disease or has committed suicide. I am thankful that the author has survived and has opened up her life to strangers in order that she may help others.

Thankfully, someone has stepped up and described the agonizing process of dealing with depression without trying to hide their identity or cover their fear of recognition.

It appears that Julie doesn't have anything to lose...as so many people do if they admit to battling depression..but this obviously took a lot of courage to write. The worry of losing a job or your family or social status seem to perpetuate this disease which is really no different than having any other disease; like allergies or diabetes. Why is that? Hopefully, someone coming forward to shed light on the struggle will take it out of the dark and foreboding attitude depression is seen with by so many.

It also appears that Julie has nothing to be depressed about...bravo. Most people don't it's brain chemistry. I like knowing there are options and help out there.

Aside from being an honest portrayal of one woman/family/community's struggle, the book is well written; more like a novel than a self-help book (which really wouldn't interest me as much). But, gives great insight into the life of a depressed person. So if you suffer from depression or know someone who does or just want to understand it better; this may interest you.

Luckily, the story ends in a hopeful way and may offer hope to many who deal with depression alone or deal with a family member who struggles with it.

Even after reading several drafts, knowing Julie throughout her struggle, and knowing the outcome, I couldn't put this book down until I finished it. It is an inspiring, honest, enlightening book on how depression can strike anyone at anytime. It reads like a novel. I would recommend this book to everyone.

Struck by Living is as immediate as today's news. Julie Hersh is Everywoman, making the confounding switch from fast-paced professional to always-on-call mom and dutiful granddaughter. (Parents-to-be, note even 24-hour-a-day firefighters are required to take time off.)

She describes her journey to hell and back. Symptoms--a house that seemed unmanageably big, a car that didn't fit her taste--are signposts on the road to a depression so severe her only plans for her life were how to end it. Julie's defty-written story explains how an unseen illness--inherited depression, perhaps exacerbated by a brain wiring glitch--led this vivid, energetic woman to attempt suicide, not once, but three times.

Hersh has crafted a finely-written memoir with a humorous, self-aware narrative style. From the depth of her experience she unflinchingly explains every crucial episode in a way that will have readers nodding with familiarity.

Julie notes the steadfast support of doctors, friends, and family, and how it led her to try electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a last resort. Readers learn that while ECT may be an imperfect cure, it offers some patients incomparable relief from depression's ravages.

Struck by Living deserves wide readership, not only among families contending with depression but by all of us who face the major life changes of marriage and parenthood. L. A. Starks, author, 13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy

I wasn't sure this would be a book for me. I was so wrong. This is an enlightening story about depression and one woman's struggle with her illness. That's sounds so cliche like, but it is true. The book made me laugh and cry, too much crying every now and then. The hardest part was putting it down and then trying to do other things. I just could not get the story out of my head.

This is a story about a vibrant, successful young businesswoman who lost her self in her voyage into the sandwich generation and into a new world of "society's" demands and expectations. In Julie Hersh's case, none of the safety nets of friends, family and faith, nor our ubiquitous antidepressants and talk therapy, could stop her steady journey into severe depression. Even her three failed suicide attempts and hospitalization were just speed bumps along the road. In Struck By Living, Julie shares with us the last desperate act she undertook that saved her life and thereby offers a ray of hope. This is a story of how our choices shape our lives, and it is Julie's gift to us.

When you start this book, don't do so at bedtime-you are certain to be up all night...Reserve a quiet Sunday, sit in a comfy chair and have a box of tissues close at hand. Julie invites us to join her on an emotional journey through her life, painting vivid pictures with the beautiful brushstrokes of her words. She presents an amazingly accurate insider's view of the depressed mind and shares the intimate details of her courageous battle with depression and recovery that offer hope to all of us whose lives are touched by depression daily. Whether you encounter depression in a loved one, co-worker or within yourself, this honest and unselfishly written book can help. Listen closely as she tells her story.

Depression is a problem plaguing many Americans, but it is defeatable. "Struck by Living: From Depression to Hope" is a self-help memoir from Julie K. Hersh as she tells her own story of fighting back from crippling depression, a problem that has plagued her family for generations, and how she fought off her suicidal tendencies to reclaim her soul. With plenty to help other people fighting their own depression, "Struck by Living" is a choice and highly recommended read.

Julie does an excellent job of explaining a very difficult subject and bringing it into our hearts. Not only that, but she brings a message of hope to all of us who have family members suffering from depression. She proves that having all of the material goods in the world is insufficient when your brain and emotions are malfunctioning. Julie is an excellent writer, so the book is a quick, pleasant read. We are already waiting for her next one. Phil and Shannon Smith

Struck By Living is a true story that attests to the reality of clinical depression and makes it personal. Julie's genuine and easy writing style transports you into her world so immediately and adeptly that her feelings and experiences become your own. You feel her anguish while simultaneously feeling compelled to protect and reassure her that she IS needed, loved and wanted and the world and her family would be less without her. Julie has courageously shared her personal story taking us inside the mind of a clinically depressed person, confirming that depression is real and should be taken seriously and treated with compassion. Her story is important and one I hope will help lift the stigma that has surrounded this illness allowing it to continue to devastate the lives of those it effects.