Thirty-five brilliant, vivid, edgy writers in Amy Ferris’s compelling new book, Shades of Blue, unflinchingly shout out the real true down-dirty story of the blues. These compelling tales of depression aren’t depressing—they are emblazoned with hope—because every person in this book is a survivor. A survivor who doesn’t flinch from explaining exactly how they climbed out of their own personal pit of despair. How they chose life. If you’ve ever been depressed, read this book. If you’ve ever lost someone to depression, read this book. I have no doubt whatsoever that Shades of Blue will save lives—maybe even yours.”
—Laura Davis, bestselling author of I Thought We’d Never Speak Again, co-author of The Courage To Heal, and founder of The Writer’s Journey
"I expected this collection to pull me into a maelstrom of darkness. Instead, story after story, I found myself surfacing into the light of appreciation and hope.”
—Victoria Zackheim, author, playwright, and editor of He Said What?, For Keeps, and The Other Woman
"What a strong and searing light the writers in this amazing anthology shine on the thing we are so loathe to name. Depression and suicide grow in secrecy and darkness. What a feat to bathe them in understanding and humor."
—Martha Frankel, author of Hats & Eyeglasses and director of The Woodstock Writers Festival
“This is a brave book. No, this is a kick-ass, ‘get outta my way, despair/misery/isolation,’ ‘I'm gonna mess you up, depression’ tome. This book is a lifesaver. This book needs to go into the survivor/survival toolkit for every patient, friend, sister, husband, father, daughter, son, partner, neighbor, lover, kindergarten teacher, oncologist, nursing student, shopkeeper, artist, social worker, babysitter, the guy who fixes your car, his wife, the waitress at your favorite restaurant, your bartender, counselor. I challenge any of them, or you, or me, to feel alone with Amy Ferris's book in our pockets. This book belongs to all of us who have ever felt the pang of despair or the full blown crush of depression, or worried about someone precious who may be struggling this very very minute.”
—Nina Gaby, editor of Dumped: Stories of Women Unfriending Women, and psychiatric nurse practitioner
"It takes great courage to get up in the morning when depression has closed in. It also takes courage to tell the truth about what it feels like to have lost hope. These brave essayists decribe the darkness and their efforts, not always successful, to stare it down. By sharing their stories, they are making it a little easier for others to get up in the morning."
—Suzanne Braun Levine, author of Inventing the Rest of Our Lives
"Shades of Blue is a courageous venture into the darkness, out of which we inevitably emerge with a newfound light. There will be a point while reading this book when the words come alive with the preciousness of life. It was like being invited into someone's darkness and witnessing it in all of its devastating beauty—all its horror. It's a first-hand look into a beating heart. That sound of a heartbeat kept recurring as I read—probably my own. I felt pride and exhilaration for being alive. It was the very definition of inspiring. A tremendous gift."
—Ana Surviladze, author of The Voice of a Falling Tree
“You’re not alone is the grief-soaked message on every page . . . The contributors’ writing is often brilliant, and proves, at least, that depression—if confessed, illuminated, investigated, and shared—can defeat denial, and begin to help us heal.”
—Mimi Kennedy, actress and author of Taken to the Stage
“A ground-breaking, raw, honest new book that dives headfirst into feeling blue, depression, and suicide. Yes, even suicide. Shades of Blue must quickly become required reading in high school, in college, at church, around the family dinner table, and wherever people that care about other people gather. Shades of Blue can help us heal that which needs healing.
—Tom Zuba, author of Permission to Mourn: A New Way To Do Grief
