my ... Life behind Bars
by
Jeff Echterling
Description
From the author:
The 20 year struggle
of a bipolar bartender in Chicago.
You've been to
restaurants. You've sat, you've eaten, you've had a good time. Have you ever
really thought about the people that bring you your food, the people that make
your drinks, the people that do this kind of work every day? Have they had a
good day a bad day, is their life treating them well, did they do something to
my food? Don’t worry that almost never happens, but what kind of people are
they really?
The real people in
the business deal with all kinds of people at all levels of tolerance and
understanding. It’s hard sometimes to not just hate everyone. To do this kind
of work it takes a certain kind of person and that kind of person generally
knows how to blow off steam. They know how to not take things too seriously,
they know how to have fun, they joke and play with their co-workers, they are a
rare breed.
Not unlike anyone
else that has worked in a restaurant, nightclub, or bar, I've seen and
experienced some really crazy shit. This business can drop you into a lifestyle
like no other. Add obvious, but untreated and undiagnosed bipolar disorder and
the lifestyle is amplified. Those in the medical field can probably relate to
the long hours, lack of sleep and just plain bizarre events, but at the end of
the day they can always say they were trying to help. We see people at their
worst and help them get there. Then, all too often, go there ourselves.
Review
By grateful
Mr. Echterling has
written a work of social importance as well as literary merit in his first
published manuscript. my...Life behind Bars is really two books, one is the story of an urban bartender. The
other, far more profound, chronicles the story of a young man coming of age in
the late twentieth century, and his struggles with a society that doesn't have
a place for him. Echterling tells this story of a man trying to find himself
handicapped with bi-polar disorder and its roller-coaster mood swings, his
inability to hold a job or a relationship and his increasingly complex
relationship with his family. All are drawn out in fine and vivid detail, in a
brutally blunt fashion. In Echterling's book, it's as if everything is
constantly in flux, a dizzying kind of emotional and pragmatic freefall in
which you never know what's going to happen next. And that's really the whole
point...neither does the central character.
my...Life behind Bars is a story of survival, hard won and at a big
cost. It isn't pretentious and you won't see it everywhere. But if you pick it
up, I guarantee that you'll finish it. It's that good.
About the Author
Youngest of 7 kids. 5
sisters and 1 brother.
Mom died in ’93 / Dad
died in ’11.
Starting at probably the
age of 8 I worked at over 100 different places and held dozens of different
positions. I haven’t worked since ’05.
Played high school hockey
as the goalie. Huge Blackhawks fan. Hardly ever seen without my favorite
Blackhawks hat.
Not a comic book geek
just a fan of the Batman line.
Diagnosed Bipolar in the
fall of ’05 my past behavior and patterns started to make sense and recovery
began. However, finding the right combination of medications has been an
ongoing struggle and stability and consistency remains a huge issue.
I don’t know if I’ll ever
have a so-called ‘normal’ life again.
My greatest
accomplishment and what I am most proud of was writing and self-publishing a
book. 7 years of work produced a solid story and several copies were sold and
it’s still available. Actually completing something in these last few years is
nothing short of a miracle.
These days I’m just sorta
doing my best. If you want the whole story read the book.
Links
