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Psychology » Mental Health

Most Recommended Books

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks

“What would that be like? What would it be like to be unable to lay down any new memories, to think it’s 1945 all the time and everybody you meet is new? It’s fascinating to imagine, and I feel a lot of sympathy for the Mariner even though he doesn’t know how bad he has it.”

Eric Schwitzgebel,

Read more

Browse book recommendations:

Mental Health

  • Anxiety

Psychology

  • Applied Psychology
  • Autism
  • Child Psychology
  • Mental Health
  • Neuroscience
  • Psychoanalysis
  • Psychology Research
  • Self Help
  • Social Psychology

Mental illness is much better understood now and treated far more sympathetically, but it is also on the rise.  Our interviews with experts in the field explore mental health from a wide variety of positions and recommend books on every aspect of the subject.

Looking at the possible reasons for the current prevalence of mental health issues, Professor Renata Salecl chooses her best books on misery in the modern world.  Psychologist Oliver James chooses his best books to illustrate why we live in a mad world.  The author Samantha Harvey, in choosing books on mental illness, explains the conditions that keep us sane and the effects of removing them.

Some interviews choose books on particular aspects of mental health.  Journalist Bryony Gordon chooses her best books on depression, neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan looks at psychosomatic illness, Matthew Green, author of Aftershock: the Untold Story of Surviving Peace looks at psychological trauma and Robert Kelsey, author of What’s stopping you?  Why smart people don’t always reach their potential and how you can, chooses his best books on overcoming insecurities.

Psychoanalyst Josh Cohen talks about burn out, Professor Sophie Radcliffe talks about grief, Steven Amsterdam, author of Things we didn’t see coming, looks at worry and Johanna Reiss addresses suicide.  Author Rae Earl chooses her best books on teenage mental health and Tanya Byron hers on child psychology and mental health.  On a slightly different note, Jules Evans of Queen Mary’s, London University looks at ecstatic experience.

    The best books on Clinical Psychology, recommended by Susan Llewelyn

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    The best books on Clinical Psychology - The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy by Irvin D Yalom

    1

    The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy
    by Irvin D Yalom

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    The best books on Clinical Psychology - Introduction to Cognitive Analytic Therapy: Principles and Practice by Anthony Ryle & Ian B Kerr

    2

    Introduction to Cognitive Analytic Therapy: Principles and Practice
    by Anthony Ryle & Ian B Kerr

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    The best books on Clinical Psychology - Managing Your Mind: The Mental Fitness Guide by Gillian Butler, Tony Hope & Nick Grey

    3

    Managing Your Mind: The Mental Fitness Guide
    by Gillian Butler, Tony Hope & Nick Grey

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    The best books on Clinical Psychology - What Works for Whom: A Critical Review of Psychotherapy Research by Anthony Roth & Peter Fonagy

    4

    What Works for Whom: A Critical Review of Psychotherapy Research
    by Anthony Roth & Peter Fonagy

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    The best books on Clinical Psychology - Why Don't I Feel Good Enough?: Using Attachment Theory to Find a Solution by Helen Dent

    5

    Why Don't I Feel Good Enough?: Using Attachment Theory to Find a Solution
    by Helen Dent

The best books on Clinical Psychology, recommended by Susan Llewelyn

Clinical psychologists look at how we feel, how that affects how we behave, and whether we can change. Here, the Oxford academic and clinician Susan Llewelyn discusses five key books in the field of clinical psychology, why clinicians must keep their minds open to new approaches, and why aspiring psychologists should read as many novels as they can.

    The best books on Burnout, recommended by Josh Cohen

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    The best books on Burnout - The Weariness of the Self by Alain Ehrenberg

    1

    The Weariness of the Self
    by Alain Ehrenberg

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    The best books on Burnout - Hikikomori: Adolescence Without End by Saito Tamaki

    2

    Hikikomori: Adolescence Without End
    by Saito Tamaki

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    The best books on Burnout - Exhaustion: A History by Anna K Schaffner

    3

    Exhaustion: A History
    by Anna K Schaffner

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    The best books on Burnout - Non-Stop Inertia by Ivor Southwood

    4

    Non-Stop Inertia
    by Ivor Southwood

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    The best books on Burnout - Against Nature (À rebours) by J K Huysmans

    5

    Against Nature (À rebours)
    by J K Huysmans

The best books on Burnout, recommended by Josh Cohen

Overwhelmed, exhausted, yet unable to relax when you have the chance? You are not alone. Josh Cohen, psychoanalyst and author of Not Working: Why We Have to Stop, discusses the symptoms and causes of burnout—and why relentless activity is at the source.

