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9 Highland Road: Sane Living for the Mentally Ill
Before Julie Callahan came to the house at 9 Highland Road in Glen Cove, New York, she had spent a good part of her young life in mental hospitals, her mental and emotional coherence nearly destroyed by a childhood of sexual abuse. Fred Grasso, a schizophrenic, had lived in a filthy single-room occupancy hotel. At 9 Highland Road they and their housemates were given a decent alternative to lives in institutions or in the streets. It was a place in which some even found the chance to get better.
This perfectly observed and passionately imagined book takes us inside one of the supervised group homes that, in an age of shrinking state budgets and psychotropic drugs, have emerged as the backbone of America's mental health system. As it follows the progress and setbacks of residents, their families, and counselors and notes the embittered resistance their presence initially aroused in the neighborhood, 9 Highland Road succeeds in opening the locked world of mental illness. It does so with an empathy and insight that will change forever the way we understand and act in relation to that world.
This perfectly observed and passionately imagined book takes us inside one of the supervised group homes that, in an age of shrinking state budgets and psychotropic drugs, have emerged as the backbone of America's mental health system. As it follows the progress and setbacks of residents, their families, and counselors and notes the embittered resistance their presence initially aroused in the neighborhood, 9 Highland Road succeeds in opening the locked world of mental illness. It does so with an empathy and insight that will change forever the way we understand and act in relation to that world.
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
10 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
About the author
Michael Winerip
11 books9 followers"When Michael Winerip leaves a phone message, no one worries too much about calling him back. But when Michael Winerip of the New York Times leaves a phone message, the call gets returned fast.
"Those are the special powers I wanted to give Adam Canfield and the whole Slash staff at Harris Elementary/Middle School. Adam, Jennifer and Phoebe have the power to correct serious wrongs-- based not on their popularity or connections but their ability to write a true news story that gets to the bottom of things.
"Words give them super powers."
Besides being a children's book author, Mike Winerip is a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter for the New York Times. In his 25 years with the Times, he has done a number of assignments, including investigative reporter, magazine staff writer, national political correspondent based in Ohio, national education columnist, deputy metro editor, suburban columnist and he is currently the parenting columnist for the paper. Before the Times, he worked at three smaller papers, The Miami Herald, Rochester Times-Union and Louisville Courier-Journal, where he covered Appalachia out of a one-man bureau in Hazard, Ky. His work as a reporter has taken him into some of the poorest housing projects in America, the worst mental institution in Mexico, major corporate board rooms and the White House. He is a product of the Quincy, Mass public schools, a graduate of Harvard and lives in Lido Beach, NY with his wife and four children.
--from the author's website
"Those are the special powers I wanted to give Adam Canfield and the whole Slash staff at Harris Elementary/Middle School. Adam, Jennifer and Phoebe have the power to correct serious wrongs-- based not on their popularity or connections but their ability to write a true news story that gets to the bottom of things.
"Words give them super powers."
Besides being a children's book author, Mike Winerip is a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter for the New York Times. In his 25 years with the Times, he has done a number of assignments, including investigative reporter, magazine staff writer, national political correspondent based in Ohio, national education columnist, deputy metro editor, suburban columnist and he is currently the parenting columnist for the paper. Before the Times, he worked at three smaller papers, The Miami Herald, Rochester Times-Union and Louisville Courier-Journal, where he covered Appalachia out of a one-man bureau in Hazard, Ky. His work as a reporter has taken him into some of the poorest housing projects in America, the worst mental institution in Mexico, major corporate board rooms and the White House. He is a product of the Quincy, Mass public schools, a graduate of Harvard and lives in Lido Beach, NY with his wife and four children.
--from the author's website
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 22, 2019
Documents several years in the planning and operation of a 12-bed group home for the mentally ill in a residential neighborhood on Long Island, NY. The author covers all the details of the bureaucratic hassles with politicians, the neighbors, as well as the poignant life stories of the mentally ill and the people who work with them.
The author was a NY Times reporter who was given permission to be embedded in the life of the community and report on the facts as he saw them. I was impressed by the way he managed to interweave the stories of everyone involved.
This book shows how difficult it is to provide services for the mentally ill and how difficult it is to be mentally ill in a world where no one wants you around....
The author was a NY Times reporter who was given permission to be embedded in the life of the community and report on the facts as he saw them. I was impressed by the way he managed to interweave the stories of everyone involved.
This book shows how difficult it is to provide services for the mentally ill and how difficult it is to be mentally ill in a world where no one wants you around....
