Blue Genes: A Memoir of Loss and Survival (Hardcover)

~ Christopher Lukas (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a supremely brave effort literally to save his own life, Lukas shatters the silence surrounding the long history of suicide in his Hungarian-German-Jewish family, especially that of his older brother, J. Anthony Lukas (Tony). Depression and what is now diagnosed as bipolar disorder hounded various family members, most notably the brothers' beautiful college-educated actress mother, Elizabeth, whose deepening depression, exacerbated no doubt by the sense of guilt and inadequacy in her marriage, led her to cut her own throat in 1941, when the boys were just six and eight. Lukas writes with the reassuring sagacity of hindsight, knowing the negative long-term effects of his mother's mental illness on his brother especially, but at the time her death was mysterious and devastating, and the brothers' relationship grew mutually needy and protective, on the one hand, and fractious and competitive, on the other. Feelings of betrayal, guilt and rage erupted at points during the successful careers for both brothers—Tony as a driven journalist with the New York Times and author (Common Ground) who won two Pulitzer prizes; and Christopher (Kit), an Emmy Award–winning TV producer, author and actor. For Tony, however, who married late, remained childless and took antidepressants, his illness was debilitating, leading him to suicide in 1997. In clear, forceful prose, the author attempts to make sense of these calamities and assert a life-affirming purpose. (Sept.)
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From School Library Journal

Christopher and Tony Lukas's mother committed suicide when they were very young, but the boys were never told how she died—silence was the family's policy on its legacy of mental illness. Regardless, both brothers achieved great success in their fields (the author is a TV producer and director), and their bond was loving but fraught. Sadly, Tony, who won two Pulitzer Prizes for his journalism, committed suicide in 1997. Those interested in how mental illness afflicts generations and how to find strength and hope in the face of it will find this remarkably honest memoir resonant. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/08.]—Elizabeth Brinkley
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday (September 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385525206
• ISBN-13: 978-0385525206
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #563,147 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Honest and Moving, September 22, 2008

By	Johanna C. Wood - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a moving account of Mr. Lukas' family experiences with depression. What is most interesting is that he is coming out of a generation where treatment for mental illness was primitive and not very effective. His losses because of that tragic fact are at times overwhelming. When I reached the end of the book I felt that it was a miracle that Mr. Lukas was still alive considering the history he has lived through! I wanted to say to him, "You are extraordinary and accepted and valued exactly for who you are!" His examination has a flavor of psychoanalysis - how have events played themselves out in relationship to his earliest experiences as a boy. Overall, a moving picture of one man's attempt to understand his family relationships.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A realistic portrayal of a family living with suicide, April 25, 2009

By	Emily O "Voracious Reader" (East Hills, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Being a survivor in a family where multiple members committed suicide, I could relate to exactly what this brave author, Christopher Lukas, details in his memoir, Blue Genes. And I, like Christopher Lukas, was mislead initially as to the cause of and history behind my parent's suicide, forcing me to grieve over the loss twice - once after it first occurred, and later in life when I finally learned that the death was a chosen, intentional one. Lukas brilliantly describes the anger, the guilt and the sadness behind such a loss.... the feeling of utter abandonment and loneliness that survivors of suicide must face. I especially liked the parallels he drew between the way he dealt with the loss, versus the way his brother dealt with it.

While the emotions that ruled Blue Genes were utterly real and raw, I felt that the story was told by Lukas in an overly-factual manner. Robotic even. At times I felt as if I were trudging through this memoir. For a much more spell-binding read, try Loss and Found by Karen Flyer. This memoir, also about the after-effects of the suicide of a parent, and the ramifications on a young child's emotional, psychological and physical development, reads much more like a novel - like a story that propels you forward versus dragging you along.

Both of these books are must-reads for anyone who has been forced to live on in the wake of a suicide. Raw, emotional and real.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written insight into coping with suicide, March 28, 2009

By	Scott George (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Christopher Lukas grew up in a family where most of the members die by suicide. He and his brother were 6 and 8, respectively, when their mother killed herself. This memoir is particularly about his brother, who committed suicide late in life, and himself, the survivor. Why has he survived depression, while so many in his family have not?

Lukas has clearly spent much of his life pondering his circumstances. His writing is lucid, self examining, and clear. Some reviewers had trouble relating to the characters in this book. While my own family experienced nothing like the events described, I found it easy to put myself in the point of view of Lukas and his brother. I came away with a deeper understanding of the difficulties faced by the family when a loved one ends his own life.

Lukas' ultimate question in this book is: Why has he survived when his brother could not? I was fully engaged by this book and its examination of this question. And then I read the final chapter, wherein Lukas gives much credit for his better ability to cope to his, now deceased, wife. Why is so little attention given to her role until the last two pages? Does Lukas really feel this way? Or, was this an afterthought in the wake of her death?

Still, with this as its only flaw, I still highly recommend this book. The insights are valuable and the writing is profound.