Jonathan Rosen has spent the last few years trying to understand the story of his closest childhood friend, Michael Laudor. Michael Laudor was, by all accounts, a genius. Maybe even a prodigy. Academically, he excelled beyond belief. Things that are hard for most young students, like reading and comprehending large volumes of material, came easily for him. His charm was infectious, and seemed to immediately attract the attention of any room he entered. As he navigated young adulthood and college, and eventually law school at Yale, one thing was clear: everyone was drawn to Michael.Then Michael did something unimaginable: he killed his fiancée.  The tragedy of Michael’s story is captured in Jonathan’s new book, The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions. It’s a breathtaking account of friendship, the harrowing and insidious nature of mental illness as it takes over someone’s life, and most of all, it investigates the invisible forces—cultural, political, and ideological—that shaped Michael’s terrible fortune, and America’s ongoing failure to get people like Michael the help that they so desperately need. On today’s episode, Jonathan shares this personal story of extreme tragedy. Which is also, as we discuss, an American tragedy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On May 1, 2023, a 30-year-old homeless man named Jordan Neely boarded the F train in New York City. Neely appeared to be in the midst of some kind of mental health crisis, as witnesses describe him acting aggressively, screaming that he was hungry and thirsty and that he didn’t care if he went to jail or died. A few witnesses describe feeling threatened by Neely’s behavior. Soon, a 24-year-old man named Daniel Penny, who we later learned is a former Marine, jumped forward and put Neely in a chokehold. Minutes later, Neely was dead. Neely’s death once again stoked our culture wars and our debate about crime, homelessness, and mental illness in American cities. Was Jordan Neely a casualty of white supremacy? Was he another example of a criminal justice system that has stopped enforcing crime, thus encouraging people to take matters into their own hands? Was Jordan Neely a victim of a mental health system that has failed both its patients and society? How could we have prevented this tragedy? And how should we prevent it going forward? To dive into these questions and more, today on Honestly we have Rafael Mangual, Jonathan Rosen, and Kat Rosenfield. Mangual is a legal policy expert at the Manhattan Institute. Rosenfield is a novelist and a columnist for Unherd. And Rosen is the author of the book The Best Minds, which examines his childhood friendship with Michael Lauder, a graduate of Yale Law School who suffered a schizophrenic break and killed his pregnant fiancée. (You can check out our previous conversation with Rosen about that tragedy here.)  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonathan Rosen shares a profound narrative about his best friend Michael's struggle with schizophrenia. He explores the emotional hurdles and societal misconceptions surrounding mental illness. The conversation delves into the impact of deinstitutionalization on mental health care and the importance of understanding these issues as medical rather than moral failings. Jonathan also highlights the transformative power of gratitude rituals and shares heartwarming tales of friendship that illuminate the journey through mental illness.

New York writer Jonathan Rosen discusses friendship, madness, and unintended consequences in his memoir. The conversation delves into the complexities of treating severe mental illness, the tragic consequences of denying medication, and the challenges of mental health advocacy.

Jonathan Rosen, author of 'The Best Minds', discusses his memoir and horror story about his childhood best friend, Michael Laudor. Topics include Laudor's journey from boy genius to killer, the book as a mirror for an era, the influence of media on decision making and generational dreams, exploring Jewish culture and illness, contrasting personalities and envy in upbringing, the tragic nature of mental illness, and understanding schizophrenia and its connection to drug use.