Review of "Improbable and Extraordinary" by Saul Horwitz and Erika Horwitz, PhD

Improbable and Extraordinary is a deeply personal memoir chronicling Saul Horwitz’s journey from the depths of bipolar disorder and emotional turmoil to recovery and stability. It also doubles as a solid self-help book, offering readers practical insights and guidance drawn from Saul’s lived experiences and his sister, Erika Horwitz's, psychological expertise and professional background in mental health counseling.

Through candid storytelling, reflective exercises, and key lessons learned from a 12-step recovery program, the book provides a roadmap for those struggling with mental health challenges, addiction, or emotional dysregulation.

Saul’s transformation highlights the power of resilience, self-awareness, and spiritual growth, making the memoir not only a story of personal redemption but also a source of inspiration and actionable advice for anyone seeking healing and inner peace.

This book is a powerful testament to the human spirit's ability to overcome adversity. Saul Horwitz’s story is not just about surviving mental illness but thriving despite it. His journey offers hope, guidance, and inspiration to anyone struggling with similar issues, making it an invaluable resource for readers seeking understanding, healing, and transformation.

With that said, this is not a comfortable read in the slightest. You could put a boatload of trigger warnings in front of this including for suicidal ideation, self-harm, child abuse, addiction, mental illness, emotional trauma, addiction to sex/porn, and descriptions of severe depression. Saul Horwitz does not shy away from sharing the darkest moments of his life, making this memoir raw, unfiltered, and, at times, deeply disturbing and unsettling. However, it could be argued that this brutal honesty and transparency makes the book extra impactful, shedding light on the harsh realities of living with bipolar disorder and the long, challenging road to recovery.

That also goes along with one of the book's core themes: SHAME.
Here's another key theme: GUILT.

Shame and guilt reverberate throughout the memoir, shaping much of Saul’s internal struggles. While shame reflects his feelings of being fundamentally flawed, guilt stems from the pain he believes he caused others—especially his family. Saul repeatedly grapples with the consequences of his actions during manic episodes, failed relationships, and periods of deep depression. His guilt is not only about what he did but also about what he failed to do—abandoning ambitions, disconnecting from loved ones, and being unable to meet expectations. However, as the narrative progresses, guilt becomes a catalyst for change.

At some point, someone needs to pull up their pants and say: NO MORE.
And, believe it or not, shame and guilt could be guides. They exist for a reason—for better or for worse. Like anger, it can be used to deal with an imminent threat or it can destroy us from within.
Like love, it can give us our happiest moments and our saddest. Just don't let these things crush and control you—dictating how you feel and what you do 100% of the day.

There's an argument to be made that, similar to Steven Shelton's Memoir of a Mangled Mind, that this book lingers on repetitive incidents of trauma and darkness a bit too much. A handful of times is usually enough for the audience/reader to get the point.

At the same time, we get it. This isn't just a memoir intended to satisfy or entertain readers. This isn't just a self-help book intended to help, guide, and educate readers. This is CATHARTIC.

And that's another key theme in this book: CATHARSIS.

This isn't just a book for the reader, it's a book for Saul's personal healing. He needed to pour his heart out. He needed to bring these negative, disturbing, painful things to the surface to keep them from eating him alive from the inside.

Catharsis is woven into every chapter, serving as both a narrative device and a crucial element of Saul’s healing process. The repetition of trauma, dark thoughts, and emotional turmoil isn’t just for the reader’s understanding—it reflects the cyclical nature of bipolar disorder and the exhausting process of confronting one's demons. For Saul, reliving and recounting these painful experiences is essential for releasing the emotional weight he has carried for decades. Writing this book becomes a therapeutic exercise, a way for him to process years of shame, guilt, and despair. Each retelling, no matter how repetitive it may seem, represents another layer of pain being peeled away. The memoir shows that true catharsis isn’t a one-time breakthrough—it’s a gradual, often repetitive process of confronting, feeling, and finally releasing the pain. This raw, unfiltered approach may be uncomfortable for readers, but it authentically captures the messy reality of healing from deep-seated trauma.

Now, we'll discuss a few things we found especially interesting about this book.

First of all, it's actually philosophical or pseudo-philosophical. It's also quite spiritual. Despite Saul being an admitted agnostic and not being a devotee to any one religion, he seems to have a spiritual view of why things are the way that they are and how one should approach themselves, other people, and the world around them. He even talks about the importance of prayer to a higher power, even advocating for saying Saint Francis's prayer, one of his favorites.

And, in a strange yet beautiful sort of way, this book is proof that God can use anyone for his great purpose—whether they're Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, an atheist, or an agnostic. Think about Jesus' story of the Good Samaritan.

The Good Samaritan, despite being considered an outsider and looked down upon by the religious elite of his time, was the one who showed true compassion and mercy. The message is clear: goodness, purpose, and the ability to make a profound impact are not confined to a specific group or belief system. In Improbable and Extraordinary, Saul’s story mirrors this lesson. Despite his struggles with mental illness, addiction, and feelings of worthlessness, Saul becomes a source of wisdom, guidance, and hope for others. His transformation is a testament to the idea that anyone—regardless of their past or beliefs—can find purpose and contribute meaningfully to the lives of others. Saul himself acknowledges his agnosticism, yet he recognizes a higher power at work, something greater than himself guiding his journey. In a world often quick to judge and categorize, this memoir serves as a powerful reminder that redemption, healing, and purpose are universal possibilities.

The book also makes reference to the seven deadly sins, but from a completely different light and in a completely different context. The book discusses how the seven deadly sins are actually linked to many of the behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes that ultimately destroy us and those around us.

For example, pride is portrayed not as simple arrogance but as the refusal to seek help or admit vulnerability—an attitude that isolated Saul and deepened his suffering. His grandiose thoughts during manic episodes and the desire to be admired stemmed from this destructive form of pride, which ultimately prevented genuine connection and healing.
Saul is apparently a genius (or at least is labeled as such by others), born and gifted with a higher than usual intellect. He reflects that during high school, a teacher said they wanted to fail him for not studying but couldn't because of his high performance. In other words, Saul proved to be a bit of a prodigy, not even having to study as much as the other students in order to be successful. You would think this would be a good thing but, like we saw in Roth by Jonas Romano Weiss, being gifted and talented doesn't guarantee great relationships with people and good mental health. In fact, often the opposite is true.

Anyway, going back to the point about the seven deadly sins...

Envy emerged through Saul’s longing for the lives of others—lives he perceived as normal, successful, or free of the turmoil that plagued him. This envy fed into his feelings of inadequacy and despair, creating a vicious cycle of comparison and self-loathing.

Lust, often associated with hypersexuality during his manic episodes, served as a substitute for genuine intimacy. As alluded to before, much of this book deals with Saul's struggles with sexual addictions.

Moving on... the Horiwitzes advocate for gratitude. For Saul, practicing gratitude meant shifting his focus from what he lacked or had lost to what he still had—no matter how small. Hey, that kinda goes along with not giving into envy.