Forty Days in the Life of a Psychotic Gambler

About the Book

Forty Days in the Life of a Psychotic Gambler is written in a journal format.  Each day is a description of the activities, people, places and thoughts that the author encounters as he stuggles with coping as a schizotypal personality. The author uses short vignettes to show how his daily life moves from reality into fantasy and back again. A focal point of the book is weekly therapy with his psychiatric therapist.  

As a gambler who likes to go to the racetrack, several of the daily tales deal with the way the author tries to win at the track to supplement his income. The frustration he feels when he fails to come  home as a winner is well documented. Yet, he continues to try to win at the track and struggles with how to control his compulsive gambling problem.

Another part of the daily routine is walks that he takes with his dog in a nearby wooded area. He looks at the wonders of nature and writes about his experiences with living creatures, the denizens of the woods.

There are other tales where the author reveals his frustrations with some of the social institutions and cultural norms that dominate the modern world. The difficulty of trying to fit into society as a mentally ill individual is a common theme. There are social commentaries scattered throughout the book where the author states his perspective on modern society with a tinge of satire and sarcasm.

A major feature of the book is weekly therapy where the author discusses the events of the week and the concerns and problems that arose during the week. His dialogues with his therapist are sometimes witty, sometimes poignant, oftentimes both.

About the Author

Dr. Duda has worked as college professor, test bank writer, newsletter publisher, and sole proprietor of a small business. He was born and raised in Chicago IL. and moved to Georgtown KY in 1998. He began writing several years ago and is now working on a new novel, a dark comedy with an Apocalyptic theme.