His Bright Light, by Danielle Steel

This book was written by Danielle Steel after her oldest son, Nick Traina, committed suicide. In it she tells of what a sweet boy he was growing up. Nick started having self-control problems when he was about eleven or twelve years old, but the family just thought he was a little hyper. After another year or so, he started having serious problems at school. He eventually was kicked out of school for his behavior. 

This cycle would continue for years to come. His mother tried different schools, different teaching programs, and medications to help control him. By the time he was fifteen years old his mother realized Nick was seriously mentally ill. But, the different doctors that treated him did not believe he was could possibly be as ill as she thought. His depression was so bad at times he couldn’t cope with just the day to day activity of getting out of bed and dressing. The doctors would just not believe a young man of his age could be so depressed.

It wasn’t until he was eighteen that his mother found a doctor who was willing to treat Nick with medications for manic depression. Before his nineteenth birthday he had tried to commit suicide three times. Nick could not accept that he would be on medication his whole life and that he would never be able to live the life he wanted. He was disappointed and depressed about his future and decided to end his life at the age of nineteen. Nick was very bright and talented. He performed with his own band and wrote all of the songs they recorded. His mother wrote this book to honor his life and included many of his song lyrics and poetry inside.

Reviewed by Judy, First Regional Library

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