Tom Davis: 'A Legacy of Madness'

Jersey Shore Patch Regional Editor Tom Davis, a Point Pleasant Boro native who is appearing at a Manasquan bookstore, talks about recovering himself and his family from generations of mental illness.

Tom Davis is not only regional editor of Jersey Shore Patch and an adjunct professor of journalism at Rutgers University, he is author of the poignant new memoir, A Legacy of Madness: Recovering My Family from Generations of Mental Illness. Davis, a Point Boro native, was a recipient of a Rosylnn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism and received a ringing endorsement for the book from the former First Lady. "A Legacy of Madness breaks down the barriers of silence that shroud mental illnesses within families for generations," Carter wrote. "By sharing the story of his family history and his own personal journey, Tom Davis provides hope and inspiration to others." Tom Davis will be signing copies of Legacy of Madness at 7 p.m., …

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9/11: A Decade Later

Coming Home After 9-11

For some time, I had trouble finding the right words. Little did I know that I had already written them.

I've long wondered how I should lend my voice to the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. As the Jersey Shore regional editor for Patch.com, I often get called on to write the obituary of record, or to find the right prose for the event of the month—Hurricane Irene, for example—that commands the attention of my hometown area. This time, I was expecting to step into the background, and let others shine. Little did I know, however, that the words were already written. The book of my family, "A Legacy of Madness: Recovering My Family From Generations of Mental Illness," will be released on Oct. 3 in bookstores nationwide. I've resisted merging this author life with my work life. But what happened 10 years ago was more than a story. It …

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