72 Hour Hold

Interesting

It took me a while to finish this book. I did enjoy it but it wasn't a page turner for me. I struggled to get through it but I did want to finish it. I gave it four stars because the author made me want to know what happened in the end. She shed a lot of light on the mentally ill.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Slow to pick up

The book was slow in the beginning & didn't hold my attention. It took me several times picking it up & putting it down. The story line was heart wrenching. I felt for Keri as she struggled 2 help her daughter & tried 2 have a life of her own. Half way through the book, it began 2 pick up & I wanted 2 know how their lives would end up. I would not say a must read but it is worth a try.

Excellent book

The late great author Bebe Campbell Moore wrote this based
on her own experiences with her own daughter, Hollywood actress Maia Campbell Moore, who has been seen in the media with her life spiraling out of controll because of this disease. I pray that this book will bring about awareness regarding mental illness and I pray for Maia Campbell.

Anticlimactic

This novel was an easy read but did not have much depth. There are too many situations and relationships going on to be properly explained by the author with the allotted pages. The resolution to each problem and situation seems hurried and not properly thought out. I was quite disappointed with the ending.

good emotional reading

Takes you into the world of mental illness. Shows how difficult it is for a mother stuggling to deal with a child's mental illness.

Four and a Half Stars!

This book exceded my expectations. Based on this work, I'm convinced that Bebe Moore Campbell's true calling is to be a writer. The imagery in this piece is wonderful. Campbell is able to be descriptive with a minimal amount of words. This allowed the plot to have a smoother flow. Moreover, the plot was artfully intertwined with various sidebars which added to rather than detract from the storyline. The story does not have actual closure. This is by design. The author wanted to make the point that mental illness in reality does not have closure. This novel has unexpected qualities. It is dramatic, moving, suspenseful and touching. The analogy she makes between the slavery of African Americans and mental illness successfully accentuates her message. This analogy can be appreciated by anyone. I like it. I do not love this tale enough to declare it a classic. I give it 4 and 1/2 stars.

Great read. Managing chaos and our own internal issues is a happy ending too. -- maxie

Although psychic disordets are only managed, caregivers can have moments of order and peace. Savor those moments and not dwell on the what could have been. 'Each day has it's own rewards...'

dit

excellent!

Highly recommended

Loved the book and it open yours eyes if you havent really ever known how bi-polar people act. Its a book that I am glad to own...

Amazing!

This book is one of the best I've read in a long time! The characters were complex and realistic, the storyline was captivating and touching, and the writing style is unique and adds to the story. I am a pretty slow reader and I was amazed at how I tore through this book. When I wasn't reading it, I was obsessing about what was going to happen next in the book. I gave the book to my roommate after I was finished, and she was as blown away by Campbell's talent as I was. I loved it! This is a must-read!

Better than I expected

This book started out a little boring but quickly picked up the pace and became an interesting read.

A must for Parents with Bi-polar or similiar disorders

Imagine gradually witnessing your child's daily behavior declining due to a mental illness. An illness your ex-husband wishes would go away. What does a mother do when the system fails her? Why? Because your adult child is no longer a minor and that young adult child can only be held for 72 HOURS. You pray that when you get your child back home from the 72 HOUR HOLD that perhaps a miracle has occured, but the drug use, and promiscious behavior- just keep spiraling out of control. So what does Keri 'mother' do? She looks for an unconventional way to get her daughter Trina some help. A unconventional method that leads Keri to literally have to steal her daughter back from these people with their 'questionable' methods for dealing with Trina's illness. Good reading, this book came out shortly after close friends lost their child to suicide. Special thanks to Ms. Campbell for characterizing a topic that we as African-Americans sometimes are afraid to discuss-mental illness. Bebe Moore Campbell, will always be one of my favorite female writers. Rest in Peace my sister..

A wonderful work to leave behind

If I'm not mistaken, this is the last book that the now late, Bebe Moore Campbell wrote and what a wonderful piece of work to leave as part of her literary legacy!! I suspect that on some level Ms. Campbell might have been writing from personal experiences, because Keri's pain and frustration was so real. As for Nicole's review of 'I really could care less', let's hope that you never have to experience the pain of having a mentally OR physically ill child for that matter. Maybe 'Ghetto Genre' is more your speed...just a thought.

