“David Fitzpatrick’s Sharp is a must read, remarkably told.”
— Wally Lamb, author of I Know This Much is True
Read about David’s story from a family perspective:
In her intensely personal play, 77 U-Turn, Julie Fitzpatrick explores the memories and lasting impact of her beloved brother, David’s, fall into the grasp of mental illness.
Learn more at NextStagePress.com
My Story of Madness, Cutting, and How I Reclaimed My Life
SHARP:
David Fitzpatrick’s 2012 extraordinary memoir – Sharp: My Story of Madness, Cutting, and How I Reclaimed My Life – is a fascinating, disturbing look into the mind of a man who, in his early 20s, began cutting himself due to a severe mental illness. A beautifully written treatment of a powerful subject, Fitzpatrick – whose symptoms included extreme depression and self-mutilation – writes movingly and honestly about his affliction and inspires readers with his courage, joining the literary ranks of Terri Cheney (Manic), Augusten Burroughs (Running with Scissors), Marya Hornbacher (Wasted), and Susanna Kaysen (Girl, Interrupted).
In his early twenties, David Fitzpatrick began cutting himself with a razor blade. Self-harm provided a rush, a fleeting euphoric high missing from the rest of his life. For the next two decades, Fitzpatrick struggled to overcome this dangerous and bloody addiction, a difficult battle from which he would emerge spiritually renewed. Sharp is his disturbing, at times humorous, yet ultimately triumphant account of mental anguish and acceptance, of finding freedom and learning to let go.
With prose that is tough and gritty, yet moving and insightful, this compelling, deeply honest self-examination recalls Fitzpatrick’s quest to understand the competing mental forces that prevented him from leading a normal life. It is also a tale of hope–-a soul-baring quest of a lost man who successfully wrestles with the darkness to reclaim his life. As he shares his experiences, Fitzpatrick also credits the lessons learned from the broken people in his life–-knowledge that led to his own emotional resurrection.
A universal story of highs and lows, love, and determination, Sharp reminds us that, no matter the odds, it is never too late to reclaim one’s life.
“A mesmeric, dire memoir...a mission (thanks to Wally Lamb’s encouragement) to write this dark, affecting, human story.”
– Publishers Weekly
"In Sharp, David Fitzpatrick is our tour guide for a harrowing journey from self-destructive psychosis to a cautious re-emergence into the flickering sunshine of the sane world. Fitzpatrick writes about mental illness with the unsparing intensity of Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton but also with the hard-won self-knowledge of William Styron, Kay Jamison, and other chroniclers of disease, recovery, and management. While reading Sharp, I was at turns frightened, appalled, enlightened, and overcome with sadness. Throughout I was fully engaged and, by book’s end, reassured about the triumph of the human spirit and the healing power of a family’s patient and abiding love. For those of us who seek a better understanding of mental illness, David Fitzpatrick’s Sharp is a must read, remarkably told."
– Wally Lamb
“Sharp is a courageously honest book by a gentle, damaged soul who fought his way to the light with a ferocity he never thought he possessed. Fitzpatrick’s recounting of his struggle with severe mental illness shines with intelligence, pain and hard-won, self-confidence. ”
– Kate Christensen, author of The Great Man and The Astral
“What makes this memoir so riveting and so unforgettable isn’t the myriad of horrors that its narrator inflicts upon himself. It’s the razor-sharp humor and abiding wisdom and depth of humanity with which its author graces the reader. Sharp cuts deep into your heart.”
– Michael White, author of Beautiful Assassin and Soul Catcher
“Tortured and tormented as he was, Fitzpatrick never blinks as he recounts his residency in hell. Piercingly honest, he forces us to recognize and embrace the most broken parts of ourselves. Be forewarned: this book will expand your heart and mind.”
– Rachel Basch, author of Degrees of Love and The Passion of Reverend Nash
“A mesmeric, dire memoir...a mission (thanks to Wally Lamb’s encouragement) to write this dark, affecting, human story.”
– Publishers Weekly