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The Four of Us: The Story of a Family
The moving story of the author's talented family, which is haunted by the tragedy of the first child's schizophrenia. Four essays, one for each family member's story, combine to create a complex and resonant picture of the four sides of a family rectangle.
- GenresMemoir
288 pages, Hardcover
First published October 23, 1991
About the author
Elizabeth Swados
61 books4 followersElizabeth Swados (February 5, 1951 – January 5, 2016) was an American writer, composer, musician and theatre director. While some of her subject matter is humorous, such as her satirical look at Ronald Reagan (Rap Master Ronnie) and Doonesbury — both collaborations with Garry Trudeau — much of her work deals with darker issues such as racism, murder and mental illness.
Born February 5, 1951 in Buffalo, New York, Swados wrote about her life in her 1991 autobiography, The Four of Us, A Family Memoir, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Her father, Robert O. Swados, was a successful attorney who helped Seymour H. Knox III convert the local Buffalo Sabres hockey club into a full National Hockey League team. His autobiography, Counsel in the Crease: A Big League Player in the Hockey Wars was published by Prometheus Books in 2005.
Her mother struggled with depression, while her older brother (and only sibling) Lincoln developed schizophrenia. Her mother committed suicide in 1974, and Lincoln died in 1989. Swados suffered from depression, a condition she discussed in her book, My Depression: A Picture Book.
She studied music at Bennington College in Vermont, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973. In 1980, the Hobart and William Smith College awarded her an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters.
Swados died from complications following surgery for esophageal cancer on January 5, 2016. She was 64.
(from Wikipedia)
Born February 5, 1951 in Buffalo, New York, Swados wrote about her life in her 1991 autobiography, The Four of Us, A Family Memoir, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Her father, Robert O. Swados, was a successful attorney who helped Seymour H. Knox III convert the local Buffalo Sabres hockey club into a full National Hockey League team. His autobiography, Counsel in the Crease: A Big League Player in the Hockey Wars was published by Prometheus Books in 2005.
Her mother struggled with depression, while her older brother (and only sibling) Lincoln developed schizophrenia. Her mother committed suicide in 1974, and Lincoln died in 1989. Swados suffered from depression, a condition she discussed in her book, My Depression: A Picture Book.
She studied music at Bennington College in Vermont, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973. In 1980, the Hobart and William Smith College awarded her an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters.
Swados died from complications following surgery for esophageal cancer on January 5, 2016. She was 64.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 5, 2016
3.5 stars.
Written from a woman from my home town of Buffalo, a complex and sad story of the author's talented family, which is haunted by the tragedy of the first child's schizophrenia. Four essays, one for each family member's story, joined together to create a multifaceted and deep look at the four sides of a family, three of whom plagued in someway by mental illness.
On a side note, the father was a prominent Buffalo attorney who was largely responsible for bringing our major league hockey team to town, and I learned after reading the book the author died this past January at a relatively young age in her early 60's.
Written from a woman from my home town of Buffalo, a complex and sad story of the author's talented family, which is haunted by the tragedy of the first child's schizophrenia. Four essays, one for each family member's story, joined together to create a multifaceted and deep look at the four sides of a family, three of whom plagued in someway by mental illness.
On a side note, the father was a prominent Buffalo attorney who was largely responsible for bringing our major league hockey team to town, and I learned after reading the book the author died this past January at a relatively young age in her early 60's.
March 16, 2016
A note of trivia regarding this book---the Lincoln Swados in this memoir is the same Lincoln Swados that features early in the college life of Lou Reed in the bio by Victor Bockris. It was such an odd feeling to read the former not long after having read the latter.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews