Blue Genes: A Memoir of Loss and Survival

Christopher Lukas grew up in a family where most of the members die by suicide. He and his brother were 6 and 8, respectively, when their mother killed herself. This memoir is particularly about his brother, who committed suicide late in life, and himself, the survivor. Why has he survived depression, while so many in his family have not? Lukas has clearly spent much of his life pondering his circumstances. His writing is lucid, self examining, and clear. Some reviewers had trouble relating to the characters in this book. While my own family experienced nothing like the events described, I found it easy to put myself in the point of view of Lukas and his brother. I came away with a deeper understanding of the difficulties faced by the family when a loved one ends his own life. Lukas' ultimate question in this book is: Why has he survived when his brother could not? I was fully engaged by this book and its examination of this question. And then I read the final chapter, wherein Lukas gives much credit for his better ability to cope to his, now deceased, wife. Why is so little attention given to her role until the last two pages? Does Lukas really feel this way? Or, was this an afterthought in the wake of her death? Still, with this as its only flaw, I still highly recommend this book. The insights are valuable and the writing is profound.

Any reader of Blue Genes will learn about the power of family dynamics, biological contributions to one'e destiny, the helpful role of good psychotherapy, the importance of sharing one's thoughts (as the author has shared himself with the reader) and not keeping secrets, the role of work and love in getting through and enjoying life, and the possibility of triumphing over tremendous psychological and biological obstacles.

This is a moving account of Mr. Lukas' family experiences with depression. What is most interesting is that he is coming out of a generation where treatment for mental illness was primitive and not very effective. His losses because of that tragic fact are at times overwhelming. When I reached the end of the book I felt that it was a miracle that Mr. Lukas was still alive considering the history he has lived through! I wanted to say to him, "You are extraordinary and accepted and valued exactly for who you are!" His examination has a flavor of psychoanalysis - how have events played themselves out in relationship to his earliest experiences as a boy. Overall, a moving picture of one man's attempt to understand his family relationships.