Ben Behind His Voices: One Family's Journey from the Chaos of Schizophrenia to Hope

Ben Behind his Voices reminds us that schizophrenia is an illness, but not necessarily an identity. It movingly depicts the difficulty and the importance of recognizing, accepting, and managing the symptoms of this disorder. (John H. Krystal M.D., Yale University School of Medicine)

The book is too good to be true. I love the way Randye talks about her son; she is very direct about her experiences with mental illness in her family. This book is just what our family members are looking for when they learn their loved one has been diagnosed with any severe mental illness. The biggest question out there is whether there is any hope for them; I am pretty sure family members are going to find an answer as well as the understanding that will make a huge difference to all of them. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this book. I love it! (Paloma B. Dee, NAMI-CT Family & Professional Education Program Director, CT)

Randye Kaye has a message for all of us. With courage and fortitude she embraces her son and all his symptoms. She doesn't judge. She doesn't give up. She loves. She hopes. And in this book she explains how other parents can follow her lead and learn from her years of extraordinary experience. (Roberta Temes)

Should be required reading for all psychology professionals and students, as well as anyone who loves or cares for someone suffering with schizophrenia. Incredibly well written, profoundly honest, and, perhaps, most importantly, Randye Kaye offers help and hope to thousands of families needing to hear her story! I sat holding my breath as I turned each page. The author is not only a survivor and an incredibly loving mother, she is―by any standards―a gifted writer. (Linda Appleman Shapiro, psychotherapist, oral historian, author of Four Rooms Upstairs)

Immediately, I was immersed. The time flew by unnoticed, and I didn't want the chapters to end. Randye is a wonderful writer. I can feel and understand what's happening in such a way that it's almost as though it's happening to me, instead of being told to me. This book is going to be a bible for so many who've had schizophrenia touch their lives as well as for those who wish to understand this debilitating disease. (Gloria Gallo, actress)

'No one showed up with casseroles at our door.' These are the words of Randye Kaye in her poignant new memoir, Ben behind His Voices. Delving into her son's paranoid schizophrenia, Kaye takes the reader on a journey of frustration, heartache, anger, and love. It's every parent's nightmare, but this book is full of hope, knowledge, and empathy. It will make you see mental illness for what it really is: a horribly misunderstood devastation of the mind and soul―a tragedy not just for its victims and their families, but for society. Tragic not merely because mental illness exists―but because we, as a community, prefer to ignore its existence. Ben, and millions like him, need you to read this book. (Karen Winters Schwartz, author of Where Are the Cocoa Puffs?: A Family's Journey Through Bipolar Disorder)

Persons with mental illnesses, like the rest of us, are surrounded by countless providers and service agents. It is an unfortunate reality that family, the closest and most knowledgeable group in the lives of individuals, are rarely consulted during times of acute crisis or treatment planning. Randye Kaye poignantly illustrates the value of the love of family as they, along with her son, Ben, struggle to make sense of the mental illness that impacts all of them. Randye and her family show unwavering commitment and love to Ben. As much as he has, at times, "been" hidden behind the muddlesome voices of schizophrenia, this caring, devoted family has "been" behind the voices every step of the way along with him. His struggle is theirs to share as can only be understood by family. (Michael W. Mackniak, Esq., MNMP, CBIS, Founder Melissa's Project)

Poignant, stark, and the energy of the scenes are set up really well. This work has screenplay written all over it. The dialogue is wonderful and the pace of the story moves briskly. (Nancy DeRosa, author of A Penny's Worth and There's No Place Like Home)

What I find most compelling about Ben Behind His Voices is the author's honesty as a mother about her true feelings. She connects with her readers because she allows herself to be human and vulnerable and share both her struggles and triumphs. (Amy J. Barry, author of A Child's Grief Journey and the award-winning parenting column, A Parent's Eye View)

It's the reason parents fear the teenage years-the all-too-common story of a happy, well-adjusted child who slowly spirals into rebelliousness, disaffection, and apathy. Such teens may drop out of school or stop studying, indulge in drugs and alcohol, and possibly commit petty crime. When Kaye's son Ben gradually became "troubled," she tried all of the usual remedies: therapy, tough love, and special camps and schools, but nothing worked. Instead, he became increasingly emotionally unavailable and uninterested in taking care of himself and was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia. Like many sufferers, Ben doesn't acknowledge his illness and hates the side effects of the medication he needs to function. In the latter part of the book, Kaye describes what she goes through to ensure that her son takes his medication and has a safe place to live. VERDICT An illuminating portrait of a parent coping with the guilt and heartbreak that come from feeling like one can't "fix" one's child. Recommended for anyone who is involved with teens or those with mental disorders, and a darn good read for memoir fans. (Library Journal)

Randye Kaye is an actress, broadcaster, voice talent, and speaker. She served more than twenty years as a major radio personality in Connecticut, and continues to work in theater, TV, film, commercials, industrials, and audiobooks. She is also the Connecticut trainer of Family-to-Family Educators for the National Alliance of Mental Illness, and a diversity trainer for the Anti-Defamation League. Randye is a member of SAG, AFTRA, AEA, NAMI, The National Speakers Association, and Mensa. www.randyekaye.com