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 received a fat manila envelope in the mail one day, filled with a stack of yellowed paper about a half inch thick. It was from their (Allen uses they/them pronouns) uncle Bob. Allen describes opening the envelope:

Allen had always heard about "crazy" Uncle Bob, but the manuscript they read that day opened up a window into the complex mind of someone living with mental illness. It began like this:

Allen turned Bob's typewritten manuscript into a novel. In 

 Allen alternates Bob's story with a narrative that puts Bob in the context of family history and American society in the 1960s and '70s.

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Arts and Culture

The Thread® - Books and Literary News

Kerri Miller

Author

Suzanne Pekow

Writer Sandra Allen received a fat manila envelope in the mail one day, filled with a stack of yellowed paper about a half inch thick. Allen had always heard about "crazy" Uncle Bob, but the manuscript they read that day opened up a window into the complex mind of someone living with mental illness.

Writer Sandra Allen received a fat manila envelope in the mail one day, filled with a stack of yellowed paper about a half inch thick. Allen had always heard about "crazy" Uncle Bob, but the manuscript they read that day opened up a window into the complex mind of someone living with mental illness. Allen joined host Kerri Miller to talk about their book, "A Kind of Mirraculas Paradise."

A true story about schizophrenia

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