Introduction -- A suicide in the family -- Finding the truth -- Schizophrenia: Not just one thing -- Depression: What does it feel like? -- The genetics of mental illness -- Family life and growing up fast -- In my mother's words -- Epigenetics -- Voices from the past -- Inflammation technology and healing the brain: Is it possible? -- Guardian angels -- Transcendental meditation and destabilizing a chaotic mind? -- Witnessing horror and building resilience -- Acknowledgments -- Selected sources

James Longman was a preteen in boarding school when his dad, who was diagnosed with depression and schizophrenia, died by suicide. As he got older, James's own bouts of depression spurred him to examine how his father's mental health might have affected his own. He engaged with experts to uncover the science behind what is inherited, how much environmental factors can impact genetic traits, and how one can overcome a familial history of mental illness and trauma