We are all driven by needs, desires, ambitions and many other forces. Life runs as normal with the obligatory ups and downs.

However, sometimes the 'off' switch in our heads doesn't quite work as intended. The world, ourselves, and others, are seen in fractured ways through this disjointed prism of life. Elements of this life can become distorted, leading to distrust, paranoia, meltdown or breakdown, as the brain seeks to avoid real suffering by creating an illusion. The permutations are endless. Sometimes people are brought back from the brink and sometimes the edge can be a moving target. Often, at least in the literary world, madness is a sanctuary. If only others really knew, really understood...

In this volume such literary leviathans as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Nikolai Gogol, Edgar Allan Poe, Charlotte Perkins Gilman and many others provide tales from pens that seep with wisdom and worry.

Genius has many names.