His Bright Light: The Story of Nick Traina

· Sold by Dell
4.8
85 reviews
Ebook
336
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

At once a loving legacy and an unsparing depiction of a devastating illness, Danielle Steel’s tribute to her lost son is a gift of life, hope, healing, and understanding to us all.

“This is the story of an extraordinary boy with a brilliant mind, a heart of gold, and a tortured soul. It is the story of an illness, a fight to live, and a race against death.

I want to share the story, and the pain, the courage, the love, and what I learned in living through it. I want Nick's life to be not only a tender memory for us, but a gift to others. . . . I would like to offer people hope and the realities we lived with. I want to make a difference. My hope is that someone will be able to use what we learned, and save a life with it.”—Danielle Steel

From the day he was born, Nick Traina was his mother's joy. By nineteen, he was dead. This is Danielle Steel's powerful, personal story of the son she lost and the lessons she learned during his courageous battle against darkness. Sharing tender, painful memories and Nick's remarkable journals, Steel brings us a haunting duet between a singular young man and the mother who loved him—and a harrowing portrait of a masked killer called manic depression, which afflicts between two and three million Americans.

Ratings and reviews

4.8
85 reviews
Jenna
May 1, 2023
Meh. I wouldn't read it again. The author seemed to want to emphasize repeatedly all she did for him. I think it is a coping mechanism for her to put it in print that she is of no fault for her son's mental illness and subsequent death relating to his mental illness and that biologically, he didn't get it from her. Clearly emphasized actions on her part are stressed creating a "But look at everything I did for him" environment. Wealth is apparent. At least the author had the means to help get him into the best organizations and physicians. Imagine trying to get decent mental health care in poor, rural Appalachia. I know mental health has come so far but it has a very long way to go as does the American medical insurance scam that prevents so many from getting the care they need. Early intervention is vital. RIP Nick. He was beautiful and wonderful. The best part of this book is mischievous, ornery Nick. He was hilarious and brilliant, charming the socks off of everyone.
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Cj Faber
July 13, 2021
I suffer from bipolar disorder type one, this book helped me over the years and still does today whenever I'm having a manic episode, today I'm 35, I was diagnosed when I was 14. Life is harder than most know or assume. I'm getting this book for my wife so she can understand what it's really like because words sometimes aren't enough to fully understand. I'm afraid to have children because I'm afraid they will get my curse I have to live with for the end of my time. It's harder than people think even if everything is going good for you there's always that time when you go through mania some more than others. I hope everyone reads this book even if you don't suffer from it, it's good to know if you can help or not. It's good to understand mental health and know you can make a difference. People are not in this alone all you have to do is reach out to someone, show you care, and understand this is a illness that doesn't go away. Life is hard but I'm honestly lucky because of my wife.
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Debbie White
April 18, 2014
Mental illness is looked upon as something that discipline can fix. Danielle opened my eyes and thank God my son, Charlie, was diagnosed early. He's 15 now and this book helped me fight for my son!! I was able to overcome criticism about Charlie being diagnosed too early from family, friends, therapists, educators and get my son the help he needed early. Nick's story could be a part of saving my sons life... Thank you Danielle.
11 people found this review helpful
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About the author

Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world’s bestselling authors, with a billion copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include Happiness, Palazzo, The Wedding Planner, Worthy Opponents, Without a Trace, The Whittiers, The High Notes, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina’s life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; Expect a Miracle, a book of her favorite quotations for inspiration and comfort; Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children’s books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood.

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