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The Day the Voices Stopped
For thirty-two years Ken Steele lived with the devastating symptoms of schizophrenia, tortured by inner voices commanding him to kill himself, ravaged by the delusions of paranoia, barely surviving on the ragged edges of society. In this powerful and inspiring story, Steele tells the story of his hard-won recovery from schizophrenia and how activism and advocacy helped him regain his sanity and go on to give hope and support to so many others like him. His recovery began with a small but intensely dramatic moment. One evening in the spring of 1995, shortly after starting on Risperdal, a new antipsychotic medicine, he realized that the voices that had tormented him for three decades had suddenly stopped. Terrified but also empowered by this new freedom, Steele rose to the challenge of creating a new life. Steele went on to become one of the most vocal advocates of the mentally ill, earning the respect not only of patients and families but also of professionals and policymakers all over America through his tireless devotion to a cause that transformed his life and that of countless others. The Day the Voices Stopped will endure as Ken Steele's testament for all who struggle with this heartbreaking disease.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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4038 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
June 16, 2008
I remember the night my mother came up to the bedroom my brother shared with me and told me that my uncle, who had been missing for many months, had been found - under the ice in the Fens in downtown boston, close to where he was living at the time. My uncle started hearing voices in his late teens/early twenties, and had been missing or in institutions most of my young life. When we did see him, he was charming, artistically gifted, and quiet. But we did not see him often - only heard that he was missing or in the hospital, and eventually that the voices he was hearing, that he thought was the voice of god, told him to drown himself in the river near his home. My grandfather, who was fighting cancer at the time, took a blow from the news, and died a year later.
As a result, I was always both sympathetic and curious about the disease. We lived in a family that feared that we kids might develop the same plight, but, of course, we missed the bullet. No one is sure where my uncle inherited the disease from.
Of all the books I have read concerning the topic of schizophrenia. this one was truelly the best. It is in no way the normal heartwarming tale you would expect of triumph over adversity. Diagnosed at 14, Ken is haunted by voices taunting him to kill himself. This goes on for 32 years, until one day, due to the prescription of a new a-typical schizophrenia drug, the voices stop, and in trying to build a new life for himself, in a strange new world, Steele goes on to be one of the most important mental health advocates of our time. The road he takes to get there, however, is painful and hard to read. He is abandoned by family, who had a second child, shortly after he is diagnosed, and then give up on their first son, to protect their second, and to try to keep away the shame involved in having a sick son. He is again and again forced into prostitution and life on the streets. Ken's tale takes him all over the country from institution to half-way house to society and back - all the way from Maine to Hawaii.
Not for the easily upset, this story is a must for anyone who has any familiarity with this topic. This book gave me the gift of better understanding what my uncle, and many people like him, had to deal with and why some of them didn't make it. It is the most real story I have read. One that truelly parellels and illustrates the life of someone who is that sick and struggling to maintain some semblence of day to day life. It also made me better understand the need for change in both the health care system and society and how they go about treating/dealing with the mentally ill.
As a result, I was always both sympathetic and curious about the disease. We lived in a family that feared that we kids might develop the same plight, but, of course, we missed the bullet. No one is sure where my uncle inherited the disease from.
Of all the books I have read concerning the topic of schizophrenia. this one was truelly the best. It is in no way the normal heartwarming tale you would expect of triumph over adversity. Diagnosed at 14, Ken is haunted by voices taunting him to kill himself. This goes on for 32 years, until one day, due to the prescription of a new a-typical schizophrenia drug, the voices stop, and in trying to build a new life for himself, in a strange new world, Steele goes on to be one of the most important mental health advocates of our time. The road he takes to get there, however, is painful and hard to read. He is abandoned by family, who had a second child, shortly after he is diagnosed, and then give up on their first son, to protect their second, and to try to keep away the shame involved in having a sick son. He is again and again forced into prostitution and life on the streets. Ken's tale takes him all over the country from institution to half-way house to society and back - all the way from Maine to Hawaii.
