A Tiny White Light - by Linda Bass (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From an author with a psychology background, a candid memoir about the interior of her own psychotic episode and its origins in guilt, lost purpose, conflict between mothering and career, and the ambiguity in her relationship with her therapist.

After the culture shock of moving from a small Wisconsin town to the tumult of Los Angeles in 1967, Linda's family disintegrates: her parents decide to divorce, and she and her younger brother, Brian, suddenly must fend for themselves. While she finds a foothold in academic pursuits, Brian spirals downward into schizophrenia and, finally, commits an irrevocable act. Plagued with guilt, Linda loses her sense of purpose, abandons a promising career in psychology, and finds herself in a life she never envisioned--poor, alcoholic, an accidental parent in an unhappy marriage, feeling invisible and alone.

When Linda sees a psychologist, Sam, he helps her recover what she has lost: her sense of self. Feeling truly seen, she falls in love with him and suspects her feelings might be reciprocated. This ambiguity, mingled with other overwhelming stresses, triggers her descent into a psychotic episode--one that echoes her dreams, Brian's experience, and Sam's own phobia.

Will Linda follow in her brother's footsteps, or is this the wake-up call she needed to correct her course?

Review Quotes

"A brave, brilliant and beautifully written book."--Michele Orwin, author of Waiting for Next Week

"Exquisitely written with vivid imagery, this enthralling memoir takes one on a harrowing journey to madness and back."--Bonnie R. Strickland, PhD, former president of the American Psychological Association, and author of Leaving the Confederate Closet

"Truly the most authentic, disturbing and riveting description of psychosis I've ever read, barring perhaps Jack Kerouac's depiction of alcoholic psychosis in his memoir Big Sur."--Dori Ostermiller, author of Outside the Ordinary World

"Burdened by a life marked by trauma, neglect, and solitude, Bass begins to experience a psychotic episode during psychotherapy. This book shows how what she calls "craziness" is a strategy for survival in the face of deep hurt --and a catalyst for confronting life's challenges in a new way."
--Stijn Vanheule, professor of clinical psychology at Ghent University, and author of Why Psychosis Is Not So Crazy

"Spanning time, place, and people, A Tiny White Light provides a compelling portrait of mental illness and the long, winding road of recovery."--Maria Galano, PhD, assistant professor of clinical psychology at UMass Amherst

"An evocative memoir that immerses the reader in the author's descent into psychosis. With unflinching vividness, Bass translates the logic of madness, the distortions of perception, and the sensory overload of a fractured mind not just as an experience, but as a surreal world with its own internal consistency. For anyone interested in how the mind works, this story is critical and relevant."--Rosie McMahan, Ed.M., author of Fortunate Daughter: A Memoir of Reconciliation

"Through poetic and thought-provoking prose, [Bass] examines the human need for companionship and connection with refreshing candor, not shying away from describing the darker aspects of her own impulses and behavior . . . the work's exceptional prose and unflinching honesty make for an engaging read. . . . A skillfully written personal exploration."--Kirkus Reviews

"A Tiny White Light is a lyrical memoir in which living is treated as a continual search for meaning and self-worth."--Foreword Clarion Reviews

About the Author

Linda Bass holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from UCLA and a master's degree in psychology from UC Berkeley. She worked in the workforce development field for thirty years, most recently as the executive director of a regional workforce board in Cambridge, MA. Now retired, she devotes her time to writing, painting, solving puzzles, reading, singing (to herself), enjoying friends and family, and feeling grateful for the life she has now. She currently lives in South Hadley, MA, and is working on a second book.