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A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction Audiobook
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**A New York Times Bestseller**
Patrick J. Kennedy, the former congressman and youngest child of Senator Ted Kennedy, details his personal and political battle with mental illness and addiction, exploring mental health care's history in the country alongside his and every family's private struggles.
On May 5, 2006, the New York Times ran two stories, “Patrick Kennedy Crashes Car into Capitol Barrier” and then, several hours later, “Patrick Kennedy Says He'll Seek Help for Addiction.” It was the first time that the popular Rhode Island congressman had publicly disclosed his addiction to prescription painkillers, the true extent of his struggle with bipolar disorder and his plan to immediately seek treatment. That could have been the end of his career, but instead it was the beginning.
Since then, Kennedy has become the nation’s leading advocate for mental health and substance abuse care, research and policy both in and out of Congress. And ever since passing the landmark Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act--and after the death of his father, leaving Congress--he has been changing the dialogue that surrounds all brain diseases.
A Common Struggle weaves together Kennedy's private and professional narratives, echoing Kennedy's philosophy that for him, the personal is political and the political personal. Focusing on the years from his 'coming out' about suffering from bipolar disorder and addiction to the present day, the book examines Kennedy's journey toward recovery and reflects on Americans' propensity to treat mental illnesses as "family secrets."
Beyond his own story, though, Kennedy creates a roadmap for equality in the mental health community, and outlines a bold plan for the future of mental health policy. Written with award-winning healthcare journalist and best-selling author Stephen Fried, A Common Struggle is both a cry for empathy and a call to action.
From the Hardcover edition.
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“Johnny Heller’s narration of this audiobook captures Kennedy’s isolation as he struggled with alcoholism, drug addiction, and bipolar disorder in plain sight. Heller’s skillful narration is complete with a dead-on Boston accent…He fought his way back to sobriety, and through Heller’s outstanding narration, listeners can experience his triumph over his addictions and ultimate recovery. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
Quotes
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“A stunningly unvarnished portrait of one of America’s most private public families.”
— People -
“Searching and fearless.”
— Boston Globe -
“Kennedy’s eye-opening book is a public call for action…[and] also is a call for understanding.”
— Wichita Times -
“Will help move the needle when it comes to public policy regarding mental health and substance abuse…[and] shine a needed light on a serious problem.”
— Oklahoman
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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About the Authors
The Honorable Patrick J. Kennedy is a former member of the US House of Representatives and the nation’s leading political voice on mental illness, addiction, and other brain diseases. During his sixteen-year career representing Rhode Island in Congress, he fought a national battle to end medical and societal discrimination against these illnesses, highlighted by his lead sponsorship of the Mental Health Parity and Addictions Equity Act of 2008—and his brave openness about his own health challenges. The son of Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy, he decided to leave Congress not long after his father’s death to devote his career to advocacy for brain diseases and to create a new, healthier life and start a family. He has since founded the Kennedy Forum, which unites the community of mental health, and co-founded One Mind for Research, which sponsors brain research and open science collaboration. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Amy, and their children.
Stephen Fried is an award-winning magazine journalist, a bestselling author, and an adjunct professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is the author of two books on healthcare, mental health, and addiction—Bitter Pills: Inside the Hazardous World of Legal Drugs and Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia—as well as The New Rabbi, Husbandry, and his recent historical biography Appetite for America: Fred Harvey and the Business of Civilizing the Wild West—One Meal at a Time, which was a New York Times bestseller. Fried lives in Philadelphia with his wife, author Diane Ayres.
About Johnny Heller
Johnny Heller, winner of numerous Earphones and Audie Awards, was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. He has been a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award winner from 2008 through 2013 and he has been named a top voice of 2008 and 2009 and selected as one of the Top 50 Narrators of the Twentieth Century by AudioFile magazine.