Forgiving Troy: A True Story of Murder, Mental Illness and Recovery
Forgiving Troy: A True Story of Murder, Mental Illness and Recovery
- ISBN13: 9781615394852
- Condition: New
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Thom Bierdz loved his schizophrenic brother. Despite Troy’s erratically cruel behavior, his years of creative threats were not taken seriously. Then the unthinkable happened. Now Thom must delve into hospital records, police reports and his own painful memories in a search for understanding. In this honest, soul-searching account, nothing is omitted as one of TV’s most beloved soap stars follows a path towards the ultimate act of forgivness.
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Jason Crawford "Jason Crawford" said,
Wrote on August 7, 2011 @ 6:13 pm
Tommy Lightfoot Garrett with Canyon News Loves Thom Bierd’s Biography,
BEVERLY HILLS–”Forgiving Troy: A True Story of Murder, Mental Illness and Recovery” by Thom Bierdz is perhaps the most shocking yet uplifting story anyone can read. Thom Bierdz, who is a well known soap opera star and acclaimed artist, has received raves from some of the toughest and most respected critics in Hollywood about his book. I can now truly see why. It was a difficult book for me to read. Having known a paranoid schizophrenic and the paranoia involved on a daily basis, knowing that no matter how beloved and trusted you are to the ill person, eventually the disease gives way to paranoia, anger and rage toward the very people who are trying to help that person, was scary for me to delve into.
This book that Thom wrote gives everyone who has either known such an individual as his brother Troy, the opportunity to be brave and confront the disease and symptoms in order to deal with the feelings you may have of fear or resentment toward the person who is suffering from schizophrenia. Thom’s story was so shocking, so scary and told with utter truth and openness that I could not put the book down. Once I read it, I had to immediately read it all over again. I’ve now suggested this book to several medical professionals including Canyon New reader Nurse Lisa Rodgers, who has been touched by Thom’s story.
Thom’s story in this book deals with divorce, matricide, suicide, paranoia and schizophrenia. These are some of the most depressing subjects one can write about. However, the theme of this book is hope. The path Thom took in order to forgive the brother, Troy whom he loved and had to ultimately forgive for killing their mother. This book is exhausting in emotions. Thom Bierdz has made a fascinating and exciting life for himself as an author, painter and actor. His fans would have no idea that the handsome young man who plays Phillip Chancellor III on CBS’s number one daytime drama “The Young and the Restless” has dealt with a level of fear, shame and disgust that would cripple many mortals. He chose to face his demons, face his brother and even lose the love and respect of his siblings for a time in order to confront and question the reasons why his mother would have to die at the hands of her youngest son.
Each chapter is gripping and filled with emotion. Thom also discusses some of the most embarrassing things that happened in his life and career in Hollywood. How he even served drinks at a party where his former bosses Bill Bell, Sr. and his beautiful wife Lee Phillip Bell were guests along with Jack Lemon at a party in Beverly Hills. Thom also was serving drinks at a party for one of the soap world’s biggest publications and waited on some younger “Y&R” stars who didn’t even realize he had been on their show a decade earlier.
Thom Bierdz rips away the veil that most public figures try to wear in order to be protected from what is around them, such as tabloids, stalkers and prying eyes of even those who idolize the object of their affections. This book is not depressing or too frightening by the time you finish it. Thom Bierdz made the most out of his life, he achieved in Hollywood and his career what thousands of young people try to achieve every year in this town. What he does however is defeat the demons of fear and hatred that are within us all. This is a must read for anyone who has mental illness in their family or community. Each of us can make a difference in the world. Though Thom Bierdz has done more than anyone I’ve ever met in tearing away the veil that hides mental illness and shame in most American families and communities.
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|Author "johnnybrooklyn" said,
Wrote on August 7, 2011 @ 6:36 pm
Loving Troy,
This book had me at page one. There are so many types of genres going on here – celebrity memoir and true crime being only two, – that you would almost think it could be a subplot for a soap opera. Well, Thom Bierdz would know about that. He was one of the more popular actors on The Young & the Restless during its glory years and is fondly remembered by many people who loved him in it. Reading here about what went on behind the scenes may shock some. In fact, the subplot he found himself in within his own life overtook anything the writers could dream up and cast him into a family drama that would take years to resolve. The path to that resolution gave me a sense of respect and compassion for Thom Bierdz. He is a positive person forced to deal with negativity that would put some of us on sedatives.
Thom Bierdz illuminates the childhood fears and phobias so many of us have, and shows us by his own extreme example how to rise above them. You get a sense of Thom as a person. He doesn’t hide his faults or try to turn what is essentially a tragic story into a puff piece for his acting career. He is bare-knuckle honest here and I appreciated his candor, his vulnerability, his compassion and his expressiveness.
Five stars. Great Read.
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|Edward J. Haney said,
Wrote on August 7, 2011 @ 6:48 pm
Amazing!,
What a wonderful book; I am lucky to have a signed copy. I could not put it down; as a matter of fact, I have read this book twice now, both times in complete tears. Forgiveness is I think the hardest thing in the world to achieve. Read this book, learn what true forgiveness is about.
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