{"product_id":"the-mercy-of-eternity-eric-g-wilson-9780810126855","title":"The Mercy of Eternity: A Memoir of Depression and Grace","description":"In his best-selling book \u003ci\u003eAgainst Happiness: In Praise of Melancholy\u003c\/i\u003e, Eric G. Wilson challenged our culture's blindly insistent pursuit of happiness at all costs. In his harrowing yet ultimately hopeful memoir, \u003ci\u003eThe Mercy of Eternity\u003c\/i\u003e, the author turns an unsparing eye on his own continuing struggle with bipolar depression and finds, within the very illness that causes so much suffering, the resources for hope, forgiveness, and love. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e As a bright student-athlete on his way to West Point, Eric Wilson seemed to be well on the way to a fulfilling life. Yet he was haunted by overwhelming feelings of his deep insignificance. As he grew older, the traditional means of fulfillment--marriage and professional success--did nothing to assuage the descents into darkness and destructive behavior. Therapy and medication have offered some relief, but the birth of his daughter ultimately forces his hand. In some ways, the answer has been in front of him the whole time, for English professor Wilson finds in the literature of Coleridge, Blake, and others the lessons that depression might teach. When he comes upon \"negative theology\"--the school of thought that finds God in the \"dark night of the soul\"--Wilson discovers the framework for a radical call to forgive depression. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Only by forgiving this capricious, impersonal force is Wilson able to find the grace to move beyond the cycles of destructive self-absorption.Wilson admits that he continues to struggle, but in facing his depression instead of trying to escape it, he finds wisdom and grace. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Beautifully and accessibly written, \u003ci\u003eThe Mercy of Eternity\u003c\/i\u003e is a brief yet profound meditation on the largest question of life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Eric G. Wilson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0810126850\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780810126855\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Northwestern University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/30\/2010\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 120\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.66lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.64h x 6.24w x 0.65d","brand":"Eric G. Wilson","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48065161986303,"sku":"9780810126855","price":21.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_310e9d5b-f923-453e-80db-20f778cd0713.jpg?v=1768673399","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-mercy-of-eternity-eric-g-wilson-9780810126855","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}