Publisher's Synopsis
A true story... When God tells a psychologist he must run for president to prevent the murder of millions of patients and save Western Civilization As We Know It, he writes this book as his campaign autobiography. The psychologist is a political liberal, and a theological skeptic who does not believe in God, but they talk. The only catch is the doctor is locked up in his own mental hospital, diagnosed with mania and psychosis. In the lunatic asylum, the Mad-Doctor lives with fellow inmates Wild Bill (Buckley) and Lady Bird (Johnson). His closest confidants are George Berkeley (the Bishop), Soren Kierkegaard (the Hunchback), and the likes of Kant, Hume, Voltaire, Dorothy Parker, Mahalia Jackson, and Martin Luther. Asylum visitors include Descartes, Abelard, Aristotle, Plato, Elmer Gantry, and Ambrose Bierce. Among others, communications are received from Winston Churchill, Dr. Thomas More, William Jennings Bryan, Mark Twain, Aaron Burr, Michael Servetus, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and the prophet Ezekiel. One of Mad-Doc's six ex-wives, the mother of his children, volunteers to lead his escape team from the asylum, where he's being held as a political prisoner. Elvis Presley and Wilt Chamberlain are his wingmen. Talking regularly with God, he will learn answers to the major questions that have plagued theologians throughout history. He will eventually benefit from the tutelage of Jerry Lee Lewis, and go steady with Janis Joplin. By turns, comic and irreverent, poignant and affectionate, this memoir takes us inside the author's mind to show manic-depression and psychosis happening in real time. Along this wild ride, the writer authoritatively enlightens and entertains audiences on the subjects of mental illness, health care, politics, philosophy, and religion. The Mad-Doctor spares no one, least of all himself, as he skewers liberal and conservative, believer and non-believer, alike. The author understands that health care economics are at the heart of this country's future well-being. And he recognizes that regardless of whether Democratic or Republican Party reform plans carry the day, health care in America is headed for the crapper. While there is still time to pull back from the brink, Mad-Doc can begin a run for president as an authentic bipolar candidate committed to healing a nation in which the center did not hold. He is also in a unique position to bridge religious divides as the son of a Baptist minister who can claim, "Some of my best wives have been Catholics-and don't forget the Episcopalian, Mormon, and Church of the Brethren girls." In a tone reminiscent of Hunter S. Thompson and Walker Percy, The Bishop, The Hunchback, And The Lunatic: The Autobiography of a Mad-Doctor By an Apostate Son of a Baptist While Western Civilization As We Know It Hangs in the Balance is a brilliant satire full of remarkable candor and ribald humor. Philip McIlnay holds a PhD in clinical psychology, MA in political science, and BA in philosophy. He is a former think-tanker, management consultant, deputy superintendent of Ann Arbor Public Schools, and Peace Corps volunteer. Dr. McIlnay is board-certified in psychopharmacology, child and adolescent psychology, serious mental illness, and forensic psychology. He specializes in depression, manic-depression, psychosis, dissociative identity, chemical dependency, and post-traumatic stress disorder. He's been a clinical director, a doctor, and a patient in mental hospitals. He currently has a psychotherapy practice in Los Angeles.
