Gold Medal, 2021 Book Excellence Award. Silver Medal, 2020 Living Now Book Awards, "books that have changed your life". Bronze Medal, 2020 26th Annual Colorado EVVY Book Awards.
Aaron Clifton, a social worker at the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Hotline Center, is tormented by the request to help his ailing grandmother kill herself.
A literary, psychological novel imbued with social commentary, Not Yet reflects on the depressive conditions that lead to suicide. This introspective, in-depth character study of a single father, who is utterly surrounded by women, details the emotional struggle of raising a teenage daughter while confronting the imminent demise of his grandmother slowly engulfed by Alzheimer's. The dark theme of suicide is uplifted by musings on race, religion, history and feminism, and with humor occurring suddenly in the midst of dialogue-driven Socratic therapy. Not Yet offers a temporally-deconstructed glimpse of a man conflicted by the contemplation of assisting his grandmother in death.
Segall's book is about more than suicide. It is an amazing achievement of love and life and offers hope to those suffering from depression or those who have lost someone to suicide. Through the darkness the reader can see a glimmer of light and the strength to cope with the struggles one encounters when facing these challenges. And the elements of humor provide balance to this heavy topic.
This book contains a wealth of information on many subjects most consistently suicide and depression. It contains well drawn characters the reader comes to care deeply about. It intersperses dark subjects with humor and offers answers to some difficult questions. Excellent storytelling. I work as a mental health peer specialist and will be better at what I do for having read this. I commend Erik Segall for having the courage to put himself out there to such an extent.
I loved the story of Aaron and how he overcomes his personal battles with who he is. A book about suicide is by no surprise is heavy, but author sprinkles humor in every page. This book is about everything inherently human. I was amazed with abundance of cultural and intellectual references it had. The author’s immense knowledge on the subject is supported by his deeps research on the topic. Give this book a try, you won’t be disappointed.
Segall writes Not Yet’s main character with erudition, comedy and despair. Dear fellow reader, learning can be a real roller coaster ride, in this case through grief, depression, a dark realm addressed with impatience, humor, and impropriety. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll want more from this author.