April 12, 2010
This book changed my mind about mental health group homes. I'd always though I'd protest if one opened near me. This book, by a New York Times reporter who spent several years researching, describes the process to get it opened, against organized opposition by neighbors and double crossing politicians. Finally the first residents move in. Then the book follows the lives of several patients who live there. Some get better, some worse, some stay the same. The staff who live on site know their clients better than hospital staff who have more patients or patients they don't see as often, and can assess how they're doing on medication and when they might need hospitalization. Patients can ask for voluntary hospitalization when they know they need it.
He makes a convincing case that for many patients such houses are a better treatment option than hospitalization, at a much lower cost, and that they are good neighbors. Many of the people who fought hard to keep it out of their Long Island neighborhood end up supporting it. Other neighbors have no idea it's a group home for people with mental problems.
There's a lot of meticulous reporting about the red tape and general idiocy of public mental health programs. One woman is unable to see a specialist at a reduced rate because it would be $10 more a month than the state doctor - and since there's no alternative, she's kept in a more expensive facility for no good reason. Another patient can't get a new antipsychotic drug because the state hasn't authorized it unless he returns to the hospital where he won't be able to see therapists - the rules say he has to take it with hospital supervision, even though the group home staff will be able to spend more time with him than staff at the hospital.
The author mentions how few such homes exist to support the large population of mental patients. He points out that in the state of New York, there are far more group homes for the retarded than for mental patients. If such patients can live in a group home, some of them will get better and end up saving the state money. This book was written during the 90s and I'm sure if things have changed, it's for the worse. A very interesting book.
He makes a convincing case that for many patients such houses are a better treatment option than hospitalization, at a much lower cost, and that they are good neighbors. Many of the people who fought hard to keep it out of their Long Island neighborhood end up supporting it. Other neighbors have no idea it's a group home for people with mental problems.
There's a lot of meticulous reporting about the red tape and general idiocy of public mental health programs. One woman is unable to see a specialist at a reduced rate because it would be $10 more a month than the state doctor - and since there's no alternative, she's kept in a more expensive facility for no good reason. Another patient can't get a new antipsychotic drug because the state hasn't authorized it unless he returns to the hospital where he won't be able to see therapists - the rules say he has to take it with hospital supervision, even though the group home staff will be able to spend more time with him than staff at the hospital.
The author mentions how few such homes exist to support the large population of mental patients. He points out that in the state of New York, there are far more group homes for the retarded than for mental patients. If such patients can live in a group home, some of them will get better and end up saving the state money. This book was written during the 90s and I'm sure if things have changed, it's for the worse. A very interesting book.
February 26, 2012
1993 New York state stats:
$120K/yr to keep a consumer inpatient at a state hospital.
$35K/yr to maintain a consumer at a group home.
SPMI, seriously and persistently mentally ill- that class of consumers in the MH system that fluctuate between stability and instability. Individuals for whom themselves and the state (taxpayers) benefit the most from group homes like the titular location.
The set-up of the residence is similar to my experiences (except staff are allowed to sleep overnight!!!) but as in my experience as well, each group home has its own identities- each consumer has their own story, their own course for their illness (idiomatic).
I wish that the author would have spent more time on the staff rather than a few choice residents. It seemed to me that he was a little too taken with JC and her dx of DID. (though interestingly enough, one of her other personalities was call Didi!)
Overall, I think the book give good insight into a group home and into schizophrenia. I like to see the author's uneducated take on schizophrenia and it would be interesting to see how an author today would portray the illness, over a decade post "Decade of the Brain".
If someone ever ask, I would give this book to them and say "This is what I do"- (Actually, did that since this review and never got the book back!)
$120K/yr to keep a consumer inpatient at a state hospital.
$35K/yr to maintain a consumer at a group home.
SPMI, seriously and persistently mentally ill- that class of consumers in the MH system that fluctuate between stability and instability. Individuals for whom themselves and the state (taxpayers) benefit the most from group homes like the titular location.
The set-up of the residence is similar to my experiences (except staff are allowed to sleep overnight!!!) but as in my experience as well, each group home has its own identities- each consumer has their own story, their own course for their illness (idiomatic).
I wish that the author would have spent more time on the staff rather than a few choice residents. It seemed to me that he was a little too taken with JC and her dx of DID. (though interestingly enough, one of her other personalities was call Didi!)
Overall, I think the book give good insight into a group home and into schizophrenia. I like to see the author's uneducated take on schizophrenia and it would be interesting to see how an author today would portray the illness, over a decade post "Decade of the Brain".
If someone ever ask, I would give this book to them and say "This is what I do"- (Actually, did that since this review and never got the book back!)
