Books like A brilliant madness by Patty Duke

A candid memoir of Trevor Noah’s childhood in apartheid‑era South Africa, blending humor, heart, and social insight as he navigates a world where he was never meant to exist.

Amy Poehler’s memoir‑essay collection blends humor, candid anecdotes, and poetic reflections on acting, comedy, and womanhood, offering an intimate look at her creative life.

Tina Fey’s memoir blends sharp wit with personal anecdotes, charting her rise from Pennsylvania to Saturday Night Live fame while offering candid insights into comedy, gender dynamics, and the juggling act of fame and family.

Amy Schumer’s new memoir blends sharp humor with candid reflections on her teenage years, family, relationships, and sexuality, revealing the moments that forged her bold, stand‑up comedian persona.

Lena Dunham’s witty, personal memoir chronicles her rise as a television star and her struggles as a young woman striving for balance, humorously reflecting on adulthood, relationships, and the pursuit of "having it all."

A memoir of a woman's journey to find mental stability while pursuing her passion for art and writing, inspired by the lives of artists and writers with mental health issues.

Wandering from war‑torn Spain to the rise of rock and roll, young orphan Frankie Presto's guitar talents make him a legendary pop star who can change fate with every string he plays.

This way madness lies traces the evolution of mental illness treatment from madhouses to modern psychiatric hospitals, showing how institutions shaped society’s view of mental health through historic archives and patient art.

Terri Cheney offers a candid personal narrative about women living with bipolar disorder in the United States.

From Kay Redfield Jamison - an international authority on manic-depressive illness, and one of the few women who are full professors of medicine at American universities - a remarkable personal testimony: the revelation of her own struggle since adolescence with manic-depression, and how it has shaped her life. Vividly, directly, with candor, wit, and simplicity, she takes us into the fascinating and dangerous territory of this form of madness - a world in which one pole can be the alluring dark land ruled by what Byron called the "melancholy star of the imagination," and the other a desert of depression and, all too frequently, death. A moving and exhilarating memoir by a woman whose furious determination to learn the enemy, to use her gifts of intellect to make a difference, led her to become, by the time she was forty, a world authority on manic-depression, and whose work has helped save countless lives.

At 25, television producer Richard M. Cohen is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and later faces colon cancer, yet he writes a hopeful memoir about resilience, family, and living fully amid chronic illness.

"Bipolar disorder is a lifelong challenge, but it doesn' have to rule a person's life. Many tens of thousands of readers have used the science-based tools in this book to recognize the early warning signs of mood swings, prevent symptoms from coming back, and get more out of treatment. Leading cognitive-behavioral therapy expert Monica Ramirez Basco presents five clear steps for withstanding the seductive pull of manic episodes and escaping the paralysis of depression, complete with vivid stories and practical tools. Significantly revised, the second edition features a new structure, more succinct chapters, and streamlined exercises. Anyone with bipolar illness or less severe mood swings will find essential problem-solving tips and coping strategies"--

A practical guide that empowers readers with bipolar disorder to identify symptoms, explore treatments, stabilize moods, and improve cognition, drawing on current research to break the cycle of mania and depression.

Why Am I Still Depressed? Recognizing and Managing Bipolar II Disorder

Lizzie Simon’s memoir chronicles her 1999 road trip across the United States, interviewing young people with manic–depressive illness. It blends her own experiences with personal narratives of others living with bipolar disorder.

Jane Fonda’s memoir, My Life so Far, chronicles her journey as an actress, feminist, and political activist, organized into three chapters that map pivotal phases of her life.

Kate Millett recounts her battle with manic‑depressive illness, from quitting medication to a harrowing stay in an Irish mental hospital, offering a raw, introspective view of mental health and institutionalization.