Patrick Tracey

Tracing his roots — 2 of 5 siblings have it — in his family
good schizophrenia research
famous Rose common study — no cure
likely to pass down — Fairy mounds water for cure good

In this powerful, sometimes harrowing, deeply felt story, Patrick Tracey journeys to Ireland to track the origin and solve the mystery of his Irish-American family's multigenerational struggle with schizophrenia.

For most Irish Americans, a trip to Ireland is often an occasion to revisit their family's roots. But for Patrick Tracey, the lure of his ancestral home is a much more powerful need: part pilgrimage, part investigation to confront the genealogical mystery of schizophrenia–a disease that had claimed a great-great-great-grandmother, a grandmother, an uncle, and, most recently, two sisters.… (mehr)

This is a very poignant and compassionate book, and generally well-written. The sheer amount of Irish history can become overwhelming at points, and the book loses some focus when Tracey sidetracks to hunt down some of his other personal demons. But for the most part, this is a fascinating, and mostly approachable, exploration of schizophrenia on multiple levels--historically, culturally, medically, and personally. Even for those with minimal interest in the subject, the book is worth skimming just to read some of the beautiful turns of phrase Tracey comes up with. My personal favorite: "I know that for most people, the idea of going insane is unthinkable. For most families, sanity is a given, as easy as breathing, as sure as seeing the sun rise in the eastern sky. For too many of us, however, there is a creaky gate that swings open at the cusp of adulthood, and on the other side is madness. On us sanity rests no more securely than a hat blown off in the wind. In my family, schizophrenia hangs the moon and tells the sun when to set."

That perspective makes his description of the losses of two of his sisters--who went out into the world as happy, bright, sane girls with promising futures ahead, and came home strangers in need of lifelong hospitalization--all the more heartwrenching. He talks about watching them go to places where he can't follow and can't help them, and having no way to draw them back to his reality. As a psych student, I thought I knew a lot about what schizophrenia was...but this book showed me I had no idea.… (mehr)