Whenever I am engaged in a discussion about physical disabilities, be they my own or others, invariably the conversation ends on some version of the following, positive note. "Well, at least I can think clearly. Take away my mental health and what's left?" Bravely, painfully, Dr. Saks shows us exactly what is left, madness and despair, far more of both than my well-meaning naivety could have imagined.
The Center Cannot Hold is an autobiographical account of Dr. Saks' lifelong confrontation with Schizophrenia, a widely misunderstood condition which, if possible, is even more agonizing and terrifying than the misapprehension of it which prevails in our culture. Tormented by crippling bouts of anxiety, Dr. Saks suffers episodes in which reality itself seems to be coming apart and re-ordering itself into something new and terrifying, something that only she can see. To her, this reality is completely real. She cannot understand how we cannot see it, understand it, and be tortured by it as she is. These episodes nearly derailed Dr. Saks' promising career in academia which had to be put on hold on numerous occasions while she languished in various institutions. Though these hospitals promised her aid, they seemed to harm as much as help, plying her with a dizzying array of changing drug cocktails and treatments which inspired more dismay than confidence. Dr. Saks eventually relied upon the aid of loyal and tireless friends, along with a few remarkably patient therapists, to knit together a life anyone could be proud of.
The Center Cannot Hold is, in every way, a success. It educates us about Schizophrenia and the terrible price its sufferers pay. It inspires us with the empathy shown to Dr. Saks in her times of greatest need. But most importantly, it is a triumph of the human mind to find a way around its own damaged circuits and create for itself something like stability. The incalculable hours Dr. Saks has spent trying to find an equilibrium that, every day, we take for granted is humbling and inspiring. I can only congratulate her on an excellent book and a fight well fought. (4/5 Stars)
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