Happy Release Day!
Congratulations Linda
on the release today of
A Tiny White Light!
A Tiny White Light: A Memoir of a Mind in Crisis by Linda Bass
Memoir, 312 pages
Published January 20, 2026 by She Writes Press
From an author with a psychology background, a candid memoir about the interior of her own psychotic episode and its origins in guilt, lost purpose, conflict between mothering and career, and the ambiguity in her relationship with her therapist.
Just after Linda, nineteen, and her brother Brian, eighteen, move from their tiny country town in Wisconsin to the tumult of Los Angeles in 1967, the Summer of Love, their parents decide to divorce—and for the first time, the two teenagers find themselves truly on their own. Forced to fend for himself, Brian’s life quickly spirals He hitchhikes around the country, lands in psychiatric hospitals and jails, and, finally, commits an irrevocable act. Plagued with guilt over her role in Brian’s deterioration, Linda loses her own sense of purpose, gives up a promising career in psychology, and finds herself in a life she never envisioned—poor, alcoholic, an accidental parent in an unhappy marriage, feeling invisible and alone.
When Linda’s husband, Jake, urges her to see Sam, a psychologist, for help in quitting smoking, Sam quickly becomes a touchstone for what she has her sense of self. Feeling truly seen, she falls in love with him, and she believes he might return her feelings. But he offers her only mixed messages, and the ambiguity triggers her descent into a psychotic episode—one that echoes her dreams, Brian’s experience, and Sam’s own phobia.
Will she follow her brother’s path—or will she find her way back to herself and create the life she longs to live?
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Advance Praise for A Tiny White Light
"Through poetic and thought-provoking prose, [Bass] examines the human need for companionship and connection with refreshing candor, not shying away from describing the darker aspects of her own impulses and behavior . . . the work’s exceptional prose and unflinching honesty make for an engaging read . . . A skillfully written personal exploration.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Exquisitely written with vivid imagery, this enthralling memoir takes one on a harrowing journey to madness and back.”—Bonnie R. Strickland, PhD, former president of the American Psychological Association and author of Leaving the Confederate Closet
”An evocative memoir that immerses the reader in the author’s descent into psychosis. With unflinching vividness, Bass translates the logic of madness, the distortions of perception, and the sensory overload of a fractured mind not just as an experience, but as a surreal world with its own internal consistency. For anyone interested in how the mind works, this story is critical and relevant.”—Rosie McMahan, EdM, author of Fortunate Daughter: A Memoir of Reconciliation
”Brave, bold, illuminating, and well-written, this memoir is essential reading for anyone interested in the human mind and overcoming adversity. It is especially relevant for those touched by mental illness and clinicians seeking to understand the lived experience of psychosis from the inside."—Julie Savitch, EdD, author of My Other Kids: A Memoir of Child Advocacy and the Power of Showing Up
“Truly the most authentic, disturbing and riveting description of psychosis I’ve ever read, barring perhaps Jack Kerouac’s depiction of alcoholic psychosis in his memoir Big Sur.”—Dori Ostermiller, author of Outside the Ordinary World
“A Tiny White Light is a lyrical memoir in which living is treated as a continual search for meaning and self-worth . . . A revealing memoir about hitting rock bottom and digging one’s way out . . . toward a triumphant ending.”—Foreword Clarion Review
”Burdened by a life marked by trauma, neglect, and solitude, Bass begins to experience a psychotic episode during psychotherapy. This book shows how what she calls “craziness” is a strategy for survival in the face of deep hurt—and a catalyst for confronting life’s challenges in a new way.”—Stijn Vanheule, professor of clinical psychology at Ghent University and author of Why Psychosis Is Not So Crazy
“Spanning time, place, and people, A Tiny White Light provides a compelling portrait of mental illness and the long, winding road of recovery.”—Maria Galano, PhD, assistant professor of clinical psychology, UMass Amherst
“A brave, brilliant and beautifully written book.”—Michele Orwin, author of Waiting for Next Week
About the author
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Linda Bass holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UCLA and a master’s degree in psychology from UC Berkeley. She worked in the workforce development field for thirty years, most recently as the executive director of a regional workforce board in Cambridge, MA. Now retired, she devotes her time to writing, painting, solving puzzles, reading, singing (to herself), enjoying friends and family, and feeling grateful for the life she has now. She currently lives in South Hadley, MA, and is working on a second book.
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