“Gail Saltz strikes gold. For centuries, stigma, fear, and, above all, ignorance have prevented us from seeing what Dr. Saltz presents so clearly, concisely, and convincingly: that embedded in our so-called disabilities, disorders, and mental illnesses we find treasures of enormous value, gems that have illuminated and changed the world. As she demonstrates over and again, our world would be thousands of years behind itself were it not for the talents and originality mixed in with the chaos and confusion of the mind in distress or disarray.”──Ned Hallowell, author of Driven to Distraction
“Gail Saltz’s careful research bolsters her argument that every brain is different, and that achievement has to do with harnessing what’s there more than with trying to reshape it into normality. Her insightful book examines genius and disability in considerable detail, but the stories and lessons contained within it are relevant to all human minds.”──Andrew Solomon, New York Times bestselling author of Far From the Tree
“For generations, we have wondered how some people with mental disorders reach the heights of human creativity and invention, despite, or perhaps because of, those disorders. Now, Gail Saltz, a brilliant psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, has explored the relationship between the two and written a grippingly readable book that sheds a profound and crucial light on the nature of genius.”──Steven Naifeh, Pulitzer-Prize winning author of Jackson Pollock: An American Saga and Van Gogh: The Life
