Bipolar Faith: A Black Woman's Journey with Depression and Faith

In this episode of Critical Reads, we will be discussing Bipolar Faith: A Black Woman's Journey with Depression and Faith by Rev Dr. Monica A. Coleman. Here’s a brief summary of the book courtesy of the author/publisher: "Monica A. Coleman’s great-grandfather asked his two young sons to lift him up and pull out the chair when he hanged himself, and that noose stayed in the family shed for years. The rope was the violent instrument, but it was mental anguish that killed him. Now, in a gripping fashion, Coleman examines the ways that the legacies of slavery, war, sharecropping, poverty, and alcoholism mask a family history of mental illness. Those same forces accompanied her into the black religious traditions and Christian ministry. All the while, she wrestled with her own bipolar disorder. Bipolar Faith is both a spiritual autobiography and a memoir of mental illness. In this powerful book, Monica Coleman shares her life-long dance with trauma, depression, and the threat of death. Citing serendipitous encounters with black intellectuals like Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Angela Davis, and Renita Weems, Coleman offers a rare account of how the modulated highs of bipolar II can lead to professional success while hiding a depression that even her doctors rarely believed. Only as she was able to face her illness was she able to live faithfully with bipolar. And in the process, she discovered a new and liberating vision of God."

This week's "Musings of Tired Black Social Worker" segment topic is #restinpiss, Rush Limbaugh, Kevin Samuels, and the legacies we leave behind.

To purchase the book, visit: Bipolar Faith via Amazon

To check out the CR podcast content calendar, visit: https://soulsessionswithneph.com/critical-reads-podcast

To find out more about me or to consume more of my content, visit soulsessionswithneph.com. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook using the handle @soulsessionswithneph, or email me at connect@soulsessionswithneph.com. Thank you again for your time and support!