Also try our Internet catalogs at: http://www.dnai.com/~cburch Claire Burch Book Catalog Published by Regent Press 6020A Adeline St., Oakland, CA 94608 (510) 547-7602 fax (510) 547-6357 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Strangers on the Planet: The Small Book of Laurie CLAIRE BURCH Psychology / $12.95 paper (ISBN 0-916147-67-3) / 175 pages / 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" A mother remembers her adopted child, abandoned by her birth mother at a month, neglected in foster care, who never managed to adjust to the needs of others, or have a happy life. Given the frightening and self-fulfilling prophecy diagnosis of child schizophrenia in infancy, Laurie never made it back, and her continuing problems splintered her adoptive family. Later she was repeatedly told that she had a "dual diagnosis," mental illness and chemical dependency. Being loved was not enough. The center section contains her astonishing writing and beautiful drawings. Family pictures of her from infancy until her death from an overdose following a broken relationship, connect with the writing to create a haunting and unforgettable image of a soul in torment, her words often tinged with defensive humor. Sadly, she herself recognized that she had been dealt a bum hand by fate in terms of genetic heritage and accidental events. Part Two of this memorial book is a careful guide through the jungle of opposing thoughts on dual diagnosis. The writer, still struggling with the "if onlys", has "been through it" with this child's Coney Island ride into terrified womanhood. She also takes a searching look at possible solutions to the continuing problems of those thousands of other street and psychiatric unit survivors who still need better help. "The world is filled with what they never told us -- sexual problems, the bust, bad trips. And now the barriers are breaking down because people who have been there are beginning to tell us what it's like for them and how to be a person in the midst of it. In this sense Claire Burch's book pioneers in how to live with trouble nobody ever asked for but trouble that needs to be looked at with all the bravery and insight at our command." Arthur Sainer Playwright and Village Voice Drama Critic ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stranger In The Family: A Guide to Living With The Emotionally Disturbed Claire Burch Psychology / Self Help / $19.95 paper (ISBN 0-916147-25-8) / $34.95 hardback (ISBN 0-916147-70-3) / 214 pages / / 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" Originally published in 1972 by Bobbs Merrill, the classic Stranger In the Family: A Guide to Living with the Emotionally Disturbed remains an innovative work on a controversial subject. Endorsed by the American Psychiatric Association with an introduction by Dr. Walter Barton, former Medical Director of the Association. Also including a new, updated overview by Dr. Lester Gelb. "Claire Burch has done the 'impossible'. She has explicated the diverse, controversial, multi-disciplinary, multifaceted and often confused field of mental disorder in a clear, amazingly complete, readable and yet well documented way. All of this for a humanistic purpose -- to show us how in this society where so many suffer from conflict and confusion sufficient to require professional help, the non -professional friends and family members can also be of help, and to demonstrate that these friends and family members, while they may be a part of the problem, may also be part of the solution." Lester Gelb, M.D. Former Associate Director & Clinical Director Maimonides Community Mental Health Center "The book reflects enormous care and effort in surveying the vast field of psychiatry and related disciplines. Ms. Burch has done a magnificent job in leading the reader through the maze of ambiguities, uncertainties and contradictions that surround the solid data of this field. Any relative of a patient would benefit from reading this thoughtful and rewarding book. I recommend it highly." Dana Farnsworth, M.D., Director, Harvard Health Services "If properly presented to the millions of people suffering from emotional disturbance, this book could have a major impact in alleviating much of the distress by patients and their families. In terms of the professional audience, the book will have benefit in focusing the attention of psychiatrists and others to developing better strategies for assisting patients with their daily living and shifting attention away from the commonly used conventional psychotherapeutic approaches which prove frustrating and unrewarding and generate notions that the patient is incurable rather than the more optimistic notion that the patient has a problem for which we have not yet developed or so far determined an operational solution. Experience throughout the world has certainly demonstrated that hallucinations do not necessarily impair an individual's ability to function in the society. It is largely the attitude towards such defense mechanisms which determine whether the patient will be allowed to function. Stranger In The Family could be a landmark book comparable to Clifford Beer's The Mind That Found Itself, and I am happy to endorse it." Ari Kiev, M.D., Program Head, Cornell Program in Social Psychiatry "Stranger in the Family is a radical book Claire Burch had to write since nothing like it existed. It is more than an expert study of dealing, at the family level, with people who are presenting symptoms of what has been labeled emotional disturbance. She makes it clear that emotional departures from the cultural norm can be considered as sometimes healthy expressions of feeling and need not be thought of as necessarily tragic, that the person having difficulty functioning in society is still to be thought of as a valuable member of society and that