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Dec 15, 2010

jo rated it:

my rating is horribly harsh. so sorry, mark vonnegut. it's just that your memoir tells me nothing. it tells me a bit of what it's like to be psychotic, but that's not hard-to-get knowledge. it also tells me a bit about what it's like to have been a doctor before and after the advent of managed care. that's easy-to-get knowledge too. it tells me a little bit about kurt vonnegut and being his son, but i am not very interested in that (a kurt vonnegut fan might be, but she might want to be warned t More...

13 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 06, 2011

Pagetranquillity rated it:

Overall this is a good book. Interesting (I finished it within four days) informative, and even though this is a much overused term, insightful. There were moments when I couldn't quite "get" some of the side comments, almost like they were inside jokes that turned into puzzles I had to refelct on to figure out, but I was still able to appreciate his humor. This wit was weaved throughout his account, and my favorite example of this is when he said his father gave he and his family c More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 05, 2010

Koeeoaddi rated it:

4.5

Written in entertaining short segments (just like dad), this is the other bookend to Eden Express, where we get to find out what happened to the hippie, schizophrenic pediatrician with the famous father. The book isn't a masterpiece like his first book -- it's reflective, rather than raw -- the book of a 60 year old, who has lived through another 30 productive years of mental maintenance, illness, alcoholism and health.

The two books should be slip-cased together and More...

3 comments like (12 people liked it)

Feb 12, 2012

Ishmael rated it:

Definitely a fascinating, funny, and encouraging book. At the time of writing, Mark has had 4 psychotic breaks. Three came close together, in his twenties. After the third break, his life stabilizes, he goes through pre-med, then gets accepted into Harvard Medical School at the advanced age of 29. Completes training, residency, and gets on the staff of Boston General, in pediatrics. His life is moving forward and he is on the verge of being recognized as one of Boston's best pediatricians when t More...

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Aug 31, 2011

JDK1962 rated it:

For the past 30 years or so, I've had a copy of _The Eden Express_ on my bookshelf. For me, Mark Vonnegut had a voice that was eloquent and wonderfully readable.

His new memoir continues in this same tradition, a great quick read with numerous passages that you find yourself reading aloud to others because they seem surprising and true and right (for example, "It wouldn't make sense for God to set up a universe where He had to keep track of every sparrow and step in and fix things More...

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Jul 24, 2011

Libby rated it:

Strong first two thirds, wandering last third. Powerful description of psychosis and the slide into it. Having finished it, I still flipped back and reread page 48 because it's honest and beautiful.

p. 47-48
"Part of getting better from being crazy included the realization that my life might be a lot longer than I had thought and that I probably wasn't going to get out of anything by having the world end of Western civilization collapse.
It was too bad I was twenty-five More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 05, 2011

Kerfe rated it:

Maybe we're not really hearing voices but certainly we all know what it's like to be out of synch with the world.

Vonnegut's book is written in that slightly out-of-focus way--as the title says--"like someone without mental illness only more so". His wry observations illuminate how anyone, diagnosed-and-labeled or not, struggles to make sense of and be sensible about being alive.

The necessity of the arts to survival ("the arts are not extra") and how More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 19, 2010

Callie rated it:

I like the way Mark Vonnegut thinks, maybe I'm crazy too. Actually, after reading this book, I came to the conclusion that sanity is pretty fragile and we all do some mentally unstable things from time to time. The way he wrote was off-the-cuff. He seemed to just float from thought to thought, story to story and not to worry to much about linear development. It worked, though. Some suspicions I had were confirmed, particularly about doctors and health care. (Ear infections will clear up on their More...

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Apr 27, 2011

Jeremy rated it:

This is a nice little romp through the life of Kurt Vonnegut’s son Mark. He was diagnosed with Schizophrenia in 1971 when he had three psychotic breaks in a short amount of time. He didn’t have his fourth break until 14 years later. In those 14 years he managed to get accepted to Harvard medical school and become a pediatrician. Not bad.

The book covers topics like mental illness and addiction, but not as extensively as it might seem from the title. The bulk of the focus is on what’s More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 27, 2011

Elizabeth rated it:

I loved the whole thing, and I would dearly love to have been born in the Vonnegut family, if it didn't mean having a much more severe case of mental illness than I have already been blessed with.

