‘He put a familiar face on schizophrenia, a name that still sounded like an ancient curse in modern ears….’ The Best Minds, by Jonathan Rosen
Growing up in New Rochelle, New York, a stone’s throw from Manhattan, Jonathan Rosen and Michael Laudor were best friends. Both of their families inhabited a tightly knit Jewish community; both boys were passionate readers and aspiring writers as well. When it came time to go to college, they both chose Yale. Michael breezed through his undergraduate studies in three years and then went to work for Bain Capital.
It was during this period that troubling symptoms began to emerge: wild mood swings, delusions that overpowered his perception of the real world. Ultimately, Michael was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He sought and received medical help for his condition.
Meanwhile, Michael had applied to a number of law schools. He turned down all but one: Yale. The question was, could he make it through this rigorous course of study while coping with a serious mental illness? He persevered valiantly, all the while being helped by family, friends and professors who believed in him.
In the midst of all of this, he fell in love with Caroline Costello. Called Carrie by those who knew and loved her, she was aware of Michael’s illness but nonetheless loved him and wanted to see him succeed. Eventually they became engaged and moved in together.
The subtitle of this book is A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions. I actually knew how events unfolded before I started reading The Best Minds. An excerpt had been published in a magazine; I believe it was The Atlantic. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read the whole book. For one thing, it was longer than I thought it would be. The early section on Michael and Jonathan’s boyhood in New Rochelle was, in my view, somewhat protracted. But I might have felt that way because I knew of the coming catastrophe and wanted to get to it, and get it over with.
Jonathan Rosen has spoken about this book in public settings and recounted his experience writing it and reliving the story he faithfully, and with considerable anguish, narrates. What follows is an interview that I particularly liked. (It might contain spoilers, so be warned.)
In addition to being a fine writer, Rosen comes across as an empathetic, compassionate, deeply intelligent, and loyal human being – in other words, a real mensch, as both his antecedents and mine would say.
Books to the Ceiling 