Not for the easily upset, this story is a must for anyone who has any familiarity with this topic. This book gave me the gift of better understanding what my uncle, and many people like him, had to deal with and why some of them didn't make it. It is the most real story I have read. One that truelly parellels and illustrates the life of someone who is that sick and struggling to maintain some semblence of day to day life. It also made me better understand the need for change in both the health care system and society and how they go about treating/dealing with the mentally ill.
October 11, 2014
This book changed my life and the way I look at people who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and the mental health system in general. I am currently a bio-medical student at Rutgers studying Psychological rehabilitation and we had to read this book for a literature review paper...but honestly, this assignment ended up becoming so much more to me. This man's book is so devastating, heart breaking, and at times it truly just makes you want to scream. All the lost cries of despair between these pages is just..overwhelming. I hope to one day meet Ken. He has experienced so much pain in this life, and if I ever met him, I would hug him right and tell him I'm sorry.
I am one of those people that treats all people like family. This story breaks me.
I am one of those people that treats all people like family. This story breaks me.
May 2, 2007
if you wanna know what life is like for a schizophrenic and what it was like to try to navigate the mental health system during the second half of the 20th century, this would be a great place to start. a political and thoroughly engaging memoir.
May 26, 2014
This is a really important book for several reasons. The first is that it gives a very clear idea of what having schizophrenia is like. That insight is gravely needed for those who have not experienced, and I can imagine it being very helpful for families. Ken Steele tells you what it was like inside his head, and you can follow many periods of progress and setbacks.
The most amazing part is that there is a day when the voices do stop. It's an important reminder that there is hope. Even before that, there are times when he does really well, so it's a good reminder that medications have improved and that more is known now about how to treat mental illness.
It's also a reminder of the very real risks there are, and the need for advocacy. Some hospitals were much better than others. Some doctors were much better than others. The best doctors were the ones who listened to information about side effects and what helped. Many things that happened to him were criminal, and some should be.
One of the saddest things is that his parents initially refused to seek treatment for him, because of the stigma, and while the medicine still would have been fairly primitive then, you can't help but wonder what he could have been spared. His life was definitely shortened by health problems that might have been avoided.
The most important message of the book is to not shun the mentally ill, but to help them. That means treatment, but it also means good treatment, paying attention to whether the professionals are really acting appropriately or not. It requires laws and funding, which is why he worked for voter empowerment.
So the content of the book is remarkably important, but it is also a clear and interesting read.
The most amazing part is that there is a day when the voices do stop. It's an important reminder that there is hope. Even before that, there are times when he does really well, so it's a good reminder that medications have improved and that more is known now about how to treat mental illness.
It's also a reminder of the very real risks there are, and the need for advocacy. Some hospitals were much better than others. Some doctors were much better than others. The best doctors were the ones who listened to information about side effects and what helped. Many things that happened to him were criminal, and some should be.
One of the saddest things is that his parents initially refused to seek treatment for him, because of the stigma, and while the medicine still would have been fairly primitive then, you can't help but wonder what he could have been spared. His life was definitely shortened by health problems that might have been avoided.
The most important message of the book is to not shun the mentally ill, but to help them. That means treatment, but it also means good treatment, paying attention to whether the professionals are really acting appropriately or not. It requires laws and funding, which is why he worked for voter empowerment.
So the content of the book is remarkably important, but it is also a clear and interesting read.
April 26, 2015
A first hand explanation of schizophrenia and how this one fellow coped with it. Very enlightening and at the same time difficult to read. To know someone, and there are many, who suffer from mental disease and are treated in abhorrent ways in this day and age does not speak well for our society.
I kept remembering a school chum. We went to the same schools for over 9 years and were relatively good friends. Suddenly he disappeared from school after freshman year. When we were in our early 20s he took his life. This book relates the statistic that 1 in every 13 diagnosed schizophrenic commits suicide. My friend was one of them. Reading this made me feel his loss again and helped me fully understand the torment he went through.