the meaning underneath his symptoms should be interpreted with understanding and warmth. In short she validates expressions of so called "craziness" and points out how they can be used in a constructive way." Alice B. Morris, Harper's Bazaar Literary Editor for 17 years "In this much needed volume Claire Burch has provided an important service for those who have had to cope in everyday life with the "different", the troubled, the sometimes troublesome individuals both in and out of the home. She has done for families of the emotionally disturbed what Benjamin Spock did for those responsible for Baby and Child Care. Clearly and simply written, this sound book takes the reader through the foundations of both mental health and illness, helps with the understanding of how their manifestations came about, and directs attention to what is available to deal with individuals in difficulty. At the same time there are do's and don'ts that provide constructive directions for handling the problems involved. The author covers not only the wide spectrum of age related problems beginning with children, but also covers the newer types of treatment and community programs. This book's purpose is to relieve the helplessness which so often is the understandable response of the family member when faced with the distress and need for action in the face of emotional disturbance in the home." Reginald Lourie, Director, Psychiatry Children's Hospital, District of Columbia "Stranger In the Family by Claire Burch is well written, clear, direct and carefully thought out. It could only have been written by one who has been through the agony and anguishes, the diffuse, confusing, sometimes seemingly overwhelming problems which emotional disturbance brings to the family. She has come through with a keen desire to help -- for some of the suffering can be alleviated if the family knows what can be realistically done. In this sense the book is a true guide to living with oneself as well as with the patient." Soll Berl, M.D., Dept. of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, N.Y. "I have read Stranger In The Family and it speaks in a poetic sense about the nature of growing, of the mind, and about family interrelationships. It was moving and illuminating." Joseph Chaiken, Director of Open Theater, N.Y. "Claire Burch is an artist in every sense of the word. It's interesting to find her artistry applied to an area normally reserved for clinicians. But like everything she does, her thoughtfulness of the approach, the intelligence of her attitudes, the empathy she applies, all shine through. The book will prove an invaluable guide to anyone facing the emotionally disturbed." Jack Kuney, Producer, Director WNET 13 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Homeless in the Nineties Collected Poetry: 1962-1992 CLAIRE BURCH Poetry / Drawings and Paintings by the Author / $12.95 paper (ISBN 0-916147-19-3) / 650 pages / 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" "I became easily engaged as I began to read Claire Burch's poetry. At first, I was afraid to tackle it because I thought I wouldn't be able to handle such a massive volume. But as I made my way into it, and began to be taken in by her most provocative turn of mind, and her interesting presentation of situations, I was glad that there was lots of it and that there was always more to come. I knew immediately that I was on an enchanting odyssey, and that when finished I would look forward to taking the adventure again and again. Claire Burch writes in a style that compels you to be alert, while it amuses and awakens you. Like all poets of distinguished capacity, Burch is skeptical of the orthodox. Thus she is always teasing with our given perceptions of reality, understanding that if the orthodox functions to do anything, it is to conceal rather than reveal truth. Moreover, Burch is an excellent narrative poet. Her sequences are given lyric continuity and dramatic coherence through the exploration of the thought and action of two major characters, Babe and 606. But this coherence and dramatic effect comes mainly through Babe, the longest survivor. It is Babe who mainly reveals to us what it is that makes the dilemmas of life so weighty, who carries us through the great range of human anxieties, and who does manage to give us wisdom without enveloping it in sophistry. Rarely giving us an overwrought phrase, Burch writes poetry with a lyrical and dramatic ease that makes you want to become a part of her thought and her craft. In her reality, life is a poetic stance, a stance of continuous revelation and astonishment, of paradox and contradiction made bare, and of hypocrisy made comic and ungilded." Erskine Peters, Professor of English, University of Notre Dame "I was much impressed by your poems, more impressed than before since now you have given order to the collection. They are intensely personal. Sometimes they make me feel that you have torn a bleeding heart from a breast, like an Aztec priest, except that the heart is your own. The images are moving and effective." Malcolm Cowley "People give you (I'm talking about the general you, not the particular you) a lot of things, but they seldom give you something you most want; namely something to stick to the walls of your mind. This you have done for me in your writing. My desk looks like the sweepings of a subway car. I never know when I pick up a piece of paper from it, what world I will be in for the next few minutes. And then I pick up your writing and I am completely transported into your world." Norman Cousins, Former Editor Saturday Review "Claire Burch's work is carried in fierce lyric directness into the life of the reader. These words are a spear. Also - they should be published at once. I have a strong feeling that many people -- like me -- are waiting for