"I find I can sometimes break through the glaze of boredom [of teenagers] by saying things like...'The great thing about not having a drinking problem is that you can drink yourself into a blackout whenever you like.' Or 'Safe sex is better than no sex at all.' These can lead to useful More...

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Oct 05, 2011

Harlan rated it:

Dr. Mark Vonnegut (Son of Kurt Jr.) opens up his struggles with Bipolar disorder in this light memoir. Reflections on growing up in the 50's with a struggling author father, yet to become prolific; living on a hippie commune, subsequently being institutionalized (and not for the last time), finally making his way through Harvard Medical School (the only one that admitted him), and finding a fruitful existence as a pediatrician and amateur mushroom collector (mixed results).

The book is More...

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Jan 13, 2011

Kara rated it:

I will admit that picking up this book was two-fold for me. First of all I just love Kurt Vonnegut, so after hearing his son interviewed by Diane Rehm I thought, ok I'll read his book. I also am intrigued by literature on mental illness, so I thought I'd give it a go.

I must admit that Mark Vonnegut would obviously have a lot to live up to as a writer because he is Kurt's son. So with that knowledge I have to say this book was well written, though at times I did feel like there were s More...

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Jan 07, 2011

Leslie rated it:

Vonnegut has a hard act to follow in his prose. However, his memoir about his early adulthood and how, despite severe mental illness, he succeeds in going to Harvard Medical School and becoming a pediatrician is well written and surprisingly upbeat as well as common-sense - kind of like what you really want from your child's pediatrician.

Readers looking for an in-depth examination of mental illness would be better served by his earlier memoir, Eden Express, or a classic such as Jamison More...

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May 13, 2011

Dinochunks01 rated it:

I read this book because of two people who have lived with mental illness; one I've never met, Dr. Mark's father, Kurt Vonnegut, and my son, who is coping with schizophrenia in his young adulthood. Mark's frank telling of his experiences during and around his several bouts with his schizophrenia offered a chair side telling of someone who has admittedly not licked the condition, but has put himself and his talents to use for himself and other people.

This story gives me hope as I look More...

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Nov 12, 2010

Sarah rated it:

This book is unnervingly representative of some of my own personal struggles, however, Mr. Vonnegut is a brilliant writer (I suppose that runs in the family) and condensed a hard, complicated life into a beautiful, succinct reality. Growing up with Kurt Vonnegut as your father is much like growing up with any other father. Ups, downs, admirations, disappointments. It just so happens that, among other typical family dysfunctions, heavy genetic mental illness stamped the lives of everyone involved More...

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Nov 20, 2011

Linda rated it:

Intelligent, humorous, heartbreaking, hopeful -and with many great quotes to save --

"My illness became a compass of sorts. I could ask myself whether something was leading me away from or closer to being crazy. There was less of the "six of this, half dozen of that" that had made up so much of life." (p.48)

"If you take care of any disease by eating well, sleeping well, being aware of your health, consciously wanting to be well, not smoking, etcete More...

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Oct 18, 2011

Kitrina rated it:

I'm finished and I still don't know if I like this book. I loved the honesty and insightful nature of the author. At the same time, the jumpy, almost-stream-of-conscientiousness was actually tiring for me to try to follow at times. The end of the book felt more like the last chapter was missing. It just ended. In spite of this there were many chapters that were so incredibly well written i could not have put the book down if I wanted to!

I suppose my final judgement is this:
( More...

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Jun 27, 2011

Meg rated it:

I stopped short of saying that this book was "amazing" — but it was touching and funny and inspiring. This guy's family history and personal history would be completely unbelievable if I didn't know it was all true. Mark Vonnegut seems to be cursed with the thinking problem. My own daughter asked me one day (she was probably 14 or 15 at the time), "What's it like for people who don't think all the time?" And the only answer I had for her was, "How the hell would I kn More...

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Nov 08, 2010

Edie rated it:

A fascination read that covers Mark's life with his parents, his sense of isolation as a child (very much encouraged by his father), his interesting in saving the world (sparked by a comment from his mother when he was 10 and mentioned suicidal thoughts and she told him that instead he should try to save the world). He is very honest about his breakdowns and the "luck" in terms of treatment opportunities that helped to save him (he talks about people he knows just like him who haven't More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 04, 2010

Tim rated it:

There are certain books you read during your life that stick with you. For me, one of those is one I first read while still in college, Mark Vonnegut's The Eden Express: A Memoir of Insanity. First published in 1975 (and reissued in 2002), the book is a frank and compelling story of a young man's descent into schizophrenia and his recovery from it.

