In this gripping, intensely moving true story, Dr. Linsey Willis recounts the chronicle of her sister Betsy, whose life was consumed and ultimately taken by her bipolar disorder. Addressing caregiving, state psychiatry bureaucracy, and even genetics, Be There is as much a case study in modern psychology as it is an extended eulogy for a sister’s struggles with addiction and mental health.

Using a plethora of personal and medical ephemera alongside the moving narrative of Betsy’s life, Dr. Willis also includes extensive bibliographic and scientific research, hospital records, historical photographs, and handwritten letters to underscore the color and nuance of mental illness. Blending genres and far-reaching in its scope, Be There is still never far from its foundational roots in the deeply personal relationship between two sisters.