Pulsating

An excellent story in which the author takes the reader down the pathway of mental illness. The suffering that Keri has to undergo is palpable and we weep with her as she traverses a complicated system full of 'mindless bureaucracy' to get help for her bi-polar daughter Trina. Several other intense subjects are dealt with admirably in this novel. The author must also be applauded for her writing style. I loved her descriptions and her metaphors of slavery ending the story nobly with a reference to Harriet Tubman. I was saddened to hear of this author's recent passing. She will live on in her work.

I really could care less

I am a fan of Bebe Moore Campbells' work, but I really didn't like this book. I suffered through half of it and just quit b/c I kept forcing myself to read it. Perhaps I'm just not sympathetic to the topic, but after a while I felt like the mother was co-dependent and needed to let go. Maybe it got better and there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I didn't care enough about the characters to find out.

Honest insight into severe mental illness

An absolutely riveting story a wonderful decription of the way mental illness impacts a family. The plot takes some unexpected twists and turns, but this serves to make it all the more exciting.

EMOTIONAL AND PROFOUND

Bebe Moore Campbell is obviously a very talented, gifted author. This was the first book of hers that I have read, and it was quite a journey for me. I had a difficult time putting it down. I could relate to Trina's character as a bipolar. One of my former acquaintances endured this mental disorder, and I got to see firsthand what it was like for that person to live that way with the manic highs and lows, emotional drops, the unprovoked tears and crying spells, etc. I symphatized, but at the time I had such a limited knowledge of this mental disease. Having read Ms. Campbell's book has enlightened me to a great degree. Her writing is very strong. There are a few misdirects along the way, as the storyline tends to waver off course a bit. This is the only issue that I would make of this otherwise creative, honest outlook on the topic at hand. 72-Hour Hold taught me a personal lesson in regards to the character Trina. As I continued reading and getting closer to the end of the book I somehow imagined her healing and doing all the things she was capable of doing in her normal state of mind. However, something more important than this occurred...Kerri was able to accept and continue loving her mentally ill daughter as a human being, not trying to change her into something she would never be. The very few last pages demonstrated the fact that Kerri was at peace with the situation and could move forward. She wasn't giving up on her daughter or her treatment, but Kerri developed a deeper understanding that some things in life we just cannot change completely. We use the tools given to us and learn to work with them. That's exactly what she did for her daughter Trina.

Praises for Bebe

Excellent book! In her most recent novel, Bebe has allowed readers a glimpse of what it's like to live with a loved one who has a mental illness. Wow, I had no idea. Thanks, Bebe for opening my eyes.

Enlightening

I finished 72 Hour Hold in the wee hours of the morning and was left breathless. Keri Whitmore, a single parent, is the owner of a successful upscale 'second-hand' boutique. Her teen-age daughter, Trina is not only beautiful, but smart-as-a-whip. She's been accepted to Brown University, but when she begins to exhibit signs of emotional instability and is hospitalized, she's unable to attend. Trina's bipolar diagnosis has derailed both her own as well as her mother's life. Clyde, Keri's ex-husband and Trina's father has always been there for Trina, however, he's in denial about her mental illness and believes Keri is being overly dramatic in her quest to seek treatment for their daughter. He refuses to believe there's anything wrong with his perfect daughter and assumes an advesarial role, thus Keri is forced to endure the emotional and physical abuse inflicted upon her by Trina alone. When on medication, Trina is able to function. She's childlike and clearly not her usual self, but when she's not taking her meds, she's erratic, violent, and promiscuous among other awful behaviors. Keri wavers between being hopeful that Trina will go back to normal and being terrified that her child will go mad again. Monitoring Trina is all-consuming and Keri's life is on hold. Embarrassed by Trina's diagnosis and behaviors, Keri has dropped her former friends--and has developed new relationships with people she's met in family group therapy sessions. 'I'm taking my meds' is Trina's mantra. However, this is rarely the case for very long and when she's not taking her meds, Trina is a danger to herself and others. Throughout the ordeal, Keri compares her situation to slavery and this reader found these comparisons sad but wickedly humorous. Bebe Moore Campbell has written a poignant and riveting story that I found hard to put down.

Insightful and honest look into mental illness

I have searched a long time for someone to put voice to the myriad of emotions, frustrations, fears, and love for someone struggling with mental health issues. Bebe nails it. Wonderful, strong writing. The only disappointment is all the other drama that distracts from the theme. I read it in 1 day and recommend it.