Description

An intimate insightful at times even humorous exploration of why the thought of death is so compulsive for some while demonstrating that theres always another solutionfrom the acclaimed writer and professor of philosophy based on his viral essay Im Still Here

If youre going to write a book about suicide you have to be willing to say the true things the scary things the humiliating things Because everybody who is being honest with themselves knows at least a little bit about the subject If you lie or if you fudge the reader will know

The last time Clancy Martin tried to kill himself was in his basement with a dog leash It was one of over ten attempts throughout the course of his life But he didnt die and like many who consider taking their own lives he hid the attempt from his wife family coworkers and students slipping back into his daily life with a hoarse voice a raw neck and series of vague explanations

In How Not to Kill Yourself Martin chronicles his multiple suicide attempts in an intimate depiction of the mindset of someone obsessed with selfdestruction He argues that for the vast majority of suicides an attempt does not just come out of the blue nor is it merely a violent reaction to a particular crisis or failure but is the culmination of a host of longstanding issues He also looks at the thinking of a number of great writers who have attempted suicide and detailed their experiences such as David Foster Wallace Yiyun Li Akutagawa Nelly Arcan and others at what the history of philosophy has to say both for and against suicide and at the experiences of those who have reached out to him across the years to share their own struggles

The result combines memoir with critical inquiry to powerfully give voice to what for many has long been incomprehensible while showing those presently grappling with suicidal thoughts that they are not alone and that the desire to kill oneselflike other selfdestructive desiresis almost always temporary and avoidable

Includes a downloadable PDF of resources and tools for crisis from the book