The Chair and the Valley

“It’s hard not to become overcome with fury by the injustice Banning experienced when he was a teen… That Lyon found the courage to grab happiness after decades of darkness transforms this devastating memoir into an inspiring read.”—People

“Banning Lyon’s story is a testament to the power of found family and the hard-earned resilience that can come over time with love.”—Maria Shriver

“What a beautiful, challenging, difficult, and ultimately empowering book. It’s impossible to read The Chair and the Valley without feeling moved.”
—Chris Guillebeau, author of The Happiness of Pursuit and The Art of Non-Conformity

“Banning Lyon’s deep, dark and beautifully written debut memoir offers a brave expose of a corrupt psychiatric hospital chain, a poignant testament to the power of human resilience and a lyrical depiction of how nature – and love — can heal the wounded heart.” —Susan Shapiro, NYT bestselling author of The Forgiveness Tour and American Shield

“The Chair and the Valley is an engaging and aching memoir of family catastrophe, misuse of mental health care, loss, and redemption.” —Stephen Fried, best-selling author of RUSH and Thing of Beauty, co-author of A Common Struggle and Profiles in Mental Health Courage.

“A profoundly inspiring story for anyone seeking to conquer their own obstacles. With remarkable insight and generosity, Banning navigates readers through trauma, triumph, and the intricate steps in-between.” —Nabil Ayers, author of My Life in the Sunshine

“A heartfelt memoir and an urgent demand for higher standards of juvenile mental health care.” —Kirkus

“In this bracing, brilliant, and fury-inducing memoir…. Lyon has written a survival story like no other. With positively outstanding storytelling, this is a book that cannot be put down.” —Booklist

“As a teenager, Banning endured horrific abuse behind the locked doors of a mental institution that held he and many other teenagers captive as part a horrific insurance scandal. His memoir is an unapologetically honest story of survival and overcoming unspeakable trauma. It is an unflinching yet unexpectedly relatable story of redemption and finding family even when everyone has seemingly has abandoned you.” —Ben Moon, author of Denali: A Man, a Dog, and the Friendship of a Lifetime

“Engrossing… Lyon recounts in courageous, at times heartbreaking, detail his experiences being hospitalized as a teenager in an abusive psychiatric facility in Texas for 353 nightmarish days that forever changed his life and sense of self.” —San Francisco Chronicle