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Choosing to Live: How to Defeat Suicide Through Cognitive Therapy Thomas E. Ellis and Cory F. Newman, 1996. New Harbinger Publications. $12.95 (softcover).
Why would anyone wishing to commit suicide take the time to read a book designed to prevent it? That's the central conundrum for this excellent and well-written book. The authors deal with the question but only tangentially. Otherwise, it seems to be assumed that suicidal individuals will take the time to read it. Fortunately, however, the book is aimed not only at the self-help market but also at the significant others of suicidal individuals and the therapists who treat them.
The book is generally written in the colloquial style typical of self help books though there are a number of more conceptually difficult passages. Also useful are the numerous case vignettes sprinkled liberally throughout. Although it includes a forward by Aaron T. Beck, it makes significant use of Ellis's (the other one)...