Leaving the Hall Light On: A Mother's Memoir of Living with Her Son's Bipolar Disorder and Surviving His Suicide

by Madeline Sharples

Overview

"Leaving the Hall Light On: A Mother's Memoir of Living with Her Son's Bipolar Disorder and Surviving His Suicide" charts the near-destruction of one middle-class family whose son committed suicide after a seven-year struggle with bipolar disorder.

Madeline Sharples, author, poet, and web journalist, goes deep into her own well of grief to explore her anger, frustration, and guilt. She describes many attempts -- some successful, some not -- to have her son committed to hospital and to keep him on his medication.

The book also discusses her and her family's redemption, how she considered suicide herself, and ultimately, her decision live and take care of herself as a woman, wife, mother, and writer.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940015801613
Publisher:	Dream of Things
Publication date:	12/05/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	340
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Although Madeline Sharples worked for most of her professional life as a technical writer and editor, grant writer, and proposal manager, she fell in love with poetry and creative writing in grade school. She pursued her writing interests to high school while studying journalism and writing for the high school newspaper, and she studied journalism in college. However, she only began to fulfill her dream to be a professional writer later in life.

Madeline's memoir, Leaving the Hall Light On, is the harrowing but ultimately uplifting tale of the course of years from her son Paul's diagnosis with bipolar disorder, through his suicide at her home to the present day. It details how Madeline, her husband and younger son weathered every family's worst nightmare.

In addition to Leaving the Hall Light On, Madeline co-authored Blue-Collar Women: Trailblazing Women Take on Men-Only Jobs (New Horizon Press, 1994) a book about women in nontraditional professions and co-edited the poetry anthology, The Great American Poetry Show, Volumes 1 (Muse Media, 2004) and 2 (2010). Her poetry accompanies the work of photographer Paul Blieden in two books, The Emerging Goddess and Intimacy as well as appearing in print and online on many occasions.

Madeline is now a full-time writer and is working on her next book, a novel, based in the 1920s. She and Bob, her husband of 40 years, live in Manhattan Beach, California, a small beach community south of Los Angeles.

Editorial Reviews

A moving read of tragedy, trying to prevent it, and coping with life after.

June 2011 - Midwest Book Review

Brave and Gritty. Innovative. Resourceful. Inspiring. Sure to increase your understanding and compassion for others in turmoil.

Story Circle Book Reviews - Sharon Lippincott

I would recommend this book to suicide survivors, and I also invite mental health professionals to read it. I would be willing to bet that Madeline Sharples is much more honest about what it is like to survive suicide than most patients and clients allow themselves to be.

American Association of Suicidology - Fran Edstrom

The courage and strength of will it took to write this book is matched by the superb writing, the clarity of emotional insight, and the uplifting music of its brave prose.

Author of "The Naked Eye" and "Method Writing" - Jack Grapes

Intense. Your heart will ache for Paul and all those he hurt and loved. But in the end, understanding and perspective dawn in ways you never thought possible. This is a story that will transform you and change the way you look at the world.

Vine Leaves Literary Journal - Krystal Sital

"Leaving the Hall Light On left me in tears. It is a heart-wrenching book; I could not put it down. Anyone who wants to learn how to live with children or adults with bipolar disorder, must read this book.

The Nashville (Illinois) News - Mary Barrett