I kept remembering a school chum. We went to the same schools for over 9 years and were relatively good friends. Suddenly he disappeared from school after freshman year. When we were in our early 20s he took his life. This book relates the statistic that 1 in every 13 diagnosed schizophrenic commits suicide. My friend was one of them. Reading this made me feel his loss again and helped me fully understand the torment he went through.
February 28, 2017
Ken Steele was a remarkable man and his remarkable story provides a glimpse into the mind and life of someone suffering from schizophrenia. He started hearing voices at age 14 and this book chronicles his descent in a full blown psychotic disorder, his many hospitalizations across the country, and his life on the streets. But aside from painting the picture of a very ill man, this memoir also shows the person beneath the illness - and how his beautiful humanness is always there just beneath the surface. The writing is simple yet poignant, and the story is captivating, enlightening, and inspiring.
September 25, 2016
Although the story sometimes drags, this strikes me as a realistic account of how a man lives with schizophrenia. He describes the ups and downs of his life, including being on and off medications and in and out of hospitals. The conclusion of the book has great observations about how individuals and public policy need to respond to the needs of the mentally ill.
October 14, 2013
This is an amazing first person story about schizophrenia. It is a hard story to read, because the author had such a difficult life. By his description, he was abandoned by his parents in his teens when he developed schizophrenia and struggled to survive multiple hospitalizations and life on the street. He finally is placed on effective medication late in his life and is able to begin to help others who are trying to navigate the mental health system in the US.
April 26, 2009
I read this book in about 4 days. It is a vivid description of what his life was like from the day the "voices began" to the day they stopped. This book is informative and well-written. His life was a living hell as he struggled with his mental illness. He became an advocate for mental illness and did quite a lot of good to help others and their families. A book worth picking up and reading.
May 2, 2011
Great book if you want to see what someone who hears voices and sees hallucinations lives like. It is the kind of book I recommend if you are interested in learning how to counsel people who are not like you.
March 11, 2024
As a mental health professional, I remember what stuck with me through my education was an abnormal psychology lecture on Schizophrenia and psychosis. The objective was this:
Put one earbud in your ear with an audio of voices talking at full blast, then try to carry on a conversation with a partner— this book shows that experience and so much more. Even when he details the day the voices stopped… I was astounded by the events that unfolded - I’ll leave that for the reader to experience - but it was one of the most compelling pieces for me as I read his story unfold.
Ken Steele discusses his experiences in such a vivid, easy yet raw detail that it hooks the reader to learn/know more. Steele’s story helped enforce the worldview of someone suffering from his illness. A must read.
Put one earbud in your ear with an audio of voices talking at full blast, then try to carry on a conversation with a partner— this book shows that experience and so much more. Even when he details the day the voices stopped… I was astounded by the events that unfolded - I’ll leave that for the reader to experience - but it was one of the most compelling pieces for me as I read his story unfold.
Ken Steele discusses his experiences in such a vivid, easy yet raw detail that it hooks the reader to learn/know more. Steele’s story helped enforce the worldview of someone suffering from his illness. A must read.
April 1, 2024
Story was great, enlightening of what it was like living with mental illness in the 60’s - 90’s. Chapters were wayyyy too long tho.
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March 30, 2010Ken Steele penulis sekaligus tokoh utama dalam buku ini adalah seorang penderia skizofrenia. tanda umum yag biasanya dapat dijumpai pada penderita skzofrenia adalah adanya halusinasi (baik suara/visual),waham (merasa dirinya besar), kecenderungan bunuh diri, rendah diri, dan biasanya banyak dijumpai pada laki-laki (perempuan juga bisa kok, tergantung jenis skizofrenia, tetapi penyakit ini biasanya diwarsikan ke anak laki-laki).
nah, dalam kisah ini dipaparkan bagaimana masa kecil Ken yang hidup penuh tekanan, hingga pada suatu hari munculllah gejala awal skizofren pada diri Ken, yaitu halusinasi suara yang memintanya untuk melakukan bunuh diri. keluarga Ken yang tidak tahan mengusir Ken dari rumah dan menempatkannya pada rumah sakit jiwa.
