I am also surprised by the perseverance of human beings. Most of them were willing to do their best to delve into their hearts. But to my surprise, there were not many people trying to whitewash their stories. Of course, not everyone was so enthusiastic and honest, and I didn’t include their stories in the book. But they shared their stories enthusiastically, and very frankly. Many people have no way to get first-class medical care, and most people don’t have enough companions.

Their experiences are extremely painful some of them are far more depressive than me. Readmoo: What are your particularly impressive experiences when interviewing others?Īndrew Solomon: What impresses me most is the courage of these interviewees. His contribution to our understanding not only of mental illness but also of the human condition is truly stunning.The Noonday Demon, by Andrew Solomon translated into Traditional Chinese by Qi Ruolan (Everyone’s Press, July 1, 2020)įollowing the publication of the Traditional Chinese translation of The Noonday Demon, Taiwanese e-book retailer Readmoo asked Andrew Solomon a few questions about the making of the book. With uncommon humanity, candor, wit and erudition, award-winning author Solomon takes readers on a journey of incomparable range and resonance into the most pervasive of family secrets. He also explores the thorny patch of moral and ethical questions posed by biological explanations for mental illness. He confronts the challenge of defining the illness and describes the vast range of available medications and treatments, and the impact the malady has on various demographic populations-around the world and throughout history. Drawing on his own struggles with the illness and interviews with fellow sufferers, doctors and scientists, policy makers and politicians, drug designers, and philosophers, Andrew Solomon reveals the subtle complexities and sheer agony of the disease as well as the reasons for hope. The Noonday Demon examines depression in personal, cultural, and scientific terms. The Noonday Demon is Andrew Solomon's National Book Award-winning, bestselling, and transformative masterpiece on depression-'the book for a generation, elegantly written, meticulously researched, empathetic, and enlightening' ( Time)-now with a major new chapter covering recently introduced and novel treatments, suicide and anti-depressants, pregnancy and depression, and much more.

The Noonday Demon by Andrew Solomon