Spilling out of the children's section and gathering around the shelves, a crowd of more than 50 people gathered at the back of Micawber Books on Nassau Street last night to hear author Andrew Solomon speak.
Solomon wrote "The Noonday Demon," this year's non-fiction National Book Award winner. The best-selling work, subtitled "An Atlas of Depression," grew out of an article he wrote for The New Yorker in 1998. The piece generated thousands of letters from Americans with stories of their own depression.
"The Noonday Demon" chronicles current research, stories from friends and Solomon's international travels to study depression. What draws the book together, though, is Solomon's personal battle with severe depression, which he relates openly throughout.
By sharing his own experiences, Solomon, a Yale University graduate and a contributing writer for The New York Times, makes both his book and his public speaking lively and accessible. A New Yorker review described Solomon's work on depression as "charming," and "never the least bit depressing." For the gravity of his topic, he gave a lively, uplifting talk.
He began his speech with a discussion of Sept. 11 and how it has drawn national attention to depression. He called the aftermath of the attacks a "crisis in the mental health of the nation."
The rest of the speech focused on the effects of and treatments for depression, which he related through his own story and those of patients and friends he interviewed.
An advocate of pharmaceutical treatment, he countered the "backlash against anti-depressants." He noted that though no clinical trials had found the drugs to adversely affect the brain, "untreated depression actually destroys brain cells."
In addition to wanting to find the relationship between illness and personality, Solomon said he wanted to "break down the idea of depression as a modern, western, middle-class illness."
To do so, he interviewed sufferers of the disease from as far away as Cambodia and Senegal. He also discovered widespread depression among the very poor in the United States and suggested that outreach and treatment would make economic and moral sense.
After his well-received talk, Solomon signed copies of his book.
"The Noonday Demon" was also published in the United Kingdom and Germany. It will be translated into 10 more languages for publication next year.
Read More
David Zielenziger ’74, former ‘Prince’ chairman and lifelong journalist, passes away at 72
Kian PetlinFriends and colleagues remember former ‘Prince’ chairman David Zielenziger ’74, who passed away peacefully on May 20.
Friends and colleagues remember former ‘Prince’ chairman David Zielenziger ’74 who passed away peacefully on May 20.
Remembering Dorothea von Moltke, Labyrinth co-founder and local community builder
Lucia BrownDorothea von Moltke, widely considered the heart of Labyrinth Books, was remembered by friends and loved ones for her passions for language, literature, and local activism.
Dorothea von Moltke, widely considered the heart of Labyrinth Books, was remembered by friends and loved ones for her passions for language, literature, and local activism.
Cloister Inn to pause operations for the next 2–3 years, citing “hefty renovations”
Justus WilhoitCloister Inn, one of Princeton’s eating clubs, will pause operations for the next two to three years, due to “hefty renovations” to the club’s house.
Cloister Inn, one of Princeton’s eating clubs, will pause operations for the next two to three years, due to “hefty renovations” to the club’s house.