    The best books on Grief, recommended by Sophie Ratcliffe

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    The best books on Grief - Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter

    1

    Grief is the Thing with Feathers
    by Max Porter

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    The best books on Grief - Broken Hierarchies: Poems 1952-2012 by Geoffrey Hill

    2

    Broken Hierarchies: Poems 1952-2012
    by Geoffrey Hill

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    The best books on Grief - Late Fragments: Everything I Want To Tell You (About This Magnificent Life)

    3

    Late Fragments: Everything I Want To Tell You (About This Magnificent Life)

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    The best books on Grief - With the End in Mind: Dying, Death, and Wisdom in an Age of Denial by Kathryn Mannix

    4

    With the End in Mind: Dying, Death, and Wisdom in an Age of Denial
    by Kathryn Mannix

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    The best books on Grief - I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith

    5

    I Capture The Castle
    by Dodie Smith

The best books on Grief, recommended by Sophie Ratcliffe

We often think of bereavement in terms of deep melancholy or gentle sadness, but “grief behaves badly and grief is risk-taking”, says Sophie Ratcliffe, Oxford literary critic and author of the memoir The Lost Properties of Love. Here, she recommends five books that may act as a balm for those who have lost someone, and says that the act of reading—any book, any poem—can be consoling.

    The best books on Ecstatic Experiences, recommended by Jules Evans

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    The best books on Ecstatic Experiences - The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James

    1

    The Varieties of Religious Experience
    by William James

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    The best books on Ecstatic Experiences - Moksha: Aldous Huxley's Classic Writings on Psychedelics and the Visionary Experience by Aldous Huxley

    2

    Moksha: Aldous Huxley's Classic Writings on Psychedelics and the Visionary Experience
    by Aldous Huxley

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    The best books on Ecstatic Experiences - Authors of the Impossible: The Paranormal and the Sacred by Jeffrey J Kripal

    3

    Authors of the Impossible: The Paranormal and the Sacred
    by Jeffrey J Kripal

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    The best books on Ecstatic Experiences - When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God by Tanya Luhrmann

    4

    When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God
    by Tanya Luhrmann

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    The best books on Ecstatic Experiences - Centuries of Meditations by Thomas Traherne

    5

    Centuries of Meditations
    by Thomas Traherne

The best books on Ecstatic Experiences, recommended by Jules Evans

States of ecstasy (from the ancient Greek ekstasis, meaning ‘standing outside’) are moments when you lose your ordinary sense of self and feel connected to something greater than you. It can be euphoric, but it can also be terrifying, says the philosopher Jules Evans. Here he selects five books that explore the significance and power of these surprisingly common experiences.

    The best books on Teenage Mental Health, recommended by Rae Earl

  • Read
    The best books on Teenage Mental Health - The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger

    1

    The Catcher in the Rye
    by J D Salinger

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    The best books on Teenage Mental Health - Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

    2

    Girl Interrupted
    by Susanna Kaysen

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    The best books on Teenage Mental Health - The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

    3

    The Perks of Being a Wallflower
    by Stephen Chbosky

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    The best books on Teenage Mental Health - It's a Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

    4

    It's a Kind of a Funny Story
    by Ned Vizzini

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    The best books on Teenage Mental Health - The Kenneth Williams Diaries by Russell Davies

    5

    The Kenneth Williams Diaries
    by Russell Davies

The best books on Teenage Mental Health, recommended by Rae Earl

Every generation has its own minefield to negotiate in order to reach adulthood. Rae Earl discusses five books that explore a range of mental health issues that some teenagers may face, and many adults have faced, while on this difficult journey.

    The best books on Depression, recommended by Bryony Gordon

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    The best books on Depression - Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig

    1

    Reasons to Stay Alive
    by Matt Haig

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    The best books on Depression - Your Voice in My Head by Emma Forrest

    2

    Your Voice in My Head
    by Emma Forrest

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    The best books on Depression - Heartburn by Nora Ephron

    3

    Heartburn
    by Nora Ephron

  • Read
    The best books on Depression - The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

    4

    The Bell Jar
    by Sylvia Plath

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    The best books on Depression - The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

    5

    The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
    by Carson McCullers

The best books on Depression, recommended by Bryony Gordon

Writing about her life in memoirs and a newspaper column allowed the author Bryony Gordon to “join the dots” to see the true face of her own mental illness. Here, she chooses five books to help with depression, books in which she has found solace and a sense of community among those who suffer from depression.

