THE CLIFFS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
Jake was hospitalized at 30 with anxiety, depression and paranoia. He was later diagnosed with schizophrenia. This book will invite you in. Jake designed it with short alternating chapters between mother and son, written in larger font for simplicity and clarity.
While creating it, Jake’s worst paranoid thoughts were triggered. He overcame this by writing some chapters in free-form style, allowing you to experience what goes inside his head with remarkable insight and humor. Laurette enhances those thoughts by shining a light on logic wrapped in mother’s wisdom, as if it might keep her son from dropping into an abyss.
Together, they paint a picture of today’s mental health challenges seen through dingy glass and shades of grey, and yet, The Cliffs of Schizophrenia remains a story of resilience and enduring hope for better life. If you are bound by this brain disease, or are a loving caregiver, you must keep this book beside your bed for days when you long for normalcy. You are not alone.
PRAISE
"This is a captivating story, one as instructive as it is dramatically powerful and as heartbreaking as it is inspiring.
An unflinchingly realistic look at a little-understood disease."
(Read full review here)
- Kirkus Reviews
.jpg)
"Jake and Laurette have written a heartwarming, intimate and insightful book"
- Actor Joe Pantoliano, NY Times bestselling author of Asylum and Founder of No Kidding, Me Too! a non-profit organization that battles the stigma of mental illness.
“This intensely talented and focused artist and filmmaker is the best person to communicate how it feels to have his life ruled by these symptoms. The fact that he’s willing to share the bad stories it tells is a gift to those who read this. To read his mother’s description of how his episodes appear to the outside world will give guidance to others who find themselves needing to navigate a new normal.”
- Julia Duffy, seven times Emmy nominated actress of Newhart fame
"The Cliffs of Schizophrenia is a gift to those of us who are mentally ill and for those who suffer and fight alongside us. We need hope and to know we are not alone. This book provides that with honesty, humor and heartbreaking clarity. Thank you Jake and Laurette!!"
- Comic Gary Gulman, star of HBO Special The Great Depresh and the author of Misfit
...Like that time when I met Gary Gulman 😎
Gary Gulman begins his new hit book “Misfit” saying “Some people skip the intro. I don’t trust them.” So obviously the first thing I planned to say when I met him was, “I read your intro!! I didn’t want to piss you off.”
So, the night we went to Gary’s show at Largo in Hollywood, I was incredibly nervous. Our friend Julia Duffy got a backstage pass before the show. We were led down a small hallway to a tiny dressing room where all six-foot-six of Gary Gulman stood talking to another comic. I so badly wanted to make a good impression to this man who was cool enough to write a quote for our book.
At this point I was having an out of body experience as I listened to Julia chatting to Gary inside his room about show-biz. We were introduced and he immediately smiled and said, “Hi Jake,” Then shook my hand.
This was my moment. I leaned forward and said, “I read your intro! I didn’t want to piss you off.”
Gary threw his head back and laughed. I think I actually surprised him. This is more than I’d hoped for. I made Gary Gulman laugh. Somewhere along there, I managed to get this photograph with him and he signed my book.
Then I left my body again.
“The Cliffs of Schizophrenia” is both therapeutic and meaningful. I worked with Jake at the beginning of his journey and was impressed with the love and caring he and his parents had for each other as well as their willingness to work collaboratively to challenge mental illness.”
- Dr. Mark DeAntonio, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Director of Inpatient Child/Adolescent Psychiatric at Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA
STAY IN THE KNOW
When I watch this video of my sister Molly, I feel so many things. When she was little, I loved to teach her how to make films by being free with her acting, taking chances, and knowing the camera. Now it seems to be her turn, to teach me how to live again. I feel loved and protected and that is everything.
A big day for us! This is our first look at the new book. Very exciting!!!
Jake McCook is a multi-talented artist and accomplished video editor. His journey through the world of visual arts led him to the Los Angeles Film School Graduate Program and Video Symphony's Avid Professional Program. In 2007, his talent was recognized when he won the Best Editor award at the Elevate Film Festival for a music video. Currently, he continues his artistic pursuits by studying under the guidance of Tom Wudl. Notably, his drawings were featured in a downtown Los Angeles exhibition last year. "The Cliffs of Schizophrenia" marks his foray into the world of literature, offering a unique perspective on mental health and resilience.
Laurette McCook is a writer, and former television actress. She recently completed a novel and hopes to publish it by the end of the year. She volunteers each week in the ER at Providence Tarzana Hospital, as well as at the Getty Center Museum in Los Angeles.
