Friday, May 13, 2016

Book News and More


Greetings from Baltimore -- and if you're looking for me at APA in Atlanta this year -- do look for both Roy and ClinkShrink instead--they are both there as APA Assembly members. I decided a while back that a Springtime graduation was all the traveling I wanted to do, and I am pleased to tell you that all went well with my youngest's graduation from #GoBlue.  I enjoyed Michael Bloomberg's commencement speech, the dinners, the celebrating, being with family, seeing my lovely daughter thrive, and knowing that for the foreseeable future, there is no college tuition to be paid.  Young One is off for a couple of weeks in the Middle East traveling and will then work as a camp counselor for the summer before moving across the country to teach biology and conservation in an outdoor school.  She's an adventurer.

As many of you know, from many past posts, ClinkShrink and I have been working on a book since 2013 on forced/involuntary care. Many of you have helped by giving us insights into what it is to have treatments you did and didn't want, some of you (and you know who you are) are  quoted in the book, and many people led me others whom I interviewed and shadowed and learned from.   
I wanted to give you an update. The book, which we originally  called Committed: The Battle Over Forced Psychiatric Care is now called Committed: The Battle Over Involuntary Care.  We preferred the smoothness of a shorter title, and the full impact of the word 'forced,' but authors don't get the final say in book names or covers, and so a committee of marketing folks felt 'forced' conveyed the wrong message.  If you think the title isn't strong enough, don't worry, the cover art is striking and powerful.
 
The page proofs have been corrected.  Pete Earley wrote the most amazing foreword-- it's not to be missed. I love that Pete's foreword completes the book by adding the perspective of a family member in a way that only Pete can do.  So far, the publisher's reviewers have been very positive (they nix the book if they aren't), and page proofs have been sent out for cover blurbs.  Advance copies for media reviewers will be ordered and sent in June, and the official release date is November 1st, so stand by, I'll have more to say later.  The Johns Hopkins University Press Fall Catalog (see page 21) just came out, and the book has an early Amazon page, waiting for more details.  I just wanted to let you know what's happening, and for those who wonder why we've slowed down on blogging, well, there has been a lot to distract us.

 For the moment, November is tied in my head to this interminable, angst-filled presidential election and it's feeling like it can't come soon enough. 

On another personal note, I am sad to report that the giant oak tree in front of my house needs to come down, and I'm waiting for the power to go off for that to happen today.  I've been slowly mourning the loss of this tree for years.  No, it's not a person, but it's hundreds of years old and it's part of my home.  

2 comments:

Kristen Filipic said...

I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea that ClinkShrink has a real name.

Dinah said...

Kristen: me neither.