Event Listing - Literary Arts, Books
Wed Mar 12

City Lights Bookstore presents

Paul Pines


Tel. 415-362-8193
Website

Location
Date and Time
City Lights Books
261 Columbus Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94133 map
cross street: Jack Keroac
district: North Beach/Telegraph Hill

Wed Mar 12 (7:00 PM)

Description
Paul Pines
Wednesday, March 12, 2008, 7 pm
reading from My Brother's Madness
published by Curbstone Press

My Brother's Madness is a gripping personal saga of a family striving to cope with mental illness. It is based on the author's relationship to his brother who had a mental breakdown in his late 40's. The book explores the unfolding of the intertwined lives of the brothers. Circumstances lead one brother from juvenile crime on the streets of Brooklyn to war-torn Vietnam, to a fast-track life as a Hollywood publicist and to owning and operating one of New York's most legendary jazz clubs, The Tin Palace, while his sibling falls into, and fights his way back from, a delusional psychosis.

The fact that the humanity of the protagonist is never dwarfed by the illness, never reduced to a set of symptoms, gives a much needed perspective to the reality of a condition that is so often stereotyped.

My Brother's Madness is part thriller, part an exploration that not only describes the causes, character, and journey of mental illness, but also makes sense of it. It is ultimately a story of our own humanity, and answers the question, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

Growing up in New York City, Paul Pines is the author of six books of poetry, including his most recent Taxidancing (IKON). His novel, The Tin Angel, was a critical success. He currently lives in Glens Falls, NY, with his wife, Carol, and his daughter, Charlotte, where he teaches American Literature and Creative Writing at Adirondack Community College, practices psychotherapy at Glens Falls Hospital, and hosts the annual Lake George Jazz Weekend.

For more information about Paul Pines, please visit his web site at www.paulpines.com