Books - Education and Awareness



Books - Real life stories

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This story chronicles the journey of a Marin County, California father to understand what led his seventeen-year-old daughter, Casey, to take her life. He travels back to her abandonment at birth and adoption from a Polish orphanage. His search leads to a condition known as attachment disorder, an affliction common among children who have been abandoned, neglected or abused. It explained everything. The Girl Behind The Door integrates a tragic personal adoption story with information from the experts to teach other families what the Brookses learned too late.  Website link - http://www.iheartcasey.com/Blog/Home.html
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My Bright Shining Star: A Mother's True Story of Brilliance, Love & Suicide - To everyone who knew her, Kaitlyn Elkins was a happy, intelligent, compassionate and extremely talented young medical student with a bright future ahead. However, behind her warm smile and string of impressive achievements lurked a dark secret - depression; something that she hid so well from all those who knew and loved her. This is the story about a mother's quest to find some answers as to how her daughter, who seemed so happy on the outside, could hide such a dark, horrible depression that ultimately led to her suicide. It is a story about her wonderful daughter's life, the lives she touched, the search for answers, the stigma of mental illness, the great love and deep bond they shared. The book also incorporates insightful experiences from other depression sufferers, contributions from Kaitlyn's friends and views from medical professionals. This heartrending memoir of love and loss also serves as a caution to parents, teachers, counsellors and young people that depression can lurk among the high achieving, that they hide it expertly and, if not reported and treated, can lead to suicide. It is a warning to everyone.  
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What Made Maddy Run - began as a piece that Kate Fagan, a columnist for espnW, wrote about Maddy's life. What started as a profile of a successful young athlete whose life ended in suicide became so much larger when Fagan started to hear from other college athletes also struggling with mental illness. This is the story of Maddy Holleran's life, and her struggle with depression, which also reveals the mounting pressures young people, and college athletes in particular, face to be perfect, especially in an age of relentless connectivity and social media saturation.