Reasons to Stay Alive

Haig’s love for literature pervades the book, with multiple references to writers and their work. It also represents Haig’s healing journey as he became increasingly drawn to the power of words. Eventually, they would come to elevate him to a new state of being, internally as well as externally, or socioeconomically. They also give him a way to connect with others and help them on journeys of their own.

Early in the memoir, Haig references the French philosopher Michel Foucault as a way to communicate his fear of mental illness. Later, he uses American author Kurt Vonnegut as a point of reference when discussing theories of chemical imbalance in the brain and American author Stephen King while explaining the nature of depression as an external antagonist. These early references display the way literature has become, for Haig, a way of approaching and measuring the world.

Midway through the story, Haig discovers the efficacy of literature in addressing his mental illness. Literature becomes an addictive substance and a way of self-medicating:

I read and read and read with an intensity I’d never really known before. I mean, I’d always considered myself to be a person who liked books.