Read It Forward discussion

The story in Michael Schofield's moving memoir January First: A Child's Descent Into Madness And Her Father's Struggle To Save Her will amaze you. His dedication to his family and their resilience and love for one another are inspiring.

Learn more in our Q&A with Michael Schofield, author of January First.

An interesting conversation has arisen around this book. Readers, like Steven Maniscalco here on Goodreads, are saying "If your life is affected by mental illness, you should read this book," truth is, if you aren't affected by someone you love being mentally ill, you need to read this book even more."

What do you think? Do you need to have personal experience with something in order to get the most out of a read?

No. I think the opposite is true.

No, I don't think you do but I would recommend watching the documentary Born Schizophrenic: Jani's Story I think this really helped me truly "see" Jani's behavior.

Yes, there were times when this is a tough read but Michael Schofield is brutally honest in how he deals with Jani, other people, his wife and his son; he is also very honest about the toll it’s taken on his own psyche. Which I thought really made this a powerful read.