Non-fiction/Memoir
The Peaceful Warrior: Memoirs of a Damaged Mind and Soul
Patrick J. Schnerch
Trafford Publishing
ISBN 1-4120-9508-5
210 pages
The Peaceful Warrior: Memoirs of a Damaged Mind and
Soul is not a conventional book. Neither is the author. Patrick J.
Schnerch is an advocate of the mentally ill in his native Canada and the
author of the crime novel, Adrian. He is also living with bipolar
disorder and alcoholism. In his memoir, Schnerch opens the door to his life
and beacons the reader to view his struggle in the raw. It is the
opportunity to see mental illness from the inside that most people, outside
of mental health workers, are not privy to. It is also an act of courage.
“Alone, I would weep for death to come and take me. For
over thirty years, death was very much welcome in my heart. Even today, the
wish has not gone away.” This book begins with the author recounting the
events of his early life that lead to the manifestation of mental illness
and the development of his dance with alcohol. After spending the first
twelve years of his life living with the people he believed to be his
parents, Schnerch is introduced to his biological father and mother. While
his birth mother is not able to care for him as she suffers from mental
illness herself, the author’s biological father regains custody from the
aunt and uncle who raised Schnerch from six months old and brings him to
live with him after marrying. It is during this traumatic transition that
the first signs of mental illness appear. Schnerch becomes isolated in a
home where very little affection is shown and he begins a lifelong habit of
self-mutilation in the form of cutting. From there he describes lengthy
hospitalizations, foster care, a brief military stint, marriage, and
submission to his illness.
The author’s journey follows the same path as many who
struggle with dual diagnosis: Symptoms emerge and a variety of diagnoses and
hospitalizations with medication mixed in follow; then self-medication with
alcohol and/or some illicit drug ensues. As the book continues, the easily
followed recollection of life events is abandoned for journal writings that
have been produced during psychotic or drunken episodes. In these passages,
the author reveals delusions of grandeur and religious fixations. He also
discusses the toll his illness and alcoholism has taken on his twenty-three
year marriage. In Schnerch’s disclosure, the denial that seems to go hand in
hand with substance dependency is also apparent. Even though the author
appears quite knowledgeable about his illness and the events that trigger
his symptoms, he struggles with accepting the impact of alcohol in the cycle
of wellness and decompensation.
The Peaceful Warrior: Memoirs of a Damaged Mind and
Soul is not an easy read, particularly the passages that allow entry
into the confusion and delusions associated with the author’s bipolar
disorder. While the audience for this book may not be the average
recreational reader, for those who work with and provide daily care of the
mentally ill and substance dependant, this book provides some insight into
what the dually diagnosed are dealing with and why becoming well is a battle
that must be fought on-going.
Melissa Levine
For Independent Professional Book Reviewers
www.bookreviewers.org
01/07/07