In the introduction to that book, Vonnegut, the son of author Kurt Vonnegut, described himself as "a hippie, a son of a countercult More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Nov 05, 2010

Joy rated it:

Books like these help people understand what it's like to cope with mental illness. And as the author writes, "A world without prejudice, stigma, and discrimination against those who have or are thought to have mental illness would be a better world for everyone."

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 16, 2011

Laura rated it:

Mark Vonnegut's first novel about his mental illness, The Eden Express, is very much a book of its time. He was diagnosed then with schizophrenia, though now his diagnosis is bi-polar. He talks about his family's struggles with mental illness through the generations, his relationship with his famous father, and about his decision to go to medical school and become a doctor. It is a warm, funny memoir of a man who has a positive outlook on his life and who is taking control of his illness. This q More...

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Jan 02, 2011

SaraQT added it

I only got partway through the first chapter and then decided this was not the book for me right now. The author really, REALLY rambles. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason to the order of the short anecdotes. The writing itself is actually beautiful, but I wanted something with more structure right now. I might come back to this later. Some pieces I liked from the little bit I read:

p. xii "None of us are entirely well, and none of us are irrecoverably sick. At my More...

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Mar 02, 2011

Amy rated it:

I bought this book in anticipation of hearing Mark Vonnegut give a book talk at Harvard Bookstore. He did not disappoint. He is an engaging reader of his own work. He took lots of questions from people and was diplomatic, honest, polite and sincere in answering. His book is also honest and sincere; it's personal and political. He's just an incredible individual with a lot of great stories (having lived in a commune, having grown up poor before his father became famous, having been hospitali More...

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Jan 14, 2011

katymoo rated it:

OK, so I've been in love with Mark Vonnegut for, oh, about 24 years, since he first became my pediatrician. Or did it start back when I read Eden Express in 1975?... anyway, this book just rang through my brain, I got everything he said, and learned things, and felt feelings. Thank you Mark for sharing! I could hardly put it down and was sorry when it was over.

Vonnegut's calm, casual, relaxed, and accepting - but always alert - approach to everything from mental illness to ear infecti More...

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May 16, 2011

Rebekah rated it:

Anyone who has struggled with depression, bipolar disease or schizophrenia (first or second hand) will be able to fully appreciate this book. Vonnegut doesn't give any real explanations for what everything means and sometimes the "crazy" is the one writing. Some of the memoirs are just sweet little bits and pieces of his memory of Kurt, and others are profound and had me writing down quotes.

I found myself wanting to share several parts of this book with several people. I More...

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Dec 29, 2010

Marie rated it:

This is a book that I leave, wishing I had written down the best passages. There were so many that made me laugh and, even more powerfully, made me cry because "finally someone understands." Dr. Vonnegut exposes his life, particularly his mental illness, with honesty and no shame. What freedom!!!!!!! He is the writer, the mentor I needed, showing me how I might be in the world: shameless, honest, wry. I was left wishing I could call him on the phone and thank him for writing. It must b More...

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Sep 25, 2010

Andres rated it:

I read Vonnegut's previous memoir (The Eden Express: A Memoir of Insanity) some years ago and I remember really liking that book. My memory may be hazy since it has been a while, but I found his new memoir interesting but not as interesting as his first. He relates incidents from his life before, during, and after his breakdowns, along with some philosophizing about life, mental illness, and being a pediatrician here and overseas.

There's nothing in particular that makes this book sta More...

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Nov 08, 2010

Barbara rated it:

I bought this book for my son who loves Kurt Vonnegut, has bi-polar disorder and is in med school. He finished it in a little over a day (without sacrificing his studies) and promptly bought a copy for me and my husband (also bi-polar). I was concurrently scared and hopeful as I read Vonnegut's account of his disease. Living with the disease in my household, I still don't understand what's going on most of the time. I appreciated the author's assertion that most people do not realize the heroism More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 21, 2010

Brian rated it:

It's amazing how someone with a serious history of mental illness that Mark Vonnegut had could go on to doing what he does today as a doctor. This book has a lot of subject matter that was never covered in "Eden Express," and it's a book that picks up where "Eden Express" left off. His struggles with the medical industry, his alcoholism, his ex-wife, his children, his father, and his thoughts on looking back at his Harvard education questioning how he made it there. With a to More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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