Beranjak dewasa kelakuan Ken semakin memprihatinkan, sudah menjadi nasib Ken harus keluar masuk rumah sakit, karena Ken merasa tersiksa dengan terapi yang diberikan RS, belum lagi perlakuan antar temannya sesama pasien yang membuatnya trauma (beberapa kali Ken mengalami perkosaan). kehidupan Ken sangat menyedihkan.
hingga pada suatu hari, setelah belasan tahun dihantui oleh suara gaib yang selalu memintanya bunuh diri, Ken sembuh total. dia mendirikan organisasi yang menaungi para penderita skizofren.
terus terang saya kasihan pada Ken. saya kira skizofren itu sama dengan psikopat (kebanyakan nonton film horror si..he..)
well, novel yang berupa memoar ini cocok banget dibaca untuk menambah pengetahuan mengenai penyakit kejiwaan.
nah, dalam kisah ini dipaparkan bagaimana masa kecil Ken yang hidup penuh tekanan, hingga pada suatu hari munculllah gejala awal skizofren pada diri Ken, yaitu halusinasi suara yang memintanya untuk melakukan bunuh diri. keluarga Ken yang tidak tahan mengusir Ken dari rumah dan menempatkannya pada rumah sakit jiwa.
Beranjak dewasa kelakuan Ken semakin memprihatinkan, sudah menjadi nasib Ken harus keluar masuk rumah sakit, karena Ken merasa tersiksa dengan terapi yang diberikan RS, belum lagi perlakuan antar temannya sesama pasien yang membuatnya trauma (beberapa kali Ken mengalami perkosaan). kehidupan Ken sangat menyedihkan.
hingga pada suatu hari, setelah belasan tahun dihantui oleh suara gaib yang selalu memintanya bunuh diri, Ken sembuh total. dia mendirikan organisasi yang menaungi para penderita skizofren.
terus terang saya kasihan pada Ken. saya kira skizofren itu sama dengan psikopat (kebanyakan nonton film horror si..he..)
well, novel yang berupa memoar ini cocok banget dibaca untuk menambah pengetahuan mengenai penyakit kejiwaan.
July 11, 2015
This gripping memoir is a memorable account of Ken’s struggle with schizophrenia and a lack of family support that found him in some unpleasant (to say the least) life circumstances. These voices told him that he was worthless, that he ought to end his life. Someone is born with schizophrenia – it is not something a person chooses. Ken’s voices started at the age of fourteen. His family was in denial and did not get Ken the help he so desperately needed. The voices indeed stopped one day with the addition of a new medication, however, that brought with it a new set of challenges as well. This is a highly recommended, maybe should be a required read in order to foster empathy and awareness of the struggles faced by the millions of people worldwide who suffer from some form of mental illness. It’s time to de-stigmatize these illnesses which are not chosen by the people who endure them. Ken’s therapist whom he found later in life, helped him come to terms with his reality. “Little by little, and over a long period, I gave her as much truth as I was able to recall, along with many of my fears. She helped me confront my feelings about my family: my mother’s coldness, the knowledge that I had disappointed my father, the birth of a “replacement” when I was fifteen. Each case of schizophrenia is a different mix of genetic and psychological factors, and I was striving to come to terms with my story. The work was hard and painful” (202).
October 19, 2012
Hard to read, but even harder to stop reading. I hope this book is as intense as it gets in this class, because I'm not sure I could handle much more. Steele hits rock-bottom -- broke, alone, suicidal, schizophrenic--and often turns to alcohol and prostitution in between his frequent stays at mental institutions. His voices do stop eventually, thanks to a new medication, and he dedicates the rest of his life to mental health care reform--how could he not, after the abuse and neglect he suffered at virtually all the institutions? But his solution to improve the lives of the mentally ill is more government. When the government is only called in to be our savior, isn't the church usually failing to do its part? How rare is it to see a church involved in caring for the mentally ill? They aren't cute, like the babies we save from abortion. They are frightening, confusing, violent...and human beings made in God's image, who desperately need His Love. I'm glad I read the book, because I was largely ignorant of the trials a mentally ill person faces, both in their personal lives and in their attempts to navigate the medical system.
