Winding forest trail surrounded by trees.

Memoirs

Psychology Memoirs

True stories of family, resilience, and the search for hope.

A Family's Search for Hope

Amanda LaPera shares the impact her father's late-onset schizophrenia has on the entire family. In these compelling true stories, follow a family's journey as they struggle to understand the transformation that leads her dad into years of homelessness and disappearance. Along the way, hope, love, and resilience help them navigate a system made far more complicated when a loved one cannot recognize their illness.

The Memoirs

Start with Losing Dad, then continue with the standalone sequel, Finding Dad.

Psychology Memoirs · Book 1 · 10th Anniversary Edition

Losing Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia: A Family's Search for Hope

No drugs. No warning. How does a devoted father develop schizophrenia at fifty-three?

Joseph is grounded, responsible, and deeply connected to his family—until sudden medical events disrupt his life. Confusion escalates into grandiose delusions and paranoia. Convinced he is a prophet of God and that enemies are out to kill him, he vanishes across continents—claiming to be arrested in Israel, preaching to a Mafioso in Italy, and hailed as a prophet in Africa. Then he disappears.

IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Award in Psychology
Readers’ Favorite Award Finalist in Non-Fiction – Grief/Hardship
Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize Quarter-Finalist

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Psychology Memoirs · Book 2 · Standalone Sequel

Finding Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia: An End to the Search

He was lost for nearly a decade. Now they know he’s alive—but still missing.

Joseph disappeared into paranoid schizophrenia—convinced the mob was after him, believing he was a prophet of God, and living on the streets.

For years, Amanda searched for the father she refused to forget, while others were forced to let go. Then a call from the Missing Persons Division changes everything: her dad is alive. But no one knows where, and the systems meant to help him create barriers at every turn.

Finalist, IAN Book-of-the-Year Awards
Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Review

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Readers, Caregivers, and Professionals

Resources for Discussion and Professional Use

The memoirs include supplemental materials such as photographs, resources, reading guide questions, and notes for readers interested in caregiving, family impact, mental health systems, and anosognosia.

Reading Guides Speaking

About the Author

Amanda LaPera

Amanda LaPera is a passionate advocate for individuals and families dealing with mental illness, because of her family's experience. For ten years, she served on the Board of Directors for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Orange County, CA affiliate (NAMI-OC). In addition to reading and writing, she finds joy in music, art, and nature, which she learned from her dad.

Her books have earned Readers’ Favorite 5-star reviews and BookLife Prize, IBPA Benjamin Franklin, Readers’ Favorite, and IAN Book of the Year Awards recognition.