Monsters We Make Stories from the edge of sanity (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798993983004)

In this gripping blend of true crime, personal memoir, and mental-health exploration, Monster We Make pulls readers into the hidden world of individuals deemed "mentally unfit" to stand trial-lives often spoken about in whispers, headlines, or courtrooms, but rarely understood up close.

After entering a secure mental health facility in Colorado, author Brando Calzada found himself f face-to-face with three individuals whose crimes shocked their communities and whose minds were declared legally insane. Through countless conversations, behavioral observations, and deep research, he uncovers the layers of trauma, illness, and distorted reality that shaped their paths toward violence.

But this book is not only about them.

As he documents their stories, he is forced to confront his own mental health, belief systems, and buried questions. What separates "us" from "them"? How do we define sanity? And what happens when the darkest parts of the human mind meet a system built to contain, punish, or heal?

Both haunting and deeply human, Monsters We Make takes readers into the gray areas between guilt and illness, justice and compassion. It challenges assumptions about criminality, mental health, and the institutions meant to protect society-while offering a raw, introspective look at one man's journey to understand the minds of others and, ultimately, his own.