“…a cleansing narrative that should inspire mothers―and other caregivers―to rise up, unite, and breathe hot new life into the drooping cause of mental healthcare reform.”― Ron Powers, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author.

“To know that you are not alone in this loneliest and most emotionally difficult of all family situations is a great gift, a comfort and source of strength. And Mimi Feldman is the one you want as your mentor, your guide.”― Janet Fitch, New York Times best-selling author of White Oleander

“…a compelling, moving story…It was an honor to read it.”― Jenny Allen, author of Would Everyone Please Stop

“Captivating, moving, and masterfully wrought, Miriam Feldman’s story invites us inside the most intimate of worlds: a family’s heart and soul. While our journey is not without discomfort, it is also full of humor, joy, love, and inspiration. I marvel at the resiliency of the human spirit revealed in this brilliant memoir; He Came In With It is a redemption story for the ages.”―Garth Stein, New York Times Bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

★Recommended by Ron Powers, Pulitzer Prize and Emmy winner, bestselling and award-winning author of ‘No One Cares About Crazy People’!

★Featured and praised by Psychology Today, Huffington Post, Glamour, Psych Central and various media and publications.

★In such an open, searing, sincere and even humorous way, this book takes the readers into the almost invisible world of people with mental illness and their families, and face and tell the story of how a child falls and shines, how to be extraordinary and brave with the strong support of maternal love and family.

★ This is a cruel true and inspiring fable of life! The family has saved themselves by exploring humor in the absurdity and complexity of life, and has shown that the true definition of a good life is to allow flaws and mistakes.

★ With the most sensitive way to write pain and strength! The author's account of the general social reality of mental illness has ignited a strong desire among the public to re-understand the reality and seek change, and has injected new vitality into the cause of mental health reform.

★ This powerful, funny, honest, and ultimately hopeful reflection on the realities of serious mental illness is a must-see for anyone interested in human stories, mental health, and the health care system.

★ The cover of the book features a self-portrait drawn by the son Nick, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

★ Sold for Chinese Simplified rights.

In an idyllic Los Angeles neighborhood, where generations of families enjoy deep roots in old homes, the O’Rourke family fits right in. Miriam and Craig are both artists and their four children carry on the legacy. When their teenage son, Nick, is diagnosed with schizophrenia, a tumultuous decade ensues in which the family careens permanently off the conventional course.


Like the ten Biblical plagues, they are hit by one catastrophe after another, violence, evictions, arrests, a suicide attempt, a near-drowning…even cancer and a brain tumor…play against the backdrop of a wild teenage bacchanal of artmaking and drugs. With no time for hand-wringing, Miriam advances, convinced she can fix everything, while a devastated Craig retreats to their property in rural Washington State as home becomes a battlefield.


It is while cleaning out a closet, that Miriam discovers a cache of drawings and journals written by Nick throughout his spiral into schizophrenia. She begins a solitary forensic journey into the lonely labyrinth of his mind.

This is the story of how mental illness unspools an entire family. As Miriam fights to reclaim her son from the ruthless, invisible enemy, we are given an unflinching view into a world few could imagine. It exposes the shocking shortfalls of our mental health system, the destructive impact of stigma, shame and isolation, and, finally, the falsity of the notion of a perfect family. Throughout the book, it is the family’s ability to find humor in the absurdities of this life that saves them. It is a parable that illustrates the true definition of a good life, allowing for the blemishes and mistakes that are part of the universal human condition. He Came In With It is the legacy of, and for, her son Nick.

Miriam Feldman is an artist, writer, and mental health activist who splits her time between her Los Angeles studio and her farm in rural Washington state. She has been married to her husband Craig O’Rourke, also an artist, for 34 years and they have four adult children. Their 33-year-old son, Nick, has schizophrenia.

With an MFA in painting from Otis Art Institute, Miriam founded Demar Feldman Studios, Inc., a distinguished mural and decorative art company, in 1988. At the same time, she built a strong career as a fine artist, represented by Hamilton Galleries in Santa Monica, CA.

When Nick was diagnosed in 2004, Miriam became an activist and a writer. With first-hand knowledge of our mental health system, she decided to be an advocate for those who have no voice. She serves on the advisory board of Bring Change 2 Mind, the non-profit founded by Glenn Close, and writes a monthly blog for their website. Miriam is active in leadership at NAMI Washington and writes for their newsletters. She is a frequent guest on mental health podcasts and is active on Instagram, where she has created a community of family and loved ones dealing with mental illness.