Struck by Living: From Depression to Hope

Despite an idyllic family life, including two children and a loving husband, the depression that consumed former business exec Hersh drove her to three suicide attempts in the space of six months. In this inspiring, brutal memoir, Hersh documents her struggle back to life, including stints in hospital psychiatric wards, a month at an anti-depression camp, various medications, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Hersh renders her journey in graceful prose (""My deathtrap brain failed to truncate my existence"") that doesn't get in the way of her attempts to dispel the stigma that surrounds mental illness and its treatment; she faces ECT early on and finds it a particularly effective treatment far removed from its negative popular image. As a severe case, Hersh gives a clear, resonant voice to many aspects of a complicated illness, while offering a moving and hopeful (though at times frightening) narrative for those fighting to overcome depression's worst.