This powerful and touching memoir, Nixon’s debut, recounts a young man's journey with his mother and her struggle with mental illness—and the deeply troubled systems meant to offer support. With unflinching directness, Nixon pens the story of his family, with the strong support system of his paternal grandmother and his father, navigating the ups and downs of his mother’s illness and the impacts it has on those around them. In addition to sharing Nixon’s story, a heart-wrenching journey that touches on important moments of pain and connection that shaped his upbringing and the man he is today, Born into Crisis also stands as a call to action for change within the mental health community, urging greater compassion, a more personalized approach, and long-term therapy and observation among essential steps to fixing a broken system.

Nixon recounts the harrowing circumstances of his birth, digs into generational trauma, and testifies to the strength of familial bonds even in the face of uncertainty and chaos, all while painting a vivid, deeply personal picture of the ways many who experience mental illness are judged and viewed through a biased mindset rather than given the care and help they need. Nixon tells the story of his upbringing in emotionally charged prose that will resonate with readers of memoirs about trauma and mental issues; elsewhere, he offers a survivor’s clear-eyed assessment of the system itself, helpful breakdowns of new approaches like the Crisis Now model, and suggestions for how anyone can become an advocate for better treatment for a loved one, though at times the analysis of the potential systemic changes is generalized.

The book’s power comes from Nixon’s examination of the toll that living with untreated mental illness can wreak upon a family and the helpful, often inspiring advice and examples Nixon offers. A memoir showcasing familial bonds and rising above one's circumstances, Born into Crisis will resonate with readers facing the impact of mental illness in their lives.

Takeaway: A touching memoir on familial bonds, generational trauma, and mental health awareness.

Great for fans of: Bruce D. Perry’s What Happened to You, Jenifer Lewis’s The Mother of Black Hollywood.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A