Eight Stories Up: An Adolescent Chooses Hope Over Suicide

by David Brent and DeQuincy Lezine

Book Overview

As a teenager, DeQuincy Lezine nearly ended his own life, believing it was the only way to escape the emotional pain that was overwhelming him. Instead, Lezine was able to find expert psychiatric care, and went on to found the first university campus-based chapter of the Suicide Prevention Action Network USA.

Now a researcher at the University of Rochester's Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide, Lezine has devoted his life to preventing...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195325575
• ISBN13: 9780195325577
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.7" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Masterful.

DeQuincy Lezine's account of his personal struggles with suicide combined with current research on adolescent suicide is a brilliant piece of writing that should be on every adolescent therapist's bookshelf. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. His writing is accessible to anyone, and he (literally) speaks to the reader in ways both touching and encouraging. The honest, candid account of his own thoughts and feelings during his adolescence is punctuated by old journal entries and e-mails to friends, which creates an intensely personal narrative. Deeply moving and highly important.

Eight Stories Up

Having lived through my own pain of suicide, Eight Stories Up is insightful and a great reference for any adolescent or their families who may be caught up in the vicious cycle of suicide or suicidal behavior. It was a pleasure to meet Dequincy at a fund raiser for Laurel House in Stamford, Connecticut. After hearing his story, I realized that we both had something in common, I too used to size up buildings on the campus of the school I was attending and the only thing that kept me from jumping was the thought that if I lived through it, I would be paralized and I could not live with that. I highly recommend this book to anyone facing the issues mentioned in the book or if they suspect that they have any mental health issues.

A book to save young lives...

After meeting DeQuincy Lezine, hearing his story and reading his book, I have no doubt that he will save young lives. His memoir of his own experience with near suicide provides an insider's look at the feelings, thoughts and circumstances that can lead to a decision to end one's life, the interventions that can be made to prevent this tragic occurrence, and the healing that takes in the recovery process. The book is written for a teen audience , but is an equally valuable resource for adult family members of teens at risk and professional caregivers. More than just a memoir of one person's descent into hopelessness and subsequent recovery, it is also a guide for identifying, understanding and grappling with the issues and pressures that can result in teenage suicide. In less than 200 pages, the book covers a lot of ground. It is very clearly written and DeQuincy's personal story is seamlessly interwoven throughout the text with more practical information about suicide prevention, treatment and recovery. Included in the back are a glossary of terms, bibliography and a resource section with phone numbers and addresses for hotlines, organizations for suicide prevention and mental health advocacy, self-help groups and information services. This book would make an excellent addition to any high school or university library, as well as to the bookshelves of families, friends and helping professionals.