This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Scarlett Jensen for Readers' Favorite
Into the Darkness: A Journey into Schizophrenia by Darren Smith is his story after living with “schizophrenia” for the last thirty years. He has gone into the darkness many times but he always found his way back out. He had a fairly normal childhood in the UK. He broke the law several times but did the honorable thing in accepting responsibility for his wrongdoings and now has a deep sense of remorse for his actions. It is clear from his story that he regrets how he never stood up for himself as he believed he wasn’t strong enough. He craved love and affection. He realized that life was cruel and began to think that compassion did not exist in any form. He had no idea where to ask for help. In 1994, Darren became psychotic and ended up in a psychiatric ward for five months. He was misdiagnosed for twenty-six years and did not have schizoaffective disorder but had a drug-induced psychosis. He was paranoid about everything and everyone and felt as if he was trapped in a horror movie. He now wants to describe some of the horrors he bore witness to in this memoir.
In Into the Darkness, Darren Smith sketches a horror story that leaves you with many questions. At times he is symptom-free, apart from one, and that is the voice in his head. He has no idea of what the future holds, but he looks forward to seeing increasing light in the world. The details of his surroundings are very well laid out to describe the horrific episodes. This inspiring memoir has a lesson for all of us, and that is never to let guilt bury your desire for a better life. To be compassionate is key and never to stop questioning your medical treatment if you are not convinced that it is your road to recovery. I felt that Darren was very honest in relating this story with depth, humility, and the drive to give back to society. People in the health care profession or someone wanting to understand mental health issues will gain profound insight into this problem, as I did.
