This book provides an incredible insight to people who contemplate suicide. The author is extremely brave and forthcoming by sharing his experience and insight in an effort to help others. It was so helpful to me to understand this struggle and gain insight into how temporary and avoidable it can be. I am very glad I read it and will recommend it to everyone as the information is applicable not only to suicide, but other destructive behaviors. Thank you to Clancy Martin, Knopf Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this insightful book.

Clancy Martin’s portrait of the suicidal mind is quite a drawn out affair, repetitive in parts, helpful in others, and by my lights damned to most likely not end well. Though appearing to be a thoughtful exercise in learning how to live in spite of his dreadful obsession not to, Clancy’s outcome is, for me at least, predictable. For as much as plentiful examples are given for overcoming this final act, there are numerous good reasons offered for not to continue suffering. While reading this book I was never exactly sure of Martin’s ultimate plan. It is my hope he has a long and prosperous life as well as a fitting end. The quotations taken from the book that follow offer both sides of the equation. It is up to Clancy’s readers to figure out where they stand.

This one is painful. It is informative but also emotionally difficult to read. Martin offers a brutally honest look at what is going on inside the mind of someone who is suicidal. He is an open book throughout, takes all the shame out of the equation and offers some very helpful resources.

It is not going to be a good read for anyone who is in the thick of suicidal ideations or maybe even those who are ok now but have a tendency to spiral. Please read it if you don't understand how someone could think that way. We can never have enough compassion or understanding for each other.

This book speaks in a multitude of ways. Some chapters are for those feeling suicidal while other are for those who have felt suicidal. Some chapters are for those who have attempted while others are for those who are attempting. Still, Some chapters are for loved ones of the suicidal, successful or not. It deals in all aspects of suicide and is therefore a helpful toolbox to keep and use over and over.

This is educational, deeply personal, philosophical, heart wrenching, and accurate. I recommend this book to anyone who has been affected in anyway by suicide to get a copy.

This book was difficult to read. From the title you are aware of the topic and if you have mental health concerns, this might not be the best read for you. I don’t want to give too much away but essentially the book discusses a man’s back and forth with suicide. It is intense, difficult to read, at times emotional and extremely eye opening.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Pantheon and NetGalley for allowing me to review this arc

There is a lot of bravery in any memoir, regardless of topic, because it is brave to share yourself with others, to engage in self reflection. Clancy Martin's memoir is brave for sharing taboo and very raw insights about mental health and self harm; this is a tough read and felt overwhelming in places even for me with a psych and some clinical background.

I wasn't able to finish reading the book in the allotted time, but that is likely due to my work schedule and the not easy to read content. Suicide is hard to read about.
Although the author does a good job of approaching it in an easy way and his writing style is very understandable and approachable.
I was able to get about a third to a half way through the book and would have liked to have finished it. I was learning and appreciating the content, but it was hard for me to absorb a whole lot at once so I didn't get through it as quickly as I was given.
I plan on purchasing the book when it comes out.

This was a topic I wanted to learn more about and this book answered all of my questions and then so many I didn’t know I had.

I had never heard of suicide as an almost compulsion, but it appears in some people it is. I understand the depression aspect of this. It just blows my mind that this is something some people try doing from a young age on into adulthood.

I am glad the author wrote this book and help make people aware of this. Great and interesting telling of his life and honesty about everything around this. I learned a lot from this book!

I rarely review a book when I can’t give it three or more starts. Almost never do I write a review when I haven’t finished this book. The truth about this drivel needs to be written.

Before I write my comments please know in addition to have worked in the area of mental health, half dozen family members have died by suicide and others have attempted. I’m not a virgin in this area.

Clancy Martin’s writing is so slow, I’ve only made it 1/4 way through the book since acquiring it nearly three months ago. The writing is arrogant at best, whiny at worst. The manuscript offers little in the way of understanding all the complicated aspects involved with suicide. Instead it’s the rambling of a philosopher who appears to write to excuse his life of non-commitment and addictions.

I quit reading when Martin got the inevitable part blaming his parents … it’s always the parents’ fault.

Throughout the portion I read, which is autobiographical, Martin takes no responsibility for his behavior— either his mental health, which can be helped, or his additions. He only offers excuses.

Don’t water time or money on this drivel in any attempt to learn more about suicide. Certainly don’t give it to a family member whose loved one has died by their own hand. And it offers no hope for those with thoughts of taking their own life.

A complete waste of time.

I went into this book thinking it was something else. This is essentially the author talking about his fascination with suicide. Unfortunately not for me.

I just didn't vibe with this book. Maybe if it had a different title I would be have a different reaction, but this book is so focused on the author's attitudes (sometimes toxic and outright wrong!) and he contradicts himself so often throughout this, as other reviewers have noted. The only reason this is getting two stars is because the appendices have actual accurate, helpful resources to someone struggling with suicidal ideation.

An i.portant scholarly yet deeply personal and mersive look at suicide. The author opens with a description of yet another one of his own suicide attempts. Deeply moving and deeply educational. Feel like this is important reading that should read by the masses.