December 7, 2018
This was an excellent read! I finished this book in 3 days, it just sucked me in. So glad my co-worker recommenced this.
August 6, 2024
This book is very insightful as to what living with schizophrenia is like. I think sometimes it is easy to forget that there are people out there who are tormented with this ailment, so when we encounter them, we don’t know what to do or how to help. This book elicits a new sense of understanding and hope for those who suffer from mental illness. Reading this memoir has been very thought-provoking, to say the least. My mind won’t stop stirring with potential remedies and improvements for mental health institutions - I would love to, one day, live in a world where positive outcomes are maximized in this avenue of society.
March 11, 2025
I absolutely DEVOURED this book. I work with schizophrenic adults but realized I didn’t really understand the illness. Reading someone’s memoir who has lived that reality is the best way to grasp any variation of mental illness. It’s like going directly to the source which is extremely illuminating. It also sheds light on Americas broken mental health system. I think every mental healthcare worker should read this book.
September 8, 2023
A fascinating, devastating, but ultimately hopeful view of schizophrenia from a man who spent most of his life with voices, severe delusions and paranoia. I feel grateful to have learned from his story.
January 30, 2023
Najkrótsza recenzja brzmi - Wstrząsająco prawdziwa. Jedna z tych książek które mogą pomóc zdrowym zrozumieć chorych, chociaż troszkę.
November 1, 2023
Really amazing- highly recommend if interested in learning about someone who experienced schizophrenia emerging at a very young age and his journey through life experiencing the mental health systems at that time
February 22, 2024
Thank you, Ken for your honesty and for sharing your story with me. It sounds like you found peace before your passing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2020
This book opened my mind on our mental health issues. Ken Steele was an amazing man.
January 7, 2023
At fourteen years old, they came to him. The voices I mean. The voices would tell him to kill himself. What was wrong with this child? Why wasn't he attending school anymore and what were his parents to do? Looking in their faces as they talk, Ken can't hear a word his parents say. Not even his grandmother can get through to him. The torture of these voices carries on through Ken's life for nearly 32 years. Does he try to stop it? Of course. Ken finds himself in and out of psychiatric hospitals, halfway houses, and institutions as he is searching for help but is constantly being discharged, evicted, or in need of escape.
Published in 2001, the writer shares his story of being abandoned by his family and as a result, finds himself turning tricks in the streets and drinking alcohol obsessively to drown out the voices. Follow along in this memoir as Ken shares days where he felt "normal" and says he felt compelled to do what the voices wanted- just so they'd stop!
One day, he reaches Park Slope Center for Mental Health and he is given a new medication; an anti-psychotic. Does he take the medication after all the years of abuse and mistreatment in the facilities? How can he trust this new doctor and trust that this medication will work?
Published in 2001, the writer shares his story of being abandoned by his family and as a result, finds himself turning tricks in the streets and drinking alcohol obsessively to drown out the voices. Follow along in this memoir as Ken shares days where he felt "normal" and says he felt compelled to do what the voices wanted- just so they'd stop!
One day, he reaches Park Slope Center for Mental Health and he is given a new medication; an anti-psychotic. Does he take the medication after all the years of abuse and mistreatment in the facilities? How can he trust this new doctor and trust that this medication will work?
September 6, 2007
I read this book and it left deep impression inside me. I have been approached by several people that have this illness in a scenario that god have sent to me. I know that they don't lose their abilities to think but they only cannot define which are the realities and which are the delusions. When i saw Hilda's update... it reminds me that i have read this book once. Really an intriguing issues, this schizoprenic things... and since i have read this book my eyes are open wide and never underestimate those with this illness. This can be happened to anyone. I read in my college's material, schizo is caused by the hormone imbalance in our brain. They call it endorphine... man, it just because hormone! people with schizo cannot hold their focus for long time, they need breaks (well, who's not?) so who is the crazy one here?
