The Study Of Suicide In Richard Lester's 'I Of The Storm'

In the preface of I of the Storm, Lester introduces his purpose for writing this book. He states that, although he is a self-described suicidologist and has published many things on suicide, he doesn’t know exactly why it is that people kill themselves. Lester is a former President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, and has PhDs from Cambridge University and Brandeis University, making him qualified to speak on this matter. He has studied suicide, and has found patterns in those who do commit suicide. I of the Storm is mainly directed toward those who wish to understand suicide and why people commit it. His book is very informative, using analyses of examples and statistics to delve into the patterns of those who kill themselves to see why they may do so. Because of this in depth look into the minds of those who have committed suicide, this a valuable resource to some of those studying

While each chapter has a different layout, they all have one thing in common, they each end with some form of conclusion or final thought. This gives each chapter a bit of finality, as well as summarizing what was concluded in it. This both brings the chapters together and distinguishes the chapters from one another. It allows the reader to look at them as a hole, allowing them to see the similarities which connect them all, but also how they each differ. In his section entitled Conclusions: What Have We Learned?, Lester bring the whole book together into a riveting conclusion that tells us “Only their own words can give us clues as to what is transpiring in the “I” of the storm.” (155). This ending evokes an emotional response, as well as ties the whole book together in a way that makes the reader think about those who commit suicide, and how one can never really guess what is going on in the mind of