The Best Minds

A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions

By: Jonathan Rosen

Narrated by: Jonathan Rosen

PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST • Named a Top 10 Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Slate, and People

One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2023

“Brave and nuanced . . . an act of tremendous compassion and a literary triumph.” —The New York Times

“Immensely emotional and unforgettably haunting.” —The Wall Street Journal

Acclaimed author Jonathan Rosen’s haunting investigation of the forces that led his closest childhood friend, Michael Laudor, from the heights of brilliant promise to the forensic psychiatric hospital where he has lived since killing the woman he loved. A story about friendship, love, and the price of self-delusion, The Best Minds explores the ways in which we understand—and fail to understand—mental illness.

When the Rosens moved to New Rochelle in 1973, Jonathan Rosen and Michael Laudor became inseparable. Both children of college professors, the boys were best friends and keen competitors, and, when they both got into Yale University, seemed set to join the American meritocratic elite.

Michael blazed through college in three years, graduating summa cum laude and landing a top-flight consulting job. But all wasn’t as it seemed. One day, Jonathan received the call: Michael had suffered a serious psychotic break and was in the locked ward of a psychiatric hospital.

Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, Michael was still battling delu­sions when he traded his halfway house for Yale Law School. Featured in The New York Times as a role model genius, he sold a memoir, with film rights to Ron Howard. But then Michael, in the grip of an unshakeable paranoid fantasy, stabbed his girlfriend Carrie to death and became a front-page story of an entirely different sort.

Tender, funny, and harrowing by turns, The Best Minds is Jonathan Rosen’s magnificent and heartbreaking account of good intentions and tragic outcomes whose significance will echo widely.

Without question, believe the hype.

I rarely write reviews, but feel compelled to note what an extraordinary piece of work this is. Beautifully written and narrated. Informative without being the slightest bit dull. Delicate yet brutally honest when necessary. 16 hours that went by in the blink of an eye. I think a great deal of this is owed to Jonathan Rosen’s narration. In fact, should Rosen ever need a side gig, he’d be wildly successful as an audio book narrator. As to content, every minute is absolutely warranted. To say otherwise is ludicrous, insensitive at best and an insult at worst. The Best Minds is a magnificent read/listen. Highly recommend. Should you need further convincing, see Alexandra Jacobs’ review in The NY Times. Spot-on.

Fascinating and Deeply Moving

One of the most intellectually stimulating and tragically moving books I've ever read. I believe the author is about 15 years my junior but he lit up many of my most powerful literary, cinematic, and societal memories of the late twentieth century A deeply enriching experience.

EXCELLENT!!! Read this book!

I expected a story about a friend who suffers from severe schizophrenia. It is this, but much more. The author narrates the history of mental illness and treatment. Fascinating.

Having worked with severely mentally ill people since 1986, I thought I had a good handle on the issues. The author outlines much more, & in an interesting manner.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book!

Part of an essential reading list...

Before listening to this book, I listened to "The Center Cannot Hold" (Saks) and read "No One Cares About Crazy People" (Powers). I am a student of psychology with a background in law. I recommend all three books as some of the best personal accounts of schizophrenia.

Heartbreaking

This is an amazing piece. It is wonderfully and respectfully told by the author, clearly well-researched, but still comes to a heartbreaking conclusion. It is a must read for everyone. We should all understand a little better what it is to live with mental illness, the ramifications of looking the other way, and how our society is equipped to handle mental illness.