I posted this review 6 weeks ago - not sure why it did not go through.
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Thank you to #NetGalley and publisher for an advance copy of this book to review. I found it to be one of the most raw and honest memoirs I've ever read. I also learned a great deal about the suicidal mindset, including the breadth of material about the subject. I recognize that Martin isn't generalizing from n=1 or encouraging readers to do so.
Nevertheless, I agree with his central argument that suicide is rarely, if ever, spontaneous. I can't say everyone should read it, but if you're interested in the subiect and not at risk, I do recommend.
I may add to this review in the next few days, as I continue to think about it; I'm trying to review #NetGallev books promptlv so that I don't forget to review.


As much as I appreciated reading this, I agree with GoodReads reviewer Kristi Lamont that this book would benefit from more careful editing and a shorter length.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc. This is not a book for the faint hearted as the title would suggest and is quite detailed about the authors suicide attempts, but it is a fascinating look at the reality of living with suicidal ideation and tendencies and I’m sure will help an often unspeakable topic to be spoken of and understand.

Wow, this book is in parts both super depressing, but also super important for people to read on mental health. Clancy Martin shares his journey with suicide, psychological (and sometimes not so psychological) reasons why people may feel this need to end their life. The stories are engaging, although an edit for most of them would have made the book a bit more engaging, I found myself skimming a lot, not only because it is heavy but also because there were just a lot of words (this coming from someone who reads upwards of 100+ books a year). Although, I cannot stress how heavy this book is, it is an important book for mental health’s especially if you or someone you may know is facing this situation.

How not to kill yourself is an intense discussion of a very serious topic - suicide. But what makes this book unique from all others is that it’s written by someone who has attempted suicide several times and therefore has an intimate knowledge of the mindset of such a person. As such, this makes How Not To Kill Yourself a must read for anyone interested in understanding this critical issue that currently plagues our society.

Make no mistake about it, this is not an easy book to read and I highly doubt you will race through it in one sitting. In fact, it’s a slow read and it’s very dense - there’s a lot to absorb and ponder.

Clancy Martin discusses suicide from many angles - literary, philosophical, poetic, and religious references to name a few. In addition, he also discusses the life of several notable people who committed suicide, among them Anthony Bourdain and David Foster Wallace. Throughout it all, Martin provides his unique perspective.

Martin examines his failed suicide attempts in detail, beginning at age 6. The reader witnesses the workings of a suicidal mind and why the desire to end one’s life came to be as well as the aftermath.

Martin is courageous in coming forward with revealing his inner life and failed suicide attempts. Also he provides insight into why he felt the need on several occasions to end his life. His first attempt was at the age of six when he jumped in front of a bus yet he says he thought of suicide when he was as young as 2-3 years of age. His first “real” attempt came at the age of 16.

There can be no doubt that Martin suffered many traumatic life events in this life, including divorces, career changes, death of his father (likely suicide according to Martin), suicide of his stepbrother as well as his own struggle with alcoholism. Any of these events could trigger a desire to end one’s life and in fact, some did.

Martin admits that suicide in itself is a selfish act and he has come to both understand and appreciate its effect on the loved ones left behind. He goes through a series of 9 things that he does to stop his suicidal ideation, which I think would be helpful for someone contemplating suicide. The appendices at the end of How Not To Kill Yourself are invaluable - resources, interviews and notes that are sure to help those suffering from depression and suicide ideation.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the field of depression and suicide as well as those contemplating ending their life. Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor - Pantheon and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is more a memoir than anything else so people looking for anything else should bear that in mind when deciding to read it. There are some great references and interesting perspectives on suicide but I found the focus on alcohol abuse a bit wearying. There are no answers here and it is sometimes frustrating when the author acknowledges things without taking them to the next stage of analysis or even speculation, even from his individual point of view.

Absolutely insightful! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. Will recommend it to everyone I know!

While there were a few statistics, this book is more of a memoir. The description doesn't make it seem like it's a memoir so I think it's misleading and might disappoint some readers.

Clancy Martin predicted what type of reader might be interested in this book - someone like himself who was obsessed with suicide, someone who had attempted or considered suicide or someone strongly affected by the suicide of someone they were close to. I do not fit any of these categories. I, of course, have lost people I knew to suicide but fortunately no one I was close to. But, I am a health care provider and interested in understanding what makes people tick thus this book appealed to me. I think there is advice in this book for someone liked Clancy Martin. A lot of the information and details are heavy, but the author gives trigger warnings. There is a lot of philosophical theory in the book since Martin is a Philosopher. I personally found this very hard to plow through. I can not say I have ever heard of someone being obsessed with suicide on and off for their whole life so this book was eye-opening and sad for me to read. Since I can honestly say I have never considered suicide I can not buy into Martin's belief that we all unconsciously desire death. My religious beliefs are different than Martin's and this definitely influences my perspective on death. I do not believe in reincarnation so I believe I am obligated to make this the best life I can. I will definitely remember this book and was very interested in the advice Martin gave for talking down someone who was considering suicide since I would feel very inept in that role. Overall, I wouldn't lightly recommend this book except perhaps to someone interested in intervening with suicidal people.