January 11, 2010
Before reading this stunning book, I never even considered the idea of group homes being a solution for living conditions in the mentally ill community. The fact that they are cost-effective, benign to the neighbors, and can even help a mentally ill person permanently ease out of the system should convince anyone more group homes for the mentally ill should exist. Let's hope this is the new paradigm for the mentally ill in the 21st century.
June 18, 2012
It's great that a book so completely covers the significant role group homes play in community mental health services, but many of the policies and terminology are out of date. The case studies are interesting, and the different perspectives (from patients, managers, politicians, to family members) helped me to even better appreciate all the challenges involved in treating mental illnesses. Interesting read.
September 5, 2011
Great book. Picks up after the first chapter or 2 (though I enjoyed the background provided there as well). Talks about various residents living in a group home, and really gives an insider's view point of mental illness. Written by a journalist and a true story. I actually met Julie at a talk once!
November 18, 2012
Quite an amazing book, well-told stories providing a great amount of insight into some of the battles fought by people with mental illness, their friends and families, the medical staff and counselors caring for them. Though set in the early 90s, I wouldn't be surprised to read how little attitudes have changed towards the mentally ill and their treatment. A powerful read about inspiring people.
July 26, 2009
A narrative of the rise of group homes in Long Island, NY. Traces the struggles to get the home on 9 Highland Rd. open and the challenges and struggles of the staff and residents. I worked in a group home and thought this was a very interesting and accurate portrayal.
January 31, 2016
Absorbing account of a group home in Long Island during the period of institution decentralization. It is dated but the timing is perfect to understand the struggles that occurred during this transformative era. Reads like narrative fiction with compelling characters.
December 17, 2007
Really good portrayal of the group home option for people who have mental illness and have the potential for independent living. Great interesting stories!
May 23, 2022
I really enjoyed this book both historically, sentimentally, and as a insight into other people's lives. As some other reviewers mentioned, Winerip does seem a little too focused with Julie, hers is obviously a very interesting and intense story but at some points it felt like too much. Sometimes it was hard to follow the timeline but I think that's more of my issue with tracking years. I really like how he didn't follow a simple arc of progressively getting better, but showcases the inherent ups and downs of mental illness and that no one can truly be "cured". Overall, super interesting and intriguing!
December 9, 2022
nothing has improved
This book is a fascinating look at the challenges of setting up a group home for people with mental illness in the late 80s/early 90s. The challenges with neighbors, the political nature of approvals and the opposition was awful.
Now, we have (in many states) more funding than this group did in the 80s/90s but less political will. In this book, staff were dedicated and compassionate even though the pay wasn’t good. In my experience with my loved one in the past decade, the compassion and dedication is sorely lacking.
Sad commentary on the US system of mental healthcare.
This book is a fascinating look at the challenges of setting up a group home for people with mental illness in the late 80s/early 90s. The challenges with neighbors, the political nature of approvals and the opposition was awful.
Now, we have (in many states) more funding than this group did in the 80s/90s but less political will. In this book, staff were dedicated and compassionate even though the pay wasn’t good. In my experience with my loved one in the past decade, the compassion and dedication is sorely lacking.
Sad commentary on the US system of mental healthcare.
May 25, 2023
After three years of working with people with mental illness I have a greater interest and appreciation for the trials and tribulations of the group home movement. The “not in my backyard” thought process is completely due to ignorance. The people who work with individuals who suffer from mental illness, not by their own choice I might add, are to be commended and appreciated. Kudos to Michael Winerip for sharing such a moving story.
October 18, 2021
Read in 1996; my review from then: Sane living for the mentally ill. In-depth look at a group home and some of its residents, with enough overview to make people famiioar with the place and status of group homes in treatment of the mentally ill. Excellent book.
February 4, 2010
Whoa, Nellie! Thought somehow that I was getting a humorous novel...It's the story of a group home for the mentally ill and the process of establishing it and the stories of some of its inhabitants. Interesting, and maybe a 3.5. One of the character's personalities likes to use the F bomb a lot. Out of curiosity, who recommended this in the first place?
October 30, 2021
What great insight into how the switch from institutionalization to group homes transformed lives thanks to those who have fought against a broken system. Amazing how Michael dove right in and submersed himself in this issue. Would read again? Yes, especially if that understanding and compassion needed to treat mental illness fades. Would recommend? 100%. This is an important read for all.
April 5, 2009
I read this book for a class and I actually really enjoyed all the firsthand anecdotes about life in the group home.
Read
August 3, 2011excellent, excellent, excellent. puts a real face on folks with mental illness
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews