Mimi Baird is the daughter of Dr. Perry Baird, and in this book she tells his story. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Mimi shares his story. Taken from his own hand written accounts from the 1940's, we get a glimpse into the life of a well educated and bright man who suffered from what we now know as Bipolar. It was a time where mental illness came with a very negative stigma and treatment was cruel. Bouts of mania and violent behavior landed the doctor in a straight jacket locked in a psychiatric unit, where he was forced to go without eating, soil himself, and suffer beatings. He describes his experiences in remarkable detail and with deep introspection and keen observation. His loneliness during that time is gut wrenching and his treatment unfathomable. It was saddening to read of all he suffered, but his examination of his illness is most fascinating and enlightening. Mania is not like being drunk, he explains, where one ac...