"Struck By Living" Author Julie K. Hersh to Speak at Darien Library

On Friday, June 4 at 10 a.m., Julie K. Hersh will be at Darien Library to speak about her new book, "Struck by Living: From Depression to Hope." Ms. Hersh is a mother, corporate wife, and advocate for mental health awareness. The book traces Ms. Hersh's search for identity through her career, interfaith marriage, motherhood, and clinical depression. In "Struck by Living," Hersh picks apart the irony of her life with humor and brutal honesty. Despite having a loving husband, healthy children, and financial security, she tried to kill herself three times.

"My goal with 'Struck by Living' is to dispel the stigma associated with mental illness and make it more real for those who have never experienced depression," the author says. Ms. Hersh's recovery path includes electroconvulsive therapy, also known as ECT. "In my case, ECT was that last option for pulling me out of depression much like a triple bypass is used for someone with severe heart disease," she states. In summary, her book provides a personal account of what a clinically depressed person feels and the challenges faced for a medical problem with an inexact methodology for recovery.

The program will include refreshments and a book signing. Books will be available for purchase.

For more information, visit darienlibrary.org or call 203-655-1234.

Darien Library is located at 1441 Post Road, Darien, Conn.

(Attached photo: headshot of Julie K. Hersh)