My youngest brother grew up in an idyllic time in an idyllic place with all circumstances favoring his having a beautiful and productive life. However, he struggled with learning, with social interaction, with life itself. And his struggle went seemingly unnoticed, certainly unspoken of, and therefore, he received no help. Tim Tim Timmy parallels his life and ultimate death by his own hand with my own growth and success. The final section mirrors my son's life and the help and attention he received when he was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, and I hope it serves as a rallying call when it comes to how we listen to and react to children, especially those with special needs.
--Reviews for BOOK - TIM TIM TIMMY
"Mark Metcalf has written an achingly honest ode to his beautiful and sensitive brother and his struggle with mental illness. That terrible condition has touched my family and Mark's book touched my heart with both pain and hope."
--Griffin Dunne, actor, producer, director, author of the acclaimed Friday Afternoon Club, published by Penguin Press
"Mark Metcalf eloquently tells a true story of family heartbreak, and of the way that time, reflection and changing attitudes toward the gifted and unconventional among us can offer a kind of illuminating repair. This is a book that is filled with grace and heart in every sentence. Read it and feel richer for it."
--Deirdre McNamer, whose novels include Rima in the Weeds and Aviary
"TIM TIM TIMMY is a story of Mark Metcalf's remarkable life, of the losses that mark it, and the wonders and opportunities those losses sometimes allow him to see. From the tragic death of his troubled brother, to the beautiful blossoming of his son, Mark guides us along the path of his own redemption. The treasure of his time and love--his attention--that he was unable to give to his brother, he directs toward his beautiful son. How this happens--through grief, and through surrender--is what makes this story poignant and universal."
--David Allan Cates, author of Tom Connor's Gift
"Suicide is one of the hardest of all losses to grieve. You are left with endless unanswered questions and the false sense of control that the feeling, "If I had done something different, maybe my brother would still be alive," gives you. Mark Metcalf brings us along in his search for these answers. With honesty, insight, and warmth, Mark shares with us many heartfelt stories, probing thoughts and perspectives and allows us to join him on his journey toward a growing awareness and empathy with what his brother might've been experiencing. Tim Tim Timmy is for anyone who has had a family member or loved one struggle with major depression, debilitating anxiety, addiction, or any disability that has caused them to feel lost, helpless, hopeless, and overwhelmed in their lives.
--Laurie Berg Pasch, LCSW, LMFT, DCSW, Psychotherapist
