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More copies of this ISBNThis title in other editionsHello to All That: A Memoir of War, Zoloft, and Peaceby John Falk
Review-A-Day"Hello to All That has the dry wit of many a depressive, and it is always vivid and absorbing. Falk alternates chapters on his experiences in Bosnia and chapters on the history of his depression, so that the psychological circumstances of his departure are not fully understood until the book's end. This (along with the carefully re-crafted dialogue) gives it the build of a novel, and like a lot of novels, Falk's book begins with despair and ends in marriage. It is a brave look back at a few of the many variations of hell." Anna Godbersen, Esquire (read the entire Esquire review) Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:His own chemistry was his worst enemy and it took John Falk to some very strange places — from Garden City to sniper-infested Tuzla during the most dangerous days of the Bosnian bloodbath. But through it all, in the face of chronic depression, he kept reaching out for the life he'd been deprived. And this is his story — crazed, comic, poignant, suspenseful, hopeful. Falk was an average Long Island kid, until depression hit and he became a teenage boy in a bubble, ashamed and trapped behind an impenetrable chemical wall. Sort of surviving on "chin-up, get tough" tips from his big, boisterous family (and self-concocted attempted-cures), Falk tried to hide his disease. Or fight. Still, he was forced to withdraw from the world and its pleasures, which be could no longer feel. By 24, he was alone in his parents' attic, living on books by war correspondents — their adventues his only escape until he found a blue pill called Zoloft. When, secretly, he upped his dosage (a lot!), his world sped up — particularly after he shot out of the attic and shocked his stunned family by setting out on a mission to make his name as a war correspondent among the rag-tag crew of stringers and thrill-seekers gathered in Sarajevo to cover one of the most dangerous conflicts in recent memory. Falk's journey is never predictable. Despite its outrageous moments, this moving memoir, set against the background of war, is a story of a disease, a family's loyalty, and a real man's battle to connect, cure himself and finally, finally live. Review:"Afflicted with chronic depression from childhood, Falk thought his troubles were over when he discovered Zoloft at age 25. But it wasn't until he chose the hazardous career of war journalism in Bosnia in the early 1990s that he escaped his 'pointless' life. In this raucous, zany memoir, the author explains how he chose that profession after reading books of extraordinary lives and deciding adventure would restore him to life. Courting chaos and death in a place where sanity matters little would, he thought, do the trick. War reporters were 'free agents who answered to no one and lived each day like it was their last.' Falk intercuts wild, amusing scenes of his troubled 1980s Long Island youth with the uncontrolled mayhem of Sarajevo, where his instincts as a reporter often failed him and got him into tricky situations (e.g., being mistaken for a spy). However, while maniacally juggling his meds and daily NBC radio stories, he experienced the futility of war and matured as a man and a journalist. Falk's wise, comical testament ends on a joyous note of a marriage and a Details magazine article that morphed into a Peabody Award — winning HBO movie, Shot Through the Heart, making his story an unlikely personal triumph over depression. Agent, Stuart Krichevsky. (Jan. 4)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:"A thoroughly engaging memoir, sometimes hilarious and sometimes horrifying, as Falk recalls episodes in a brutal war and one man's personal struggle to reconnect with life." Vanessa Bush, Booklist Review:"Hello To All That is a brilliant, moving, hillarious, and altogether completely original memoir that will undoubtably go down as an instant classic. John Falk has somehow written a book about war and the even more terrifying darkness within him that manages to be both poigant and irresistably funny." Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm Synopsis:His own chemistry was his worst enemy, and it took John Falk to some very strange places--from Garden City, Long Island, to sniper-infested Sarajevo during the Bosnian bloodbath. But through it all, in the face of chronic depression, Falk kept reaching out for the life he'd always wanted. Hello to All That is his story--crazed, comic, poignant, suspenseful, and hopeful. Synopsis:An off-the-wall, heartbreaking, and often hilarious memoir of a correspondent reporting from the front lines while also battling his lifelong nemesis-chronic depression His own chemistry was his worst enemy, and it took John Falk to some very strange places-from Garden City, Long Island, to sniper-infested Sarajevo during the Bosnian bloodbath. But through it all, in the face of chronic depression, he kept reaching out for the life he'd always wanted. Hello to All That is his story-crazed, comic, poignant, suspenseful, hopeful. Falk was an average Long Island kid, until depression left him ashamed and trapped behind an impenetrable chemical wall. Barely surviving on "chin-up" tips from his big, loyal, boisterous family, Falk tried to fight his disease-or hide it. But by twenty-four, he was alone, living on books by war correspondents, their adventures his only escape. Then he found a blue pill called Zoloft and set out on a mission to make his own name as a correspondent during one of the most dangerous conflicts in recent memory. Falk's journey has never been