The Evil Hours: A Biography of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - Paperback

by David J. Morris (Author)

"Conveys the mysteries of trauma in a way that is unsurpassed in the literature . . . This is the most important book on the subject to come out in this century." --Times Literary Supplement

"Compulsively readable." --Los Angeles Times

Post-traumatic stress disorder haunts America today, its reach extending far beyond the armed forces to touch the lives of millions of us. In The Evil Hours, David J. Morris shares stories of people living with PTSD--including himself--and investigates the rich scientific, literary, and cultural history of the condition. The result is a humane, unforgettable book that has been hailed as a literary triumph, and an indispensable account of an illness.

"[The Evil Hours] reminded me why I wanted to be a writer in the first place . . . Communicate[s] the reality of PTSD, both to those who live with it and those who never have." --David Brooks, New York Times

"Engaging . . . Timely . . . A fascinating and well-researched narrative." --Chicago Tribune

"This is the book we've always needed . . . A work that empowers and connects people like never before. Anyone who has been touched by PTSD would benefit greatly from this book." --Foreign Policy

Front Jacket

$27.00
Higher in Canada

Just as polio stalked the 1950s, and AIDS overshadowed the 1980s and 90s, post-traumatic stress disorder haunts us in the early years of the twenty-first century. Over a decade into America s global war on terror, PTSD afflicts as many as 30 percent of the conflict s veterans. But the disorder s reach extends far beyond the armed forces. In total, some twenty-seven million Americans are believed to be PTSD survivors. Yet to many of us, the disorder remains shrouded in mystery, secrecy, and shame.
Drawing on his own battles with post-traumatic stress, David J. Morris a war correspondent and former Marine has written a humane, unforgettable book that will sit beside The Noonday Demon and The Emperor of All Maladies as the essential account of an illness. Through interviews with people living with PTSD; forays into the rich scientific, literary, and cultural history of the condition; and memoir, Morris crafts a moving work that will speak not only to those with PTSD and their loved ones, but to all of us struggling to make sense of an anxious and uncertain time.
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Back Jacket

David J. Morris invites us into his own heart of darkness in order to deliver an unflinching and compassionate study of post-traumatic stress disorder. This is far more than a biography of a psychological condition, or a memoir of one individual; it is also a cogent analysis of an ever-increasing phenomenon that has changed the landscape of our culture. If one has any hope of coming to grips with what shapes America every day, The Evil Hours is a must read. Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely Bones and Lucky

Trauma destroys the normal narrative of life, Morris explains in this impassioned, well-researched, and beautifully written biography of an illness that we ve only recently realized is an illness. Though he hates the idea of turning writing into therapy, reading his book has helped this fellow sufferer. The Evil Hours is a much needed narrative. Ismet Prcic, author of Shards

Masterful and moving, David Morris s investigation of this troubling psychiatric disorder asks all the important questions. This book honors suffering while also making room for hope." Emily Bazelon, author of Sticks and Stones
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Author Biography

DAVID J. MORRIS is an author, former Marine infantry officer, and journalist who has covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for Slate, Salon, the Los Angeles Times, Nation, and other outlets. He is also a frequent guest on NPR.