Crazy

A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness

By: Pete Earley

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Pete Earley had no idea. He'd been a journalist for over 30 years, and the author of several award-winning, even best-selling, nonfiction books about crime and punishment and society. Yet he'd always been on the outside looking in. He had no idea what it was like to be on the inside looking out until his son, Mike, was declared mentally ill, and Earley was thrown headlong into the maze of contradictions, disparities, and catch-22s that is America's mental health system.

The more Earley dug, the more he uncovered the bigger picture: our nation's prisons have become our new mental hospitals. Crazy tells two stories. The first is his son's. The second describes what Earley learned during a year-long investigation inside the Miami-Dade County jail, where he was given complete, unrestricted access. There, and in the surrounding community, he shadowed inmates and patients; interviewed correctional officers, public defenders, prosecutors, judges, mental-health professionals, and the police; talked with parents, siblings, and spouses; consulted historians, civil rights lawyers, and legislators.

The result is both a remarkable piece of investigative journalism, and a wake-up call; a portrait that could serve as a snapshot of any community in America.

©2006 Pete Earley (P)2006 Tantor Media Inc

Critic reviews

"Parents of the mentally ill should find solace and food for thought in its pages." (Publishers Weekly)
"Crazy is a godsend. It will open the minds of many who make choices for the mentally ill." (Patty Duke)

facinating book, okay narrarator

the book is fantastic-- Perfect for my paper about mental illness for my Rhetoric course. However the voice chosen for this book is so dry that it makes it difficult to read. Also, be prepared for some uncovered injustices in the world

A powerful exploration into the treatment of Mental Health in this country

I picked up this book to gain further insight on a project I am working on. Immediately, I found myself engrossed not only by the author's story of him and his son, but by how people like his son have been failed by the system over and over again. I have a better understanding on the complexities and challenges facing the mentally ill, and like with any truly great book,
I am left motivated to develop my understanding further. Lastly, as someone in recovery from addiction/substance use disorder, I often found myself drawing parallels between treatment, the system, and being housed in places never intended to help people like me. I recommend this book and would go so far as to hope to one day see it as required reading. The ending was incredible and logical and well spoken. Mahalo for this book!

A down in the trenches look at mental illness

An incredible piece of research exposing the terrible state of the mental ill in our country-and how it came to be that way.

Harrowing, Heart-Breaking

Mr. Earley has written an important book, and he weaves his son's personal story into a well-researched narrative.

I learned a great deal about the history of treating mental illnesses in the U.S., as well as the Catch-22 implicit in many current US state laws, which place a premium on individual rights protection at the expense of appropriate treatment for the mentally ill. The result is that many mentally ill people end up in prisons for decades -- having fallen through the cracks in the health care system.

It is not a happy story; however, it is an important story -- a must for those working in local police forces or prisons, public policy makers in the area of health, and those who have family members suffering from a mental illness. Written accessibly, the book is easy to understand, and well-narrated.

Great work

This is the third Pete Earley book I've downloaded and listened to. It is the most personal to him and the most complex. Starting out as a loving father who faces the crisis of his son's escalating mental illness, Earley decided to write about his personal experience and the broader plight of mentally ill men who are incarcerated. By turns enlightening and frustrating, Crazy is a profoundly moving paean to human understanding and a call to action.

A must read for professionals

A truly enlightening story of a father's struggle and the reality of coping with mental illness in the family. Brilliantly written, very down to earth and gripping. Not a dull moment in this book.

This was a eye opening book.

I have learned and woken up to the way people are treated with Mental Illnesses. Thank you for writing this.

fantastic insight into a world with so little.

This book is amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot. Well written and well thought out.

Crazy

I started this book with fear and trepidation - I was not disappointed. Throughout his very personal and painful journey, Pete Earley doesn't "white wash" any of the terrible attributes associated with mental illness. His straight forward stories and anecdotes, plus disturbing truths about how hard it is for both patients and family members, have stayed with me long past the end of the book. He's correct when he says, only when personally affected are people willing to get involved. The author gives a compelling argument for revamping our mental illness protocol and a disheartening enlightment on why it hasn't happened. The book shook me down to my boots yet I found I could not pull away.

[e-mail]

Well researched book by a father of a son with mental illness. I agree with your wife. You used your core talent to bring a riveting, heart wrenching, and insightful story to all of us. I am also a father of a son with mental illness. My first career was in psychiatry first as a live in volunteer at Wellmet, an innovative transitional home created by Phillips Brooks House HVD and Dr. David Cantor in the 60’s community mental health experiment - w them as staff, consultant, then Executive Director over 10 years, then MSW LICSW w Alternatives Unlimited MA (residences, neighborhood club, and clinic Exec Team) moves on to join ODI consulting to Fortune 500 companies, managing partner of healthcare division, then HCHP/Health, then National MENTOR sr team, then The Holland Consulting Group mostly w healthcare leadership and behavioral health.

Your alignment with your wife throughout all this is admirable. Your story both personal and as researcher journalist is spot on target from beginning to your last page. Every family has a unique story but your panorama of the field over 50+ years is profound in its depth, political history, and pathos.

If this is your only magnum opus, next to your son and family, you’ve lived a worthwhile life. A meaningful gift!

The wish you, your son, and your family all the best of futures. I’ll keep looking for and sharing your insights.

Chris Holland