Bottoms, Greg.  Angelhead:  My Brother’s Descent into Madness.

In a truly terrifying memoir, Greg Bottoms describes his life with his older brother, Michael, who exhibited unusually violent behavior as a young child that escalated into full-blown schizophrenia when he was a teen.  At times, Michael’s violent outbursts were enough to put his family members in fear for their lives, and eventually, his threats became serious enough that he was incarcerated and finally, after trying to kill his family by burning the house down, he was imprisoned for life.

His parents, desperate to help their son, attempted to house him, feed him, and provide for him in numerous ways. At one point, they tried to get relief for themselves—and help Michael attempt a normal life—by driving him to Florida and dropping him off, only to have him return, months later, destitute, filthy, and almost unrecognizable.

Bottom’s is a harrowing story of a family held hostage by a mental illness so serious that there are virtually no treatments that can bring much relief. It’s not until Michael nearly kills his family that they are able to breathe with ease—with him imprisoned for life, he can no longer manipulate the family and threaten their safety.