Darrell Dawsey

In this surprising and moving memoir, the legendary rap star and cofounder of Run D.M.C. keeps it a hundred percent, speaking out about his battle with depression and overcoming suicidal thoughts--one of the most devastating yet little known health issues plaguing the black community today.As one third of the legendary rap group Run D.M.C., Darryl "DMC" McDaniels--aka Legendary MC, The Devastating Mic Controller, and the King of Rock--had it all: talent, money, fame, prestige. While hitting #1 on the Billboard charts was exhilarating, the group's success soon became overwhelming. A creative guy who enjoyed being at home alone or with his family, DMC turned to alcohol to numb himself, a retreat that became an addiction. For years, he went through the motions. But in 1997, when intoxication could no longer keep the pain at bay, he plunged into severe depression and became suicidal. He wasn't alone. During the same period, suicide became the number three leading cause of death among black people--a health crisis that continues to this day.In this riveting memoir, DMC speaks openly about his emotional and psychological struggles and the impact on his life, and addresses the many reasons that led him--and thousands of others--to consider suicide. Some of the factors include not being true to who you are, feelings of loneliness, isolation, and alienation, and a lack of understanding and support from friends and family when it's needed most. He also provides essential information on resources for getting help. Revealing how even the most successful people can suffer from depression, DMC offers inspiration for everyone in pain--information and insight that he hopes can help save other lives.

The statistics about young black men are familiar; homicide is their #1 killer, one fourth are in jail, on parole or probation, and theirs rates of unemployment, teen fatherhood, educational drop-out-and death-exceed those of any other demographic group. Moreover, in the public mind, even those who don't bear out the grim statistics have come to embody society's worst pathologies. When given the opportunity to speak for themselves, they report feeling as fearful of mere survival as they are feared, as threatened as they are threatening. Living to Tell About It is the first book to look beyond the statistics and perceptions at the real lives and experiences of most young black men in America today. Over the course of a year, journalist Darrell Dawsey traveled across the country, listening to a mosaic of young men talk about their childhoods, relationships with parents and women, sexuality, self-respect, spirituality, ambitions, the race that binds them and the diversity of class, education and geography that distinguishes them. Interweaving interview material with powerful reflections on his own background as a single-parent child of the inner city and a young father, Dawsey portrays the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of young black men in a society where they have been the targets of disenfranchisement, neglect, racism, and hostility. The result is a compelling portrait of a generation facing the manifold challenges and dilemmas of black manhood-and living to tell about it."