Author: Barbara Gordon

ISBN: 13- 9781559213608

This book is a re-release. The original book was made into a movie starring Jill Clayberg. That was thirty years ago, but time has seemed to stand still. The true story is just as relevant now as it was then because our medical professionals are still writing prescriptions and there are still mental hospitals. And as long as these two things exist, there will be continue to be addictions and a need to warehouse the victims.

Ms. Gordon was a three-time Emmy award-winning television producer and writer. She was advised to “quit taking Valium cold-turkey” and lost everything – including her mind. Within a few months, she goes from having it all to being a patient in a mental ward. She lost her job, friends, relationship, and her world, as she knew it, was gone. It was a case of bad advice from a therapist to an unwitting addict, which landed her in Greenwood.

Ms. Gordon explains what it’s like to be a mental patient and what it’s like to be released, much like a baby at birth. Gordon takes the reader on a journey unlike any other – from confusion, depression dependency, noise, violence, pain and despair to loneliness and “symptoms of depersonalization.”

She “can’t do it alone,” but the therapists aren’t helping her. Then, David Aaron, kid therapist, seems to be the answer to her needs. And Barbara has many needs – the first of which is to get rid of the “sickness.” I learned that being ill is better to some than being nothing. As Barbara tries to regain a life, she encounters the “stigma” that is often associated with mental illness. People know who she is – they also know what she was – mentally ill.

After reading “I’m Dancing As Fast as I Can,” I felt Barbara’s courage and strength. Her writing is simple and to the point – something I enjoy in a personal story. I can only hope that should I ever encounter a mental patient, I recall the experiences Barbara lived through. In doing so, I may be able to interact more openly and respond with greater compassion.

“I’m Dancing As Fast as I Can” left me knowing there is hope and that life is worth living. Living in your own skin and being comfortable with who you are is something I have always taken for granted. I couldn’t, until reading Gordon’s book, have ever known there was another side of the coin. The need for understanding is just as relevant now as it was back then. Only in understanding will we be able to help when called upon.

Although suicide is not uncommon, Barbara chose life. As lousy as it all seems sometimes, “as Woody Allen says, “I’m not afraid of death, I just don’t like the hours.” I would have to agree. I am thankful Britt Bell is bringing “I’m Dancing As Fast as I Can” back for another round of reading. It will benefit many – as it has benefited me.

The above review was contributed by: Sue Vogan, Writer & Author of NCO-No Compassion Observed: To read more of Sue's reviews Click Here