i hear the voices too.

So far into Madmen, Muses and Prophets, it’s different from what I thought. It’s definitely much better than I expected. Most of the psychology books I have read are just facts, facts, anecdote, facts, and notes. It’s quite like smashing your head against a particularly thick wall and just as fun! But Daniel B. Smith weaves his own experience with hearing voices into the novel. I did not realize the books if about half research, a quarter proving his point and the last bit his own story.
As it turns out, Smith’s father and grandfather both heard voices. (From a psych note, this is most likely why Smith is so obsessed with the subject). When Smith discovers this, he has a panicked moment, worried this genetic line of insanity will soon hit him too. Though as he digs deep into journals, he realizes this is very unlikely.
So enlisted his father and grandfather into his service, he begins to dive deep into the peculiar world of the human brain. After reading their personal diaries, Smith learns both his father and grandfather heard the voices from a young age, but his father attempted to conceal the voices while his grandfather did not particularly care if people thought he was crazy. Smith believed this was probably why his father eventually had a mental breakdown.
I shared this bit because I found it fascinating how the voices, when not shared, began to destroy Smith’s father’s brain. Maybe this could be worked into a thesis statement of some sort.