Friendship ,Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions (Ep. 75)

Guest: Jonathan Rosen, author

The Best Minds is Jonathan Rosen's brilliant and heartbreaking account of an American tragedy. It is a story about the bonds of family, friendship, and community; the promise of intellectual achievement; and the lure of utopian solutions.

“Brave and nuanced…an act of tremendous compassion and a literary triumph.” – The New York Times

“Immensely emotional and unforgettably haunting.” – Wall Street Journal

Acclaimed author Jonathan Rosen’s haunting investigation of the forces that led his closest childhood friend, Michael Laudor, from the heights of brilliant promise to the forensic psychiatric hospital where he has lived since killing the woman he loved. A story about friendship, love, and the price of self-delusion, The Best Minds explores the ways in which we understand—and fail to understand—mental illness.

We Ask:

1. What was the main reason you wrote this book?

2. Early in the book, you note a couple times how drawn Michael was to marijuana. We all noticed that in our sons as well. Knowing what you now know, what do you say to young people about marijuana?

3. We often talk about family loss, but friendship loss is seldom addressed. Do you miss Michael - the “old” Michael? What in the friendship stayed alive for you?

4. You often reference how intelligent Michael is. When did you first suspect Michael had a serious mental illness? Did you think his intelligence would protect him?

5. When Michael thought his parents were Nazis, he patrolled the house with a kitchen knife, to the point where his mother locked herself in the bedroom and called the police. This happened years before he stabbed Carrie to death under similar circumstances. Knowing what you now know, what help should Michael have gotten to head that off?

6. Mothers like us grieve terribly when our children become ill with schizophrenia. Part of that grief is the loneliness they endure. We see their friends becoming uncomfortable around them and eventually, when they have little or nothing in common anymore, moving on with their lives. We understand this, but still, it adds to our grief. Could you describe for us how this process feels from a good friend’s perspective?

7. You noted that,” Everyone said insight was the key, but the more insight Michael got, the sadder and lonelier and angrier he became.” We have noticed that in our sons. Do you think this is part of why the mental health rights groups advocate against involuntary treatment? What is your response to their position?