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Title: January First

Subtitle: A Child's Descent into Madness and Her Father's Struggle to Save Her

Author: Michael Schofield

Narrator: Patrick Lawlor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-07-12

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 112 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

January First is a brilliant and harrowingly honest memoir. The story of Michael Schofield's daughter January's descent into scizophrenia, and her family's struggle to save her, will fascinate and move listeners. January First is the extraordinary story of a father's fight to save his child from an extremely severe case of mental illness in the face of overwhelming adversity.

Critic Reviews:

"An unflinching portrait of the scourge of mental illness." (Kirkus)

Members Reviews:

Jani is Interesting!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Surely. It's fascinating.

What did you like best about this story?

The humanity of it.

What about Patrick Lawlors performance did you like?

All of it.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nope. I don't have extreme reactions at all, I'm an Aspergian.

Gripping, intense, amazing story

This is an amazing story of an incredibly bright girl caught in the grip of severe mental illness and her family's efforts to deal with heartbreaking choices. The story moves quickly and kept me interested...in fact, I was starting to wish my commute was a little longer so that I could kep listening! The narrator does a great job capturing the emotional trauma of the book's author.

If you found yourself fascinated by "I Never Promised You A Rose Garden", you will love this book. If you love stories of how families persist in the face of challenges, you will love this book. If mental illness and its description makes you uncomfortable; if you want everything to turn out rosy for everybody no matter what...you may want to skip this one.

Fascinating story; author is annoying

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend the book because the story of January and her illness is very interesting.

What was one of the most memorable moments of January First?

January being desperate to hit her dog and her father trying to stop her and distract her.

What three words best describe Patrick Lawlors voice?

high-pitched, scratchy, grating

Any additional comments?

I found the author's description of his interactions with his wife to be shocking. The author was very disrespectful of his wife, and so many of their interactions left me feeling like I had wandered into a couple's spat at a party. I'm also amazed at how arrogant the author is about his perceive abilities to connect with his daughter. He really seems to be delusional in this aspect.

Unusual

What did you like best about January First? What did you like least?

It is unusual for me to write a review; this one is begging for comments. There is no doubt that Jani has a serious mental diagnosis, and she is extremely difficult to tolerate and control. But I think the parents exacerbate the problems on almost every page. If the girl is awake, they wish she would sleep. If she is asleep, they wake her up. They try for months to get her hospitalized, but their memories are short, for upon hospitalization, they become sappy and want to bring her home. Her dad is never happy just to let her be. It is no wonder that the problems escalate over time.

What three words best describe Patrick Lawlors performance?

Lawlor's delivery is typical.