Moon Flyers: A Family Memoir: Coping With Mental Illness

By Barbara V Paper

Moon Flyers tells the story of a family's struggle with mental illness, a generally misunderstood medical condition. A father and daughter cope with severe depression in two distinct ways, with two dramatically different outcomes. Information and insights from different experiences give direction to others who similarly suffer and hope to the people who love them. Throughout Moon Flyers are narrative descriptions of stressful family conflicts. Other chapters illustrate that it is possible to manage and survive by finding humor in life's challenges and expressing emotions with creativity. Each section begins with quote to relate to the following narrative, for example, "That's the thing about depression: The fog is like a cage without a key," or "Children are a great comfort in your old age and they help you reach it faster, too." The author describes how she and her daughter survived a trip titled, "Murphy's Law, an observation that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." Another humorous episode happened in a hospital. Explanations of terms, such as self-medicating and bipolar disorder, along with a list of national and local mental health resources at the conclusion provide specific and useful information. Help is available. Barbara V. Paper, a native of Mobile, Alabama, graduated with a BSEd degree from the University of Alabama. She traveled throughout the Southeast providing educational and leadership programs for the Union for Reform Judaism. Barbara retired in Chattanooga, TN and joined the Chattanooga Writers Guild. She wrote an article, "Mental Illness, A Jewish Concern?" which can be found online at the Berman Jewish Policy Archive: bjpa.org-mental illness.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1507699417
• ISBN13: 9781507699416
• Release Date: May 2015
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 178 Pages
• Weight: 0.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"