Roll Back the World: A Sister's Memoir

Born during WWII, Deborah Kasdan’s sister Rachel spent a transformative year in Israel—after which she was diagnosed with schizophrenia and sent to the first of many psychiatric hospitals. It was there she languished until a mental health worker gave her a chance at freedom. A searing look at the impact of severe mental illness on a Jewish family in mid-century America, this memoir will resonate with anyone who has struggled to help a loved one in crisis.
What happens to sibling relationships when your older sister, the budding poet you loved and admired as a child, falls prey to severe mental illness? When Deborah Kasdan’s sister returns from a gap year in Israel she seems to glow with health and beauty. In three years, however, Rachel is committed to a psychiatric hospital. The diagnosis: schizophrenia. In clear and vivid prose, and with the help of Rachel’s letters and poetry, Deborah provides a poignant look at a mid-century Jewish family under strain; offers a moving account of Rachel’s indomitable spirit; and explores family history from the WWII years and the Cold War, trying to make sense of what happened.As the years pass, Deborah focuses on her own family and career but constantly feels shadowed by a sense of guilt, which is compounded when she and her other two siblings make a bold attempt to help Rachel—a plan that fails. Only after a mental health worker asks Rachel to write a poem does she finally gain her freedom. To Deborah’s great joy, Rachel finds acceptance, despite her disabilities, in a compassionate community, including a synagogue where she returns to the religion of her youth.
“Intricate and affecting, Kasdan’s debut finds hope in the saddest of stories.”—Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW What happens to sibling relationships when your older sister, the budding poet you loved and admired as a child, falls prey to severe mental illness? When Deborah Kasdan’s sister returns from a gap year in Israel, she dazzles friends and family with her sophistication and beauty. In three years, however, Rachel is committed to a psychiatric hospital. The diagnosis: schizophrenia.  As the years pass, Deborah focuses on her own family and career but constantly feels shadowed by a sense of guilt, especially when a plan to help Rachel backfires and leaves her hospitalized 2,000 miles from home. Eventually a poem Rachel writes gains her admission, against all odds, to a highly regarded community mental health program. After decades, she finally gains the freedom she has long yearned for.Relating her older sister’s struggle, Kasdan excavates its connections to family history and provides a poignant look at a mid-century Jewish family, especially during WWII and the Cold War. As she relates this history to her sister’s life, she realizes how writing consoles both Rachel and her, and how it also connects them. Ultimately, Roll Back the World is a profound testament to the power of writing to heal.