Peter Finlay describes life with schizophrenia in this unflinching and funny memoir. Currently a fifty-two year old university student, he tells the story of what he's endured, lost and overcome.
In a seclusion room at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital, Peter writes,
My mind was independent of my surroundings. It raced, it dived, it ducked, it soared. Full of wild imaginings of world power, of super intelligence, of supreme goodness, of reward. Twice someone poked a cigarette into the room, through little holes in the window… although I didn’t smoke, I took these as offerings, portents, of what was to come.”
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" If you have ever wondered what it would be like to suffer from schizophrenia, this book is for you. I couldn’t put it down. Peter describes frightening events, real and unreal. Bizarre ideas lead to strange behaviour. Somehow Peter hangs on to his wry sense of humour..."
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"Honest, raw, and personal: Blue Messiah is a courageous account by Peter Finlay of the mystifying and misunderstood world of schizophrenia – and a reminder to us all of the fragility of the human mind."
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Cindi Wallace, Past President, Schizophrenia Fellowship (NZ) Inc.
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Christine Fletcher, Former MP and Mayor of Auckland
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