Flying with Paper Wings: Recollections on Living with Madness

by Sandy Jeffs

Sandy Jeffs grew up in an Australian country town in the 1950s and 60s, domestic violence ripping her family to shreds. As a student in the 1970s she came to terms with her sexuality as part of an alternative family. With the onset of schizophrenia at age 23 Sandy’s world fell apart. Flying with Paper Wings offers privileged insights into madness – medical, social, personal – as well as disturbing reflections on its causes and its care. It is also a story of how poetry can become a personal saviour in the face of nearly irresistible forces.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Mental Health, Biography Memoir, Biography

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2011

Reviews

[Penni Russon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt very privileged to be allowed such an intimate insight into a very personal journey. I felt oddly close to Sandy Jeffs afterwards, and wanted to carry on the conversation. Certainly a very intriguing insight into the ways in which childhood trauma can intersect with and complicate schizophrenia and I'll be recommending this to the research psychologists and clinicians I work with.

[Rochelle Pitcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enlightening read, a powerfully written book and very real story about schizophrenia by the author Sandy Jeff’s about her life. Brings a better understanding of this illness many people in the community suffer with

[Sonia Mcintosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sandy Jeffs has written a very readable book that gives readers an insight of what it is like to live with a mental illness. Sandy's life hasn't been easy. She grew up in rural Australia in a home marked with domestic violence and alcoholism. She overcame a stammer as a child and had to deal with a traumatic experience of sexual abuse as a young teenager. Leaving all this behind she begins a new life in the city to attend university. However this new life soon falls apart with the onset of schizophrenia. Sandy shares what it was like to be floridly psychotic, what it was like to be highly medicated, her experiences of institutions and the continual fear of falling into madness again when she was balanced well with medication.

One of the things that Sandy shares throughout the books is her poetry. It was, and still is, something that she used to express her emotions, her confusion, her pain, her sadness and her anger. Sandy still struggles against schizophrenia, and it is a daily challenge to find the balance between medication and madness. Through her poetry and writing Sandy has become an advocate for those with mental illness and the improvement of mental health services in Australia and speaks regularly of her experiences.

Overall the tone of the book is sombre – there is a lot of pain in this book. However now Sandy can look at her illness and the things that she has achieved with her poetry and writing and wonder if it wasn't for schizophrenia would she have been able to achieve this. As the reader I was left with the feeling of strength in the way that Sandy manages her madness, with the support of long term friends, of good doctors and with her ability to reflect and share her journey
8/10

[Initially NO · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very accessible memoir of living with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. It begins with the question of whether the trauma of seeing her mother regularly drunk and beaten by her father, as well as other acts of cruelty perpetrated by her father on animals meant that Jeffs later developed trouble keeping within the grounds of consensual reality, or that this was something that was inevitably going to happen anyway due to a ‘chemical imbalance’. I guessed that Sandy Jeffs either said that to be PC enough to be published, or just really swallows that psychiatric abuse is anything other than abuse. Or that being in psych wards for a long time, makes a person really fear going against the brain-washing and abuse that goes on in psychiatric hospital. In any case Sandy Jeff is a brilliant writer and deserves five stars, but, I can't give five stars to something that perpetuates myths about 'chemical imbalances' even if only by 'not knowing'.

[Tutti · Rating 4 out of 5]

An autobiography of a poet Sandy Jeffs and her expereinces of living with Schizophrenia (as well as a pretty traumatising childhood of domestic violence). Gave a pretty bracing summary of what it is like to live with hearing voices- from her own experiences- something that is good to understand as is such an alternate reality for so many people. It was a fairly meat-and-potatoes read and a little repetative at times- but it doesn't detract too much from the overall. Was a good insight into life within istitutions and the changes in treatment/ societal attitudes etc over last 30 years. Would make a good text book for high school.

[Olympia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An honest expose of one woman's experience with schizophrenia and the path she has travelled to survive and to now educate others. The emotions and language are raw and confrontational. I cried, laughed and cheered Sandy Jeffs along the way. A remarkable, gifted woman that had the great fortune to have two exceptional friends that believed in her and supported her with judgement.

Thank you Sandy for your book, it has had a profound effect on me and will always have a special place in my heart and mind.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting, enjoyed reading it a second time with book club members who added their own thoughts on it. Certainly give Jeffs credit for her articulate recollections of life living with mental illness, experiencing a difficult childhood.....which subsequently carried through to her teens and beyond. Glad that she found poetry as a lifeline and that she is able to share her experiences through this medium, as well as this well written autobiography.

[Leisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading Sandy's memoir. Having met her in person at a poetry writing workshop and listen to her speak candidly about her journey through madness it was like she was narrating the story as I read. Easy writing style, easy to follow. Her stories are told with brutal honesty, echoing sadness and yet with a humour that had me laughing through the tears. Highly recommended!

[Cel Jel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an interesting memoir by a woman experiencing brain functioning that is different from the norm that most people experience. It is interesting to consider that some of the records she could have referenced were gone due to the closing down of a facility.

[Amy Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating insight into an incredible woman's experience of schizophrenia. Her honesty and humour make this memoir a pleasure to read.

[Ec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honest account of trauma and psychosis , the Australian mental health system , the power of friendship , the horror of loosing your sense of self to madness

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very moving, articulate and insightful account of one woman's ongoing battle with schizophrenia.