The Valedictorian of Being Dead: The True Story of Dying Ten Times to Live

by Heather B. Armstrong Narrated by Heather B. Armstrong

Overview

From New York Times bestselling author and blogger Heather B. Armstrong comes an honest and irreverent memoir-reminiscent of the New York Times bestseller Brain on Fire-about her experience as the third person ever to participate in an experimental treatment for depression involving ten rounds of a chemically induced coma approximating brain death.

For years, Heather B. Armstrong has alluded to her struggle with depression on her website, dooce. It's scattered throughout her archive, where it weaves its way through posts about pop culture, music, and motherhood. In 2016, Heather found herself in the depths of a depression she just couldn't shake, an episode darker and longer than anything she had previously experienced. She had never felt so discouraged by the thought of waking up in the morning, and it threatened to destroy her life. For the sake of herself and her family, Heather decided to risk it all by participating in an experimental clinical trial.

Now, for the first time, Heather recalls the torturous eighteen months of suicidal depression she endured and the month-long experimental study in which doctors used propofol anesthesia to quiet all brain activity for a full fifteen minutes before bringing her back from a flatline. Ten times. The experience wasn't easy. Not for Heather or her family. But a switch was flipped, and Heather hasn't experienced a single moment of suicidal depression since.

“Breathtakingly honest” (Lisa Genova, New York Times bestselling author), self-deprecating, and scientifically fascinating, The Valedictorian of Being Dead brings to light a groundbreaking new treatment for depression.

The Valedictorian of Being Dead was previously published with the subtitle “The True Story of Dying Ten Times to Live.”

Editorial Reviews

SEPTEMBER 2019 - AudioFile

Heather B. Armstrong narrates her own memoir of treatment- resistant depression with groundbreaking vocal intensity. She bravely welcomes listeners inside her painful, yet often hilarious, internal dialogue. She isn’t portraying emotional desperation—she relives it for listeners. Her voice cracks because she is really crying as she screams for relief from her ceaseless desire not to be alive. This is why listeners will be surprised at how funny Armstrong can be. Her raw portrayal of the daily struggles of depression is juxtaposed with her laugh-out-loud navigation of an experimental treatment for depression. Listeners will root for Armstrong’s brain to “reboot” as she undergoes anesthesia, to quiet all brain activity, 10 times. Armstrong’s powerfully honest performance is sure to enhance every listener’s understanding of clinical depression. J.T. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

Breathtakingly honest, this story is a bridge to empathy and a bright beacon of hope. I’m telling everyone to read this book.” –Lisa Genova, New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice

"In The Valedictorian of Being Dead, Heather Armstrong carries the reader along her fascinating journey out of the abyss of depression, intricately weaving the threads of family, suffering, and scientific breakthrough. This touching memoir, full of scenes both silly and profound, manages to shock, educate, and inspire." –Alex Korb PhD, author of The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time.

"I was moved by this real, raw, hilarious and deeply personal story of one woman's epic battle with major depression and found myself cheering for Heather and her entire family by the end of book." –Wendy A. Suzuki, PhD, author of Healthy Brain, Happy Life

“A story of courage, hope, love, and science overcoming the despair of depression. It is a must read for mental health professionals and those touched by depression—their own or that of a loved one.” –Barbara Arrowsmith-Young, internationally bestselling author of The Woman Who Changed Her Brain

“I read The Valedictorian of Being Dead cover to cover in four hours. I cried and cried; it was so beautiful and honest and scary and real. I think this book will be so helpful for a lot of people living with depression, especially parents.” –Grace Bonney, creator of Design*Sponge and New York Times bestselling author of In the Company of Women

“As the lead anesthesiologist on the study, it was emotional for me to hear of Heather’s experience. She helped me to gain some understanding about what folks go through when they are sick, what the experience of treatment was for her and her loved ones, and what the treatment now means to her.” –Scott C. Tadler, MD, University of Utah School of Medicine

“Candid....intriguing....cathartic....an experiential blow-by-blow chronicle....an unvarnished account of a boundary-pushing procedure and patient.” –Kirkus

“Armstrong’s detailed, honest, and conversational writing reads like a friend pouring her heart out, giving readers an emotional portrait of what it is like for individuals and their loved ones to struggle with serious depression.” –Booklist

SEPTEMBER 2019 - AudioFile

Heather B. Armstrong narrates her own memoir of treatment- resistant depression with groundbreaking vocal intensity. She bravely welcomes listeners inside her painful, yet often hilarious, internal dialogue. She isn’t portraying emotional desperation—she relives it for listeners. Her voice cracks because she is really crying as she screams for relief from her ceaseless desire not to be alive. This is why listeners will be surprised at how funny Armstrong can be. Her raw portrayal of the daily struggles of depression is juxtaposed with her laugh-out-loud navigation of an experimental treatment for depression. Listeners will root for Armstrong’s brain to “reboot” as she undergoes anesthesia, to quiet all brain activity, 10 times. Armstrong’s powerfully honest performance is sure to enhance every listener’s understanding of clinical depression. J.T. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2019-02-28

The candid self-portrait of a woman who, years deep in depression's clutches, mustered the courage to live again by way of dying.

In her third book, acclaimed "mommy blogger" Armstrong (Dear Daughter: The Best of the Dear Leta Letters, 2012, etc.), the founder of the popular website dooce, tells the intriguing story of how she was put into a coma 10 times as part of a controversial experimental procedure to overcome severe clinical depression. In a narrative that is part cathartic confessional, part apology to those who stood by her through years of anguish and recovery, and part accessible explanation of a highly scientific procedure, the author takes readers on a room-by-room tour of events leading to the treatment that finally helped her overcome her depression. "I'd been almost brain-dead for fifteen minutes," she writes of the first session. "I felt fantastic! When you want to be dead, there's nothing quite like being dead. And boy, did I do dead well." Chronicling how the anesthesiologists used propofol ("the Michael Jackson drug") to induce the coma, the author writes that "the study is designed to determine if ‘burst suppression'—quieting the brain's electrical activity—can alleviate the symptoms of depression." Later, she continues, "it's like rebooting a computer. Anyone who has ever had problems with a computer knows that sometimes you have to turn it on and off again several times to fix whatever glitch was causing all your applications to crash." Instead of detailing the personal hells of the glitch itself, Armstrong tactfully walks around it, poring over past failed therapies. She provides an experiential blow-by-blow chronicle of the test study, its effects on her daily life, the progressive improvement of her condition, and the reactions of her daughters, unconditionally dedicated mother, and the team of specialists overseeing the closely monitored deaths and rebirths that ultimately led to her victory.

An unvarnished account of a boundary-pushing procedure and patient.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171178901
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	04/23/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged

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