His Bright Light by Danielle Steele

The Story of Nick Traina My Rating: 5 stars Read: 2000 & May 2007 Daniel Steele's hopes in writing about her son's life-long struggle with the condition 'manic depression' now known as Bipolar Disorder are expressed in her quote - "I want to share the story, and the pain, the courage, the love, and what I learned in living through it. I want Nick's life to be not only a tender memory for us, but a gift to others...I would like to offer people hope and the realities we lived with. I want to make a difference. My hope is that someone will be able to use what we learned and save a life with it." Nick Traina was initially diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.) in early adolescence and I read this book not long after my own son was diagnosed with ADHD and depression. Danielle opens the door and her heart and with honesty and courage reveals Nick's gifts and troubles during childhood, as a teen, and during his aspiring career as a musician with band Link 80 through to his suicide at age 19. The most frightening aspect of the book was the realisation of a mother's inability to save her son, even with all the resources available to her. The reviewers who say this book is repetitive and melodramatic have obviously never lived with someone with mental illness or taken the harrowing journey to gain a diagnosis.