them." Muriel Rukeyser "I like reading people whose nerve ends show. Claire Burch's do and they pick up some uncommonly poignant images. These she has the good sense to write down, half wryly, still wrapped in the little indignities of normal living." Dora Jane Hamblin, Former Associate Editor, LIFE magazine "This could have been featured in our literary section, but its important social comments on the homeless experience shouldn't be limited to poetry readers. Burch's poems speak of the politics and realities of the homeless experience in our times: a weighty 600+ page paperback blends black and white photos of art and illustrations with surprisingly powerful free verse describing different aspects of life in the 90s." The Midwest Book Review ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Homeless in the Eighties Claire Burch Text and Photographs / $9.95 paper (ISBN 0-916147-09-6) / 135 pages / 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" In Homeless in the Eighties, Claire Burch begins with tough-talking free-verse that tells the facts and feelings of the homeless experience in a blunt but evocative style. She takes the reader on a thorough tour of homeless life -- the shelters, the soup kitchens, the crash pads, and gives the non-homeless an intimate glimpse of the bonding and conflicts between the drifters. Alternating between the voice of the poet and the voice of the street, Burch describes the situation and doesn't hesitate to place the blame. The rest of the book is devoted to her photos of people on the street, expanding on her themes. Like the poetry, the pictures are often angry and accusatory, but again there is warmth and humanity as well. The images show a range and depth of emotion, intercut with surreal paintings and collages in revealing juxtapositions. It is a spirited book. Perhaps sentimental, certainly poignant, but not at all a tear-jerker aimed at the soft touch. It's simply very honest and direct -- a strong expression of a knowledgeable view on a very human predicament, as complex as human predicaments always must be. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You Be The Mother Follies Claire Burch Novel / $14.95 paper (ISBN 0-916147-13-4) / 142 pages / 6" x 9" "You Be The Mother Follies is about two women linked across time by the common bond of stressful motherhood. Emma Darwin is the wife of Charles Darwin, and Charles is never around. Off trotting around the Galapagos and other places, Charles is no help at all in raising their children. After ingesting some stale bread pudding (probably ergot tainted), Emma begins to hallucinate that she is another Emma, on welfare in the 1970s in New York, trying to get child support from an errant husband who has run off with a "flotsam jetsam floozie." Under this stress, it's no wonder that this twentieth century Emma would come to believe she is Emma Darwin, actively corresponding with a man a hundred years dead. This delightful tale of two Emmas unfolds in letters and dialogue between husband and wife, a combination of arcane jive talk and contemporary slang. Actually the story of divorce, abandonment, and the toil of a single mother couldn't be more relevant to our times. This fantasy novel about Emma Wedgewood, wife of Charles Darwin, centers around her hallucinative mind. Her grief at the death of their child Annie is given a bizarre twist by some ergot mold on the bread she uses for her pudding; her world becomes the twentieth century. Burch presents this fantasy as a collage of Emma's hallucinogenic reports; her husband's sympathetic but tangential letters -- which contain fragments from Darwin's Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals; and contributions from other characters such as the social worker Dorothy (Beauty) Pageant, and Emma's unusual later offspring, Ralph Waldo Business Administration. Ralph Waldo achieves a more fortunate ration of brain size to body weight at a carnival where he is split into two precocious individuals. The technique is striking. The reports of Emma's caseworker place the wife among us, struggling with her schizophrenia, her kids, and her ex (Darwin) who won't fork over past due child support payments. The contemporary slang jolts the reader in its juxtaposition to Darwinian ideas. The unexpected is well presented here." Michael Healy, BEST SELLERS, The Monthly Book Review ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Goodbye My Coney Island Baby Claire Burch Novel / $19.95 paper (ISBN 0-916147-14-2) / 329 pages / 6" x 9" "Somewhere in the shadow zone between the Beat Generation and the Postmodern Era, lies this witty, poignant, compassionate, blunt, and daring novel about a single mother, her family and her relationships. The central character, Babe, is the hub from which a multitude of spokes radiate, such as 606, the responsible father of her children, her problem daughter, Joanne, and the bizarre collection of therapists called The Crisis Association. With all these perspectives, Goodbye My Coney Island Baby is an intensely intimate look at one woman's world from every angle at once, like a cubist painting of the mind. From the emotive illuminating short scenes of Part One to a realm of prose in the tradition of Kerouac, Faulkner and Gertrude Stein of Part Two, Goodbye My Coney Island Baby is disturbing and uplifting literature with both grit and punch. This is a not a novel with only characters and plots and dialogue. The people here are intuitive beings struggling to bring home a germ of truth. The plot is as open-ended as reading the Brooklyn Eagle to your little girl. The dialogues are the voices that go on beneath the ordinary. And author Claire Burch writes evocatively of a series of encounters and musings. A section entitled, Anthropoltergeist Preview of Coming Attractions. Exact moment of birth. Dreams. The