Darkness Visible : A Memoir of Madness

This is the book that everyone without depression should read first... one small book everyone with a family member or a friend with the condition needs to read. The insights are startling and insightful for this "gray drizzle of horror." Styron presents it like a novel. Short and easy to read, it's a memoir of the devastating effects of depression--a disease that has no simple or immediate cure for the nightmarish suffering of people who suffer from it's catastrophic effects. Styron, winner of multiple literary awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for The Confessions of Nat Turner, immerses the reader in a world of a disease like diabetes and cancer that a pill or talk therapy cannot alleviate. At a prestigious award ceremony in Paris in the 90s, at the height of his career he couldn't even enjoy the festivities (a common occurrence for depressed people). His most profound observation is that, "The weather of depression is unmoderated, it's light a brownout." At first he tries to ignore the horror, but finally relents. This is the best of all of the works by William Styron. A beautiful and perfect portrait of a man's anguish and endurance. In his words, "he unlocked a closet from which many were eager to come out."