Back in June I asked readers for their suggestions for my book title. I want to thank everyone who took the time to comment. Believe me, I thought deeply about each and every suggestion, and agreed with all of them, which is the absolute truth. I thought long and hard about whether having “schizophrenia” in the title was a plus or a minus. It can be both, I reasoned. Someone else thought having “holistic” in the title was off-putting, and another reader was of the opinion that “schizophrenia” and “holistic” in the title would limit my market. Make no mistake – I’m all about making sure that the most number of people will want to read my book.

My moment of clarity in choosing a title came from the reader who made this suggestion:

“On the other hand, maybe there’s a catchy way to distill what the book’s about. Like Susannah Cahalan’s book title. She had anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, an actual physical illness of the brain, but it would be a mistake to put THAT in a book title. ha ha. Her book is titled:
Brain On Fire: My Month of Madness. That title really grabs you, it’s really descriptive of what the story is about, and it WAS a NY Times bestseller.“

and from another reader who made this one:

“Somehow, I think a title that speaks more to the lessons learned rather then the “backdrop” might be best.”

With visions of a NY Times bestseller dancing around in front of me, and mindful that just about all the bestselling memoirs on “major mental illness” favor a more poetic description of the specific diagnosis, here’s what I came up with that comes closest to capturing the flavor of my book and the message I want to put across:

The SCENIC ROUTE: A Way through Madness

 

Again, thanks to all who took the time to respond.