    The best books on Psychosomatic Illness, recommended by Suzanne O'Sullivan

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    The best books on Psychosomatic Illness - Studies in Hysteria by Josef Breuer & Sigmund Freud

    1

    Studies in Hysteria
    by Josef Breuer & Sigmund Freud

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    The best books on Psychosomatic Illness - Medical Muses: Hysteria in Nineteenth-Century Paris by Asti Hustvedt

    2

    Medical Muses: Hysteria in Nineteenth-Century Paris
    by Asti Hustvedt

  • Read
    The best books on Psychosomatic Illness - The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks

    3

    The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
    by Oliver Sacks

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    The best books on Psychosomatic Illness - Into the Silent Land: Travels in Neuropsychology by Paul Broks

    4

    Into the Silent Land: Travels in Neuropsychology
    by Paul Broks

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    The best books on Psychosomatic Illness - The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves by Stephen Grosz

    5

    The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves
    by Stephen Grosz

The best books on Psychosomatic Illness, recommended by Suzanne O'Sullivan

We still understand very little about the workings of the brain, and yet we dismiss the tricks it can play on us as undeserving of the same sympathy as physical illness. Neurologist and author Suzanne O’Sullivan recommends the best books on psychosomatic illness.

    The best books on Psychological Trauma, recommended by Matthew Green

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    The best books on Psychological Trauma - War and the Soul by Edward Tick

    1

    War and the Soul
    by Edward Tick

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    The best books on Psychological Trauma - The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

    2

    The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma
    by Bessel van der Kolk

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    The best books on Psychological Trauma - The Theatre of War by Bryan Doerries

    3

    The Theatre of War
    by Bryan Doerries

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    The best books on Psychological Trauma - Waking From Sleep by Steve Taylor

    4

    Waking From Sleep
    by Steve Taylor

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    The best books on Psychological Trauma - True Hallucinations: Being an Account of the Author's Extraordinary Adventures in the Devil's Paradise by Terence McKenna

    5

    True Hallucinations: Being an Account of the Author's Extraordinary Adventures in the Devil's Paradise
    by Terence McKenna

The best books on Psychological Trauma, recommended by Matthew Green

The way we deal with psychological trauma is outdated and overly focused on the individual. Matthew Green, author of Aftershock, picks books that could help us, as a society, heal soldiers and others who have been through more than they can cope with.

    The best books on Overcoming Insecurities, recommended by Robert Kelsey

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    The best books on Overcoming Insecurities - Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

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    Emotional Intelligence
    by Daniel Goleman

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    The best books on Overcoming Insecurities - They F*** You Up by Oliver James

    2

    They F*** You Up
    by Oliver James

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    The best books on Overcoming Insecurities - Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

    3

    Man's Search for Meaning
    by Viktor Frankl

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    The best books on Overcoming Insecurities - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

    4

    The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
    by Stephen Covey

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    The best books on Overcoming Insecurities - Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson

    5

    Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
    by Richard Carlson

The best books on Overcoming Insecurities, recommended by Robert Kelsey

Most self-help books promise to take you from 0 to 100, but many people reading them are starting at minus 100. The author of What’s Stopping You? picks books that helped him come to grips with his own insecurities.

    The best books on Worry, recommended by Steven Amsterdam

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    The best books on Worry - Wolf Solent by John Cowper Powys

    1

    Wolf Solent
    by John Cowper Powys

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    The best books on Worry - Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig

    2

    Beware of Pity
    by Stefan Zweig

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    The best books on Worry - Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

    3

    Lolita
    by Vladimir Nabokov

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    The best books on Worry - The White Album by Joan Didion

    4

    The White Album
    by Joan Didion

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    The best books on Worry - The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

    5

    The Plot Against America
    by Philip Roth

The best books on Worry, recommended by Steven Amsterdam

The author tells us about books that have anxiety at their heart, ranging from obsessional love and chronic neurosis to conspiracy theory paranoia and existential angst

    The best books on Misery in the Modern World, recommended by Renata Salecl

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    The best books on Misery in the Modern World - The New Black by Darian Leader

    1

    The New Black
    by Darian Leader

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    The best books on Misery in the Modern World - Bodies by Susie Orbach

    2

    Bodies
    by Susie Orbach

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    The best books on Misery in the Modern World - Breath by Tim Winton

