Andrew Solomon Books

Solomon tells the stories of parents who not only learn to deal with their exceptional children but also find profound meaning in doing so.

WITH A NEW EPILOGUE BY THE AUTHOR Like Primo Levi's The Periodic Table, The Noonday Demon digs deep into personal history, as Andrew Solomon narrates, brilliantly and terrifyingly, his own agonising experience of depression. Solomon also portrays the pain of others, in different cultures and societies whose lives have been shattered by depression and uncovers the historical, social, biological, chemical and medical implications of this crippling disease. He takes us through the halls of mental hospitals where some of his subjects have been imprisoned for decades; into the research labs; to the burdened and afflicted poor, rural and urban. He talks to faith healers and voyages around the world in a quest for folk wisdom. He analyses the medications of today as well as reviewing the politics of diagnosis and treatment and, perhaps most significantly, he looks at the vital role of will and love in the process of recovery.

From the winner of the National Book Award and the National Books Critics’ Circle Award—and one of the most original thinkers of our time—a riveting collection of essays about places in dramatic transition. Far and Away collects Andrew Solomon’s writings about places undergoing seismic shifts—political, cultural, and spiritual. Chronicling his stint on the barricades in Moscow in 1991, when he joined artists in resisting the coup whose failure ended the Soviet Union, his 2002 account of the rebirth of culture in Afghanistan following the fall of the Taliban, his insightful appraisal of a Myanmar seeped in contradictions as it slowly, fitfully pushes toward freedom, and many other stories of profound upheaval, this book provides a unique window onto the very idea of social change. With his signature brilliance and compassion, Solomon demonstrates both how history is altered by individuals, and how personal identities are altered when governments alter. A journalist and essayist of remarkable perception and prescience, Solomon captures the essence of these cultures. Ranging across seven continents and twenty-five years, Far and Away takes a magnificent journey into the heart of extraordinarily diverse experiences, yet Solomon finds a common humanity wherever he travels. Illuminating the development of his own genius, his stories are always intimate and often both funny and deeply moving.

Exploring a wide range of topics over twenty-five years, the collection features profound essays that delve into personal and societal themes. Andrew Solomon, an acclaimed author and thinker, shares his unique insights and experiences, reflecting on identity, culture, and the human condition. Each piece is crafted with depth and eloquence, showcasing Solomon's ability to connect individual narratives to broader societal issues, making this collection both thought-provoking and emotionally resonant.

Harry, the narrator of Senior New York Times Magazine writer Andrew Solomon's first novel, is a young expatriate pianist. When Harry's mother is diagnosed with cancer, she blames her suffering on his homosexuality. Part elegy, part confession, above all an intense, vivid and moving exploration of a mother/son relationship.

Wie geht man damit um, wenn die eigenen Kinder ganz anders sind als man selbst? Was bedeutet das für sie und ihre Familien? Und wie akzeptieren wir außergewöhnliche Menschen in unserer Gesellschaft? Dieses eindrucksvolle Werk thematisiert das Elternsein, die Kraft der Liebe und die Essenz unserer Identität. Der Bestsellerautor hat mit über 300 Familien gesprochen, deren Kinder außergewöhnlich oder hochbegabt sind, das Down-Syndrom haben, an Schizophrenie leiden, autistisch, taub oder kleinwüchsig sind. Ihre einzigartigen Geschichten spiegeln universelle Erfahrungen des „Andersseins“ wider. Ihr Mut, ihre Lebensfreude und ihr Glück konfrontieren uns mit uns selbst und berühren jeden Leser. Die Einsichten sind voller Empathie und Klugheit und könnten die Grundlage für eine Charta der psychologischen Grundrechte des 21. Jahrhunderts bilden. Dieses monumentale Werk regt zum permanenten Nachdenken an und schießt Pfeil um Pfeil ins Herz. Es ist mutig, einfühlsam und zutiefst menschlich, mit meisterhafter Feinfühligkeit und Klarheit erzählt.