Love and Other Gods

In this fascinating account of bipolar II disorder, Michael Nangla writes through the lens of religion and romantic love. As he abandons the traditional Indian life his family wants for him and instead pursues education, Michael Nangla tries to replace that security with romantic love. He becomes adrift when those loves fail to last. After an evening out with friends, Michael becomes unhinged and leaves his apartment and spends the night in a graveyard. There, he hears an angel tell him to meet with the Devil, and amid the headstones, Michael comes face to face with the Devil, whose visage morphs into Michael's own countenance. Following that terrifying night of his psychotic episode, Michael is hospitalized. But, it is only the beginning of his journey of healing, which brings him back to his family, and back to India. Poetic and moving, Nangla articulates his mental illness as only one who knows the darkness can: with an eloquent appreciation for the beauty of the light.