predictable, and neither is his moving, outrageous, and sometimes frightening memoir. Here is the riveting tale of a man's lifelong battle-the struggle to defeat his greatest enemy and to connect, cure himself, and finally live. Among psychologists today, John Falk is known as patient X and the story of his recovery from chronic depression is used to inspire hope in other patients. He is also a law school graduate and freelance journalist who survived reporting from the front in Sarajevo. An article Falk wrote for Details magazine, entitled "Shot Through the Heart," became an HBO movie and won a Peabody Award for Best Cable Movie of the Year. John Falk was an average Long Island kid, until depression trapped him, at age twelve, in a lonely world. Ashamed and afraid, he said nothing and tried to keep going with tips from his big, loud, loyal family. By the age of twenty-four, he was all alone, living in his parents' attic, surviving on the books by war correspondents that provided his only escape from the emptiness he felt. When he found a blue pill called Zoloft, he thought his struggle was over. But it took a journey to Sarajevo—where he set out to make his name as a reporter—to show him how far he still had to go. Hello to All That is an off-the-wall, heartbreaking, and often hilarious tale of a correspondent reporting from war, but it is also a tale of a real man's fight to defeat his greatest enemy—chronic depression—and to connect, cure himself, and finally live. "[A] triumphant memoir . . . [Falk's] relentlessly honest account of turning his life around is inspiring reading."—Scott Helman, The Boston Globe "Besides being a memoir, Hello to All That is a moving portrait of a war-torn city and the unthinkable adjustments that become part of its victims' daily lives."—J. David Santen Jr., Portland Oregonian "With humor and humility, Falk writes about war on two fronts. The first is the author's pre-Zoloft fight with depression as a teen and young adult, and the second his post-Zoloft battle to 'reconnect' with the world as a freelance correspondent in Bosnia."—Carole E. Barrowman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "A haunting excursion into the extreme territories of the mind and the world. Falk's Hello to All That is a testament to the strength and breadth of the memoir genre, a seemingly impossible match of subjects that turns into a riveting, raucous, and unforgettable reading experience. This work—subtitled A Memoir of War, Zoloft, and Peace—seems destined to achieve cult-classic status, recognized for its huge artistic risks and its unexpected dividends . . . A tense, yet often hilarious account of grave risks undertaken and unbelievable successes that result despite daunting odds . . . [This] gripping memoir never lags, offering not only page-turning drama, but also laughs galore and some genuine tears along the way."—John Marshall, Seattle Post-Intelligencer "Falk has somehow written a book about war and the even more terrifying darkness within him that manages to be both poignant and irresistibly funny at the same time. Hello to All That is a brilliant, moving, hilarious, and altogether completely original memoir that will undoubtedly go down as an instant classic."—Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm "By turns hilarious and harrowing, Hello to All That is a literary tour de force that will have readers alternately laughing out loud and nervously checking their own psychological pulse. In a manner that cannot be readily explained, Falk combines the story of his own battle with depression with his madcap misadventures as a journalistic wannabe in war-ravaged Bosnia to produce a memoir that is funny, unstintingly honest, and remarkably touching."—Scott Anderson, war journalist and author of Triage and The Man Who Tried to Save the World "Absorbing . . . As a boy, the author felt content, loved, and connected to his world. But that all ended one morning when he was 12 and woke up to find himself emotionally cut off from all he had previously cared for, for no reason he could recognize. He spent the next 12 years putting up a good front, until he finally began taking Zoloft and almost miraculously felt like himself again. Becoming a correspondent in a war zone seemed the best way to rejoin the human race and experience some of the intensity of life he'd missed for so long. So Falk scared up some press credentials and flew to Sarajevo, landing smack in the middle of the hostilities of 1993. His portrait of the ruined city, the confusion, and the humanity is rich and vivid, and the characters he introduces are beautifully realized: Dina, a straight-A student who studies through the war and works two jobs; Vlado, an 'antisniper' (a shooter who targets snipers only) whose story of divided loyalties is particularly searing. Even in the midst of war and depression, Falk manages to keep things entertaining with highly readable prose and many tales of professional mistakes . . . A remarkably warm, surprisingly moving, and timely portrait of daily life in a war zone."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) About the AuthorAmong psychologists today, John Falk is known as patient X and the story of his recovery from chronic depression is used to inspire hope in other patients. He is also a law school graduate and freelance journalist who survived the rough and tumble of reporting from the front in Sarajevo. An article he wrote for Details magazine, entitled "Shot Through the Heart," became an HBO movie and won a Peabody Award for Best Cable Movie of the Year. He lives in Hillsdale, New York. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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