Read Online The Valedictorian of Being Dead The True Story of Dying Ten Times to Live Audible Audio Edition Heather B Armstrong Simon Schuster Audio Books

Product details Audible Audiobook Listening Length 6 hours and 48 minutes Program Type Audiobook Version Unabridged Publisher Simon & Schuster Audio Audible.com Release Date April 23, 2019 Whispersync for Voice Ready Language English, English ASIN B07HY4G4L7

The Valedictorian of Being Dead The True Story of Dying Ten Times to Live Audible Audio Edition Heather B Armstrong Simon Schuster Audio Books Reviews

• About 2 hours into reading this book I tasted my tears as they poured down down my cheeks- and it startled me. This book has been on my must read list for months, I was delighted to find it in my library and was looking forward to reading it. I had no idea that this was so much more than a story about treatment resistant depression. This is a really, really long love letter that Heather B. Armstrong writes not only to her mother, her 2 daughters, her doctors, but to herself. I did not put this book down, I could not put this book down. If you have ever loved someone who suffers from depression and want to catch a glimpse of their lives, you must read this book. If this procedure can do for others what it did for Ms. Armstrong, the lives of millions of people will be changed. Ms. Armstrong's words are like music, they grab your soul and become a part of you. 1979 forever!!!
• I’ve been reading Heather for god, 16 years now. Possibly longer. No one can describe being up shit creek like Heather, and make you laugh. With that said, this book made me cry, and laugh, hard. I’ve suffered from depression my whole life and having someone describe it so accurately was amazing good. Her journey was incredible and I hope that this treatment lasts for her and helps so many others. What stood out the most for me is her worry of her ex taking her kids away if she openly sought help. THIS IS REAL! Much love to you Heather for sharing your life as you have over the years. It’s made a lot of people happy. Much love to your amazing family and especially to your girls.
• I bought this because my friend was going through the same ECT treatment. The writing is good, but I’m about to stop reading because of the incessant use of the F word. So unnecessary and off-putting.
• I was going to email Heather and tell her the effect her book had on me after I devoured it in one sitting, but I figured if she can be brave enough to write about her depression in a book, I can be brave enough to leave a public review. My family has a long standing history with alcoholism, bipolar disorder and anxiety - the trifecta of mental health issues. Lately it’s been hard to want to do...anything. My GP has tweaked my meds time and time again and I’ve struggled to admit to myself that the cocktail I’m on just isn’t working.
  
  Heather’s book opened my eyes and validated what I was feeling - what others around me either couldn’t see or didn’t understand. Her bravery in taking such a phenomenal risk to climb out of the hole that is depression inspired me to shower, wash my hair for the first time in a week, put on makeup, and call my doctor for a referral to a psychiatrist. That might not sound like much to some, but to others suffering from mental health issues, and to Heather? They’ll understand just how much that is.
  
  Thank you, Heather, from the bottom of my heart. I am so happy for you, and so grateful for what you have written.
• When someone feels so bad, I mean the deepest, darkest kind of despair, but is willing to try anything to feel better because even though the alternative seems preferable, they truly want to find happiness and will go to extreme lengths to find a way to come through, that is strength. We’re talking ‘being dead’ in order to live. As in the most experimental of treatments where doctors put you in a series of chemically induced comas to simulate brain death, to hopefully eradicate treatment resistant depression. This is what Heather B. Armstrong did and lived to see the light of day in her compelling memoir THE VALEDICTORIAN OF BEING DEAD THE TRUE STORY OF DYING TEN TIMES TO LIVE. If you are expecting sadness and pure gloom, erase those thoughts. This book is the story of how one woman, recently divorced, raising two young daughters, learns how to ask for help, to help herself, as she shares her story with raw honesty, humor (yes), compassion, appreciation, and love for those around her.
  
  You will cheer every step of the way for Heather and for the dedicated and courageous medical community. THE VALEDICTORIAN OF BEING DEAD demonstrates what family is all about, it is about having compassion for others, and a first hand account of one brave woman saved by an extraordinary scientific breakthrough.
• As the mother of an adult child who has struggled with depression for many years I was very interested in this treatment. My daughter has gone through extensive ECT treatments and has suffered terrible side effects. This has shown me there may eventually be another hope for her future.
• I've been a follower of Armstrong's blog site (dooce) for a long time. She was one of the first bloggers to turn that platform into a career. Her writing has always been a mélange of sarcasm, sauciness, and passion. In other words, I've always loved the way Heather writes.
  That style doesn't work as well here--the "valedictorian of" motif gets tired rather quickly--but this is still a good read. Rather than parse each word to create a nuanced, metaphoric sense of what crushing depression feels like, she does something more clever she unpacks how she lives and links to how she presents to the world. In other words, that "lazy" parent who "always" has on "those" pants might well be struggling. Those elements of the book can only create empathy.
  More importantly, she delineates the many forms of stigma and how women--especially parents--are punished if they are forthright about their struggles. Rather than coming across whiney or entitled, she conveys her sense is of terror. Brilliantly.
• Emotional, absorbing and fascinating read. Beautifully written with enough humor for comic relief from all the heaviness. Highly recommended!