most important character in this book is Babe, her different mind, her impressive handling of words and images, her always original mind." The Book Reader ------------------------------------------------------------------------ What Really Killed Rosebud? Claire Burch Investigative Report / $10.00 paper (ISBN 0-916147-69-x) / 120 pages / 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" This book, with accompanying video listed elsewhere, chronicles an incident in 1992. A homeless young girl of nineteen in a severe depression, desperate and not knowing where she can sleep so as not to be harassed by police, breaks into the mansion of the chancellor of a prestigious university and is shot to death by an Oakland policeman. Autopsy reports tell a story quite different from the one given to the media. The book is a compassionate investigative record of public and private reaction to the way in which the incident was handled, resulting in local riots and, several years later, the formation of a memorial activist group, "The August 25th CD Brigade." The C.D. in the name has a double meaning from the slogan "Civil Disobedience is Civil Defense." Packed with in-depth interviews and a stream-of-consciousness reconstruction of the dangerous event. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ How I Got Out of Jail and Ran for Governor of Indiana The Jim Moore Story As Told To CLAIRE BURCH Biography / $10.00 paper (ISBN 0-916147-47-9) / 200 pages / 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" Jim Moore, although ninety years old, is still active in developing ideas that will benefit people. Despite partial blindness and a pacemaker he delivers newspapers every day, plans and distributes leaflets, speaks out wherever he goes against poverty and injustice, and spends his spare time trying to get housing for the homeless. In 1931, under his birth name of Theodore Luesse, he went to prison for 21 months for "obscuring legal process". What he was obstructing were evictions in Indiana during the Great Depression. He obstructed evictions of jobless people because of his deep belief that every person has the right to live, just because he's alive. All his arrests have been for a social cause. Since the government protects the habitats of animal life, it was Jim's belief that this same protection should extend to human beings. Salty blue collar language and wit. >From the Indianapolis Times, July 14, 1933 Long Stretch of Torture Spent by Luesse in 'Hole' Red Leader, Doomed by His Record to Punishment in Penal Farm Dungeon, Relates Horrors He Saw. Men Worked to Exhaustion Point Scores Poisoned by Unfit Food, Clubbing of Inmates Charged. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Solid Gold Illusion Claire Burch Art / $25.00 hardbound (ISBN 0-916147-15-0) / 116 pages A limited edition collection of drawings and paintings by an artist who rarely shows but whose work is in major museums and collections, Solid Gold Illusion has many recent images in a style unique to the artist, a fusing of surreal elements with painterly by a series of layers merged with the often surprising paintings below. Signed and numbered. An original drawing is included with each book. "Finally I liked the funky poem drawing collage works of Claire Burch. Burch is something else ...The graceful economical drawings depict men and women sitting or lying around in a state of sensuous alertness. The intimacy is unforced and infectious." Peter Schjeldahl, The New York Times "Pale expertly done semi-abstract watercolors in which figures and landscapes glide like ghosts. Ms. Burch paints in a lilting fashion and has a special feeling for color harmonies . . . genuinely pleasing and succeeds in translating them into something her own." Stuart Preston, The New York Times ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Memoirs of a Barbed Wire Surgeon an interview with Elmer Shabart M.D., FACS One Surgeon's Incredible Legacy as a Prisoner of the Japanese During World War II edited by Claire Burch (ISBM #1-889059-02-1 / 180 pages / paperback / $10 This is a book by a survivor of the Bataan Death March in World War II who managed to continue practicing his profession all through their long ordeal, without instruments, anesthetics, antibiotics, medicines or even simple supplies like bandages and antiseptics. Dr. Shabart, first as a young man who takes his Hippocratic oath seriously, later as a surgeon reflecting on how they somehow managed to stay alive, takes us on a frightening and revealing journey that begins before the fall of Bataan and actually carries us through the present. A series of hair raising adventures, none of them for fun, add up to a saga of war-is-hell courage and endurance. One of the lucky ones who gets home after the surrender, this compassionate ex POW has woven a tale of bombings, hurricanes and jungle problems with a passionately ironic almost end - when the war is over he is made a present of two huge cases of finely crafted surgical instruments which had been in the possession of their captors all along. Eventually he donates them to the Army Medical Museum. Mysteries lurk in this book, questions of Army Intelligence investigations into a possible deal struck in connection with war crimes such as the rumored injections of plague given to POWs at the infamous Unit 731, other atrocities, and little known facts about the American military urge to be one up on all enemies in possible chemical warfare. His brushes with death and encounters with deprivation have served to motivate him to continue working and studying towards his goal, improving thoracic surgery. Historic events and tales of quiet heroism are included in this modest story of a life well spent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Also try our Internet catalogs at: http://www.dnai.com/~cburch