Otherwise, I’m Normal introduces readers to Ken Dickson’s shocking memoir, Detour from Normal, and its bold sequel, The Road to Amistad.

In Detour from Normal, surgery, medication, and misdiagnosis initiate a chain reaction that catapults Ken from his life as a loving husband and father, and a well-respected engineer, into a high security psychiatric ward where doctors brand him a danger to himself and others, and persistently and acutely disabled. Detour from Normal is also the story of a husband and wife, deeply in love, but torn apart by fate, an eye-opening introduction to the stigma of mental illness, and a personal run-in with the poor broken souls trapped in psychiatric care. It is a rich and varied exploration of our humanity written from Ken’s unique perspective as he struggles with medically induced mental illness.

Occasionally, people become resilient after trauma and that is what happened to Ken. His resilience left him with a new perspective of life and made him wish more than anything that it was contagious. That yearning compelled him to write The Road to Amistad to explore the trials and tribulations of people who, much like him, unexpectedly become resilient. For many, the “change” strains relationships, causing heartache, but a few take the change in stride. Through determination and good fortune, they find each other and join forces to better understand and advance the mystical change in order to relieve human suffering and open doors to limitless possibility. Filled with courage, heartbreak and redemption, their journey down the mysterious road to Amistad proves to be far different than any of them could ever imagine.

Detour from Normal will appall and inspire you. The Road to Amistad will open your eyes to humanity’s infinite capability and leave you anxious for the bright future that is knocking at our door. Either way, you can’t go wrong by opening the pages of Otherwise, I’m Normal and joining Ken on two extraordinary adventures.