A Legacy of Madness is on best-seller list books that deal with suicide

A Legacy of Madness has become a resource for those in need, who are desperate, and who think that a book may be a resource.

On Friday, the book that serves as a memoir of my family hit number 15 on the Amazon best-seller list for books that deal with suicide.

BOOK RELEASE TODAY: An excerpt from A Legacy of Madness

My book, A Legacy of Madness: Recovering My Family From Generations of Mental Illness, was officially released by Hazelden Publishers today (Oct. 3, 2011).

Thanks be to all!

The book is available at major retailers and independent bookstores (Barnes & Noble apparently did not receive a shipment in its warehouse today, but I'm told the book will be on the shelves by the end of the week).

Information on signings and how to purchase is available at the book's website: http://www.legacyofmadness.com.

As a tribute to all those who made this possible, here's an except from the book (page 186) that speaks to the power of positive reinforcement:

The person who really saved me, at least during my teenage years, was Bill Borden. He showed up at my house in Point Pleasant in 1983 wanting to go to the beach. That visit made him my best friend forever, because he never did stop showing up at my house, unannounced, ready to have fun. He was my confidant. We had known each other before. But when we became closer, I learned more from Bill than I learned from anybody. I marveled at his ability to smile his way through problems. I was struck by his ability to go up to people and start talking to them. I was amazed that he was able to carry on a conversation with anybody ....

I was always too shy and cynical to be social. I felt insecure about the way I looked ... Bill had an awkward, but honest, even charming way about him.

Bill's mission was to have fun, to smile, and to live a good life; he just wanted to work hard, go to bed, and wake up the next morning and do it all over again.

From "A Legacy of Madness:" How 9-11 Was A Turning Point In Our Lives

This excerpt from A Legacy of Madness: Recovering My Family From Generations Of Mental Illness, my book that is being released Oct. 3, talks about how the Sept. 11 attacks played a pivotal role in my mother's care. This passage is from chapter 11, pages 248-250.

We pulled her out of Ancora [Psychiatric Hospital in New Jersey] after a month. Then we put her in Rose Mountain, the nursing home ten minutes from my house. During the summer of 2001, I visited her twice a week. My wife visited her once a week. Whenever I went there, I listened to her rattle on about how she wanted to go home, the same way she always had before. She did it so much, and for so long, that I grew numb to it. I had stock answers for everything.

"I understand," I told her. "I know. It's not the best situation."

I'd often bring Tommy with me and he'd play under my chair. I'd stay for nearly an hour. Then as I got up, she'd always say something to stop me.

"So how are you, my dear?" Then I'd stay for another hour, talking about myself, before we'd start talking about her again.

Occasionally, I took her on little trips, usually over to Fuddruckers restaurant in New Brunswick, where she'd get a cheeseburger. She and Tommy, who was then three, would sit next to each other and eat the same thing. Both of them would eat it quickly. At the end of the meal, they'd both look up to me, their eyes sweet and puppy-like, and say the same thing.

"Can I have a cookie?"

For the first time in years, my mother was calm. The whole time she was at Rose Mountain, she didn't have a drop of medicine. The best medicine, we came to see, was the visits. I even had her come to the condo we had bought in Metuchen to stay and talk. She'd climb the steps, hanging onto the railing that my wife had installed for her. Then she'd sit in the living room and follow the same routine: complain for nearly an hour, notice when I got antsy, show some interest in me and stay for another hour.

My father noticed the difference, too. At the end of August, he decided to take her back. I questioned it at first. But this time, he seemed deeply committed. My wife and I had sought to remove the stress my mother had lived with for three years, ever since she came out of the hospital and felt the stitches from her bladder operation. Now my father wanted to give it a try.

* * *

At first, the arrangement looked like it wasn't going to last. Once again, my father complained that my mother was being aggravating and irritating. He even hinted that he may have to call 911 again, because it was just getting to be too much. She was still repeating, thought not as severely. She was still worried about her bladder, though not as badly.

But when the September 11 attacks happened, just two weeks after my mother left Rose Mountain, my father no longer complained. Perhaps he realized there were people worse off than him. She stayed there, at home in Point Pleasant, until January 18, 2003, living relatively peacefully, and as time passed, she never said much of anything anymore.

She repeated, but she seemed too tired to continue very long. She stayed in her chair all day, watching the television, often with the sound way down. When we saw her, there was no more of the pleading. There was no more of the helplessness. She was a mother again.

She even let us kiss her again, usually behind the ear, but it was still a kiss.

Rosalynn Carter, former U.S. First Lady, has endorsed "A Legacy of Madness"

Rosalynn Carter, former U.S. First Lady and chairperson of the Carter Center Mental Health Task Force, has endorsed my book, "A Legacy of Madness: Recovering My Family From Generations of Mental Illness."

Here is what Mrs. Carter said:

" 'A Legacy of Madness' breaks down the barriers of silence that shroud mental illnesses within families for generations. It also details the larger problem of stigma and the failures of a system ill-equipped to provide adequate treatment and support. By sharing the story of his family history and his own personal journey, Tom Davis provides hope and inspiration to others."

I served as a fellow for the Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism program from 2004 to 2005. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Here is my work for the center: http://www.cartercenter.org/health/mental_health/archive/author/davis.html.

Governor Codey has endorsed "A Legacy of Madness"

Former N.J. Governor Richard Codey, famously known for championing mental health causes, has endorsed "A Legacy of Madness: Recovering My Family From Generations of Mental Illness."

Said Codey: "This is a book from the heart, and for any family with somebody who has mental illness, this is a must read."

Change in date for A Legacy of Madness book-signing

Hey everybody!

Hailey's Harp, an Irish Tavern on Main Street in Metuchen, N.J., and myself thought it would be better to have our signing event for "A Legacy of Madness" on a weekend as opposed to the book release date.

The event will be Saturday, Oct. 8 at 3 p.m.

A lot of people said that the original date conflicted with work - sorry about that.

I plan to have similar events at the Jersey Shore, Del., Manhattan and Pennsylvania.

Here is the event: http://www.facebook.com/event.​php?eid=159865254085319.

A Legacy of Madness: Recovering My Family From Generations of Mental Illness

Release date for my book, "A Legacy of Madness," is Oct. 3, not Sept. 1.

Amazon got it wrong, but Barnes and Noble and everywhere else got it right.

First book signing will be Oct. 3 at Haley's Pub in Metuchen, N.J.

Please check our website for updates: http://www.legacyofmadness.com/