    3

    Breath
    by Tim Winton

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    The best books on Misery in the Modern World - The Humbling by Philip Roth

    4

    The Humbling
    by Philip Roth

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    The best books on Misery in the Modern World - Cockroach by Rawi Hage

    5

    Cockroach
    by Rawi Hage

The best books on Misery in the Modern World, recommended by Renata Salecl

The Slovenian philosophy professor decries the tyranny of choice and says we now expect long life, a beautiful body, sexual and job satisfaction. But the idea that we can perfect ourselves dooms us to failure and misery

    The best books on Child Psychology and Mental Health, recommended by Tanya Byron

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    The best books on Child Psychology and Mental Health - Dibs in Search of Self by Virginia M Axline

    1

    Dibs in Search of Self
    by Virginia M Axline

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    The best books on Child Psychology and Mental Health - The Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison

    2

    The Unquiet Mind
    by Kay Redfield Jamison

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    The best books on Child Psychology and Mental Health - Portraits of the Mind by Carl Schoonover

    3

    Portraits of the Mind
    by Carl Schoonover

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    The best books on Child Psychology and Mental Health - The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks

    4

    The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
    by Oliver Sacks

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    The best books on Child Psychology and Mental Health - No Fear by Tim Gill

    5

    No Fear
    by Tim Gill

The best books on Child Psychology and Mental Health, recommended by Tanya Byron

Clinical psychologist, author and broadcaster discusses the stigmas attached to mental health problems, and asks whether, as a society, we are really doing what’s best for our children

    The best books on Why We Live in a Mad World, recommended by Oliver James

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    The best books on Why We Live in a Mad World - Mother’s Milk by Edward St Aubyn

    1

    Mother’s Milk
    by Edward St Aubyn

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    The best books on Why We Live in a Mad World - The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy

    2

    The Death of Ivan Ilych
    by Leo Tolstoy

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    The best books on Why We Live in a Mad World - False Self by Linda Hopkins

    3

    False Self
    by Linda Hopkins

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    The best books on Why We Live in a Mad World - This Bleeding City by Alex Preston

    4

    This Bleeding City
    by Alex Preston

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    The best books on Why We Live in a Mad World - The Challenge of Affluence by Avner Offer

    5

    The Challenge of Affluence
    by Avner Offer

The best books on Why We Live in a Mad World, recommended by Oliver James

The psychologist and trustee of Alzheimer’s charity SPECAL says British and American women today are 5 times more likely to suffer a mental illness than in the 1950s

    The best books on Mental Illness, recommended by Samantha Harvey

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    The best books on Mental Illness - Blindness by Jose Saramago

    1

    Blindness
    by Jose Saramago

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    The best books on Mental Illness - The Forgetting by David Shenk

    2

    The Forgetting
    by David Shenk

  • Read
    The best books on Mental Illness - Iris by John Bayley

    3

    Iris
    by John Bayley

  • Read
    The best books on Mental Illness - Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre

    4

    Nausea
    by Jean-Paul Sartre

  • Read
    The best books on Mental Illness - Life and Times of Michael K by J.M. Coetzee

    5

    Life and Times of Michael K
    by J.M. Coetzee

The best books on Mental Illness, recommended by Samantha Harvey

The author discusses books on mental illness, explaining the conditions that keep us sane and the effects of removing them. Recommendations include Sartre, Coetzee, and John Bayley on Iris Murdoch

    Books About Suicide, recommended by Johanna Reiss

  • Read
    Books About Suicide - Remembering Denny by Calvin Trillin

    1

    Remembering Denny
    by Calvin Trillin

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    Books About Suicide - Darkness Visible by William Clark Styron

    2

    Darkness Visible
    by William Clark Styron

  • Read
    Books About Suicide - Night by Elie Wiesel

    3

    Night
    by Elie Wiesel

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    Books About Suicide - Night Falls Fast by Kay Redfield Jamison

    4

    Night Falls Fast
    by Kay Redfield Jamison

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    Books About Suicide - The Savage God by Al Alvarez

    5

    The Savage God
    by Al Alvarez

Books About Suicide, recommended by Johanna Reiss

As a young Dutch Jewish girl, Johanna Reiss survived World War II hidden in the attic of a farmer called Johan Oosterveld. Her memoir of that time, The Upstairs Room, is still read in schools today. But while she was researching that book in 1969, her American husband, Jim, killed himself. In this interview, she recommends books on the painful subject of suicide, as well as the music that helped heal the pain.

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We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand interviews, or five thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

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