They just like other normal people.... if they learn to handle it and get attention and affection from his/her family, they are so fine.
They just like other normal people.... if they learn to handle it and get attention and affection from his/her family, they are so fine.
September 9, 2011
Haunting. Firstly because of the trauma of living with voices and hallucinations. Secondly because he became a lost person in the under-belly of our society and was a victim to much of the evil most of us, thankfully, never have to deal with and don't like to think about.
I feel like I understand much better the constant destructive dialogue that goes on in the mind of someone who hears voices. Very sad and quite upsetting section on life in the mental health system during the 1980s. Yet this book is extremely hopeful in the fact that this man recovered completely.
As open as we are becoming about mental health issues, this is still quite a stigmatized subject. For anyone interested in schizophrenia or mental health issues.
I admit that I wanted some of his memories to be hallucinations. With as many stories as he told his whole life, I hoped that some of the pain in this story was exaggerated or made up.
I feel like I understand much better the constant destructive dialogue that goes on in the mind of someone who hears voices. Very sad and quite upsetting section on life in the mental health system during the 1980s. Yet this book is extremely hopeful in the fact that this man recovered completely.
As open as we are becoming about mental health issues, this is still quite a stigmatized subject. For anyone interested in schizophrenia or mental health issues.
I admit that I wanted some of his memories to be hallucinations. With as many stories as he told his whole life, I hoped that some of the pain in this story was exaggerated or made up.
February 19, 2017
The courage and fortitude that this man needed to simply get through his life astounded me. I read this to try to learn more, and "get in the mind of", someone with schizophrenia. Ken allows you to do that even when a lot of it is ugly and scary. Not only do you get to see what his life was like in his mind, as best as he can describe it, but you see the frightening nature of the mental health establishment. There is so much that is needed, but as yet unknown. So much that is needed, but it is not fiscally possible. So much that is needed, but the resources are stretched beyond their breaking points. Ken led a hard life and in the end he worked hard to help others so that maybe they wouldn't have to face some of the horrors that he did, or they might be better able to live with themselves if they did.
September 23, 2023
Heartwrenching perspective. Really shows you how mental illness has and still is widely perceived. Will change the way you see the illness and people who are diagnosed
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August 16, 2007 It was such an intriguing story to me, because my biggest fear in life is not dieing, but going insane (sorry if that's not p.c.). Perhaps because I feel myself on the brink of insanity; therefore Ken Steele's compelling true life story tapped into my personal fears and took me beyond that. Schizophrenia is the ultimate battle of the mind and reality, a battle that many people lose. After years of internal and societal combat Steele overcomees and takes his battle to a national level by encouraging research, advocating and telling his story. It's a lifelong battle, that Ken Steele was able to subdue. The Day the Voices Stopped is an easy read and great story that makes you question if reality even exists.
July 12, 2013
What really gets me about this book is that its based on a TRUE story. Ken first heard the voices when he was 14: how he managed them the first time was so...sad. This book was probably the most heartbreaking book I ever read and just frustrating. I had to read his failures with his desire to get his life back together especially when his parents abandoned him.
And the way the book shows how Ken struggles with determining what's real and what's not and how the voices were just part of him. I don't regret reading it, it showed me a better understanding to schizophrenics.
Also, I'm really happy with the new psychotic medicenes and their ability to make the voices stop and how schizos don't really have to Go through what Ken went through. :(
And the way the book shows how Ken struggles with determining what's real and what's not and how the voices were just part of him. I don't regret reading it, it showed me a better understanding to schizophrenics.
Also, I'm really happy with the new psychotic medicenes and their ability to make the voices stop and how schizos don't really have to Go through what Ken went through. :(
Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews