Many memoirs tell stories of illness, the physical or mental decline of the author or a loved one.
Generally these stories speak with love and sadness, the despair of not being able to help. There are fewer tales where the afflicted person is not likable, is in fact dangerous. Michael was developing schizophrenia. To his family and their suburban Virginia community, however, his problems were a result of his drug abuse. To his father, especially, who had grown up in a loveless home, it was an unwillingness to straighten up and fly right.