Maps to the Other Side: The Adventures of a Bipolar Cartographer

by Sascha Altman DuBrul

Part mad manifesto, part revolutionary love letter, part freight train adventure story—Maps to the Other Side is a self-reflective shattered mirror, a twist on the classic punk rock travel narrative that searches for authenticity and connection in the lives of strangers and the solidarity and limitations of underground community. Beginning at the edge of the internet age, a time when radical zine culture prefigured social networking sites, these timely writings paint an illuminated trail through a complex labyrinth of undocumented migrants, anarchist community organizers, brilliant visionary artists, revolutionary seed savers, punk rock historians, social justice farmers, radical mental health activists, and iconoclastic bridge builders. This book is a document of one person’s odyssey to transform his experiences navigating the psychiatric system by building community in the face of adversity; a set of maps for how rebels and dreamers can survive and thrive in a crazy world.

Genres: Memoir, Mental Health, Nonfiction, Self Help

192 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2012

About the author

From the anarchist squatter community in New York City to the Lacandon jungle of Chiapas, Mexico, to the Earth First! road blockades of the Pacific Northwest, Sascha Altman Dubrul has been a pioneer in urban farming and creative mental health advocacy. He is the co-founder of the Bay Area Seed Interchange Library and the Icarus Project, a radical community support network and media project that’s actively redefining the language and culture of mental health and illness. Among certain crowds he is well known as the bass player of the classic 90s punk band Choking Victim.

Reviews

[Happy Lee Del Canto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a rollercoaster ride: from freight trains to seed planting to community living to bipolar disorder and finally, the founding of a project that has undoubtedly saved thousands of lives. In his first 40 years, Sascha Du Brul has lived through so much, gone places and seen things the rest of us can only imagine... He has taken all this life experience and has managed to rise above and beyond a label (bipolar) that could have defined him but instead, inspired him. It is a beautifully written book, excerpts from different periods of his life, different ages, that come together to create the picture of the man (and the fantastic mind) he now is.

[Acacia Ives · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did not plan to sit down and read this like i did but guys!!!!!! AMAZING this was wonderful different insightful and wonderful.It is from the perspective of a man suffering from Bipolar so get ready for some very different and interesting ideas and memories. I loved it!

[EC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book by a fellow traveler punk rocker. Drugs, addiction, smoking, mental health and glitches in the matrix. That's what we have here! I agree with some of the author, DuBrul's social views, and many others I disagree with. But I'm a champion for diversity of thought and enjoy reading different takes on serious life issues such as mental disorders and drug addiction. 4.2/5

[Tobias · Rating 3 out of 5]

Works better for me as a collection of short pieces than a complete work on its own. But the strongest work in here is quite good...
http://www.vol1brooklyn.com/2013/04/1...

[Jennifer Padron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way to go, Sascha.

[jord · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good collection of short-ish stories concerning activism, traveling, organic farming, and most of all, mental health. A quick and engaging read.

[Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this book had been around when I was growing up.