Genius, grief and grace

London psychiatrist, Dr Gaius Davies, tells the stories of ten famous Chrstians from the last few hundred years who battled with mental health problems. For many it was actually a key to their knowing of God and their genius in their ministry.

Author - Gaius Davies, ISBN 1857926307, Amazon.co.uk Link

Summary: (mostly) famous christian figures in history, including people like Martin Luther and CS Lewis, are covered from the point of view of their mental illness. A brief autobiography is given, and the special consideration is given to how their mental health problems contributed to their creativity and their personal spiritual growth - they learnt about God through grace and grief.

Best point: Helps you realise that sometimes mental illness can be a blessing and learning experience

Worst point: A bit old-fashioned in some places - some of the text will jar with modern readers

Rating 0-10: 9

Who should read : It is written for the general public, but will be especially good for those with a personal history of mental health problems and an interest in history.

Comment: This book is widely rated as a classic. It opened my eyes to some of these people who I had only heard of - now they seemed human too. Filled with a great illustrations of how grace can work in a person's life.