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THE SCENIC ROUTE

Name: THE SCENIC ROUTE
Author: Rossa Forbes
ISBN: 978-0-9960424-0-6

A WAY THROUGH MADNESS

by Rossa Forbes ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 16, 2018

An informative account of nontraditional healing methods, but one that won’t convince skeptics.

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In this debut memoir, a caring mother avidly seeks to cure her schizophrenic son by exploring both traditional and alternative healing methods.

When Forbes’ 19-year-old son, Chris, returned home to Geneva, Switzerland, in 2003 after failing his first-year courses at the University of Toronto, she noticed a drastic change in his personality—he seemed unmotivated and self-destructive. The author sought professional help for him, and before long, Chris was officially diagnosed with schizophrenia. In the first several chapters here, Forbes provides quick snapshots of Chris’ disorder, including his sense of grandiosity, hallucinations, and his feeling of being disconnected from the real world. Then she documents her own long, arduous quest to find a way to heal him. In Geneva, he attended an outpatient program that initially showed promise, but Forbes became disillusioned by the attitudes of psychiatrists who believed that schizophrenia was chronic and incurable. She began to seek out alternatives, such as consulting an American doctor who said that he could remotely diagnose Chris’s nutritional deficiencies and prescribe supplements to strengthen his energy field; visiting a doctor in England who claimed to be able to realign Chris’ “assemblage point”; investing in a magnetic mattress; and engaging in “family constellation” therapy. The book seems to move toward an ending in which Chris is healed of his schizophrenia; however, his condition seems much the same throughout the book, aside from inevitable ups and downs, which casts doubt on the various healing methods’ efficacy. Nonetheless, this eloquently written memoir provides a valuable account of the different methods at hand, as well as a close-up view of Chris’ behavior, which provides readers with a unique view of schizophrenia. The book also contains valuable insights about developing more hopeful and less fatalistic views of mental illness.

An informative account of nontraditional healing methods, but one that won’t convince skeptics.

Pub Date: Jan. 16, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-9960424-0-6

Page Count: 261

Publisher: Inspired Creations

Review Posted Online: Feb. 27, 2018

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.