From the Publisher
From the internationally acclaimed author of An Unquiet
Mind, an exquisite, haunting meditation on mortality, grief,
and loss.
Perhaps no one but Kay Redfield Jamison-who combines the acute
perceptions of a psychologist with a writerly elegance and
passion-could bring such a delicate touch to the subject of losing
a spouse to cancer. In direct, straightforward, and at times
strikingly lyrical prose, Jamison looks back at her relationship
with her husband, Richard Wyatt, a renowned scientist who battled
debilitating dyslexia to become one of the foremost experts on
schizophrenia. And with her characteristic honesty, candor, wit,
and simplicity, she describes his death, her own long, difficult
struggle with grief, and her efforts to distinguish grief from
depression.
But she also recalls the great joy that Richard brought her during
the nearly twenty years they had together. Wryly humorous anecdotes
mingle with bittersweet memories of a relationship that was
passionate and loving-if troubled on occasion by her
manic-depressive (bipolar) illness-as Jamison reveals the ways in
which her husband encouraged her to write openly about her mental
illness and, through his courage and grace taught her to live
fully.
A penetrating psychological study of grief viewed from deep inside
the experience itself, Nothing Was the Same is also a
deeply moving memoir by a superb writer.
From the Jacket
From the internationally acclaimed author of An Unquiet
Mind, a haunting meditation on mortality, grief, and
loss.
Perhaps no one but Kay Jamison-who combines the acute perceptions
of a psychologist with writerly elegance and passion-could bring
such a delicate touch to the subject of losing a spouse to cancer.
In spare and at times strikingly lyrical prose, Jamison looks back
at her relationship with her husband, Richard Wyatt, a renowned
scientist who battled severe dyslexia to become one of the foremost
experts on schizophrenia. And with characteristic honesty, she
describes his slow surrender to cancer, her own struggle with
overpowering grief, and her efforts to distinguish grief from
depression.
But she also recalls the joy that Richard brought her during the
nearly twenty years they had together. Wryly humorous anecdotes
mingle with bittersweet memories of a relationship that was
passionate and loving-if troubled on occasion by her manic
depression-as Jamison reveals the ways in which Richard taught her
to live fully through his courage and grace.
A penetrating study of grief viewed from deep inside the experience
itself, Nothing Was the Same is also a deeply moving
memoir by a superb writer.
About the Author
Kay Redfield Jamison is Professor of Psychiatry at the Johns
Hopkins University School of Medicine and codirector of the Johns
Hopkins Mood Disorders Center. She is also Honorary Professor of
English at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She is the
author of the national best sellers An Unquiet Mind and
Night Falls Fast, as well as Exuberance and
Touched with Fire; the coauthor of the standard medical
text on manic-depressive (bipolar) illness; and the author or
coauthor of more than one hundred scientific papers about mood
disorders, creativity, and psychopharmacology. She is the recipient
of numerous national and international scientific awards and of a
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship.
About the Book
In spare and at times strikingly lyrical prose, Jamison ("An Unquiet Mind") looks back at her relationship with her husband, Richard Wyatt, a renowned scientist who battled severe dyslexia to become one of the foremost experts on schizophrenia.
