3 Review(s)

I would declare with certitude that (this) is perhaps the most important book of the year, chiefly because as a people we hardly ever talk about mental health with the seriousness it deserves. Devapriya Roy, In 2012, Jerry Pinto published his debut novel, Em and the Big Hoom, which drew upon his experience of living with a mother who was bipolar. It touched thousands of readers, among them many who also had a loved one afflicted with a mental illness or infirmity. Some of these readers shared their stories with Jerry, and agreed to share them with the world. A Book of Light collects these harrowing yet moving, even empowering, stories-about the fragility and immense strength of the human mind, the bleakness and unexpected grace of life, the terror and majesty of love. It has now become a book that many people with psychological challenges, and their friends and family, turn to for insight and solace-and to feel less invisible and alone||About the Author||Jerry Pinto is a poet, novelist, translator and journalist based in Mumbai. His books include the novels Em and the Big Hoom (winner of the Hindu Literary Prize and the Crossword Book Award) and Murder in Mahim (Winner of the Valley of Words Award), and the non-fiction book Helen: The Life and Times of an H-Bomb (Winner of the National Award for the Best Book on Cinema). Among his other works are widely acclaimed translations from Marathi, including the autobiographies of Daya Pawar (Baluta) and Malika Amar Shaikh (I Want to Destroy Myself), Baburao Bagul's first collection of stories (When I Hid My Caste), and Sachin Kundalkar's debut novel (Cobalt Blue)||In 2016, Jerry Pinto was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award and Yale University's Windham-Campbell Prize.