A Good Soldier
by Ally GoldenI’d like to let you know about the publication of my memoir, A Good Soldier. The book is about my life growing up and into adulthood with a severely mentally ill mother who had depression and borderline personality disorder and eventually committed suicide. It chronicles my childhood in suburban Washington DC, follows me to Northwestern University in the mid-90s, and concludes with the birth of my first child in 2008.
 |  | A Good Soldier
Author: Ally Golden
Publisher: Self-published (February 2, 2017)
Paperback: 214 pages
ISBN-10: 1540788830
ISBN-13: 978-1540788832
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In the last 13 years, I’ve published six books through traditional publishers, and this effort is much different. The target reader is the survivor: the family member or close friend of a person with a mood and/or personality disorder. Maybe he or she is coping with a loved one’s suicide and is searching for support to ease the alienation and shock of having to join the club no one ever wants to be in.
The way I navigated my experiences and the person I developed into as a result of them hasn’t always been ideal. During my college years, I realized that the ways of relating I had due to a combination of nature and nurture weren’t working. So, as time went on, I became someone else. Nevertheless, I did survive.
Unfortunately, for many people this is not the case. According to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a first-degree relative of a person who has committed suicide is five times more likely to attempt or complete a suicide. I’ve spent the last several years visiting Chicago residents who have lost a family member, significant other, friend, co-worker, etc. to suicide, and the risk of a “domino effect” is real – even among those without a genetic connection to the victim.
And in general, per the National Center for Health Statistics’ 2016 announcement, suicide in the US has surged to the highest level in 30 years and the rate for middle-aged women ages 45-64 has jumped by 63 percent. Now several years out from my 30-year-long odyssey with my mother, I feel a duty to reach a hand toward those who aren’t sure if they can and should go on. My hope is to share the book with the mental health communities that were such a source of support for me when I was suffering alongside my mother. If you would like to help spread the word too, here's where we can be found. Thank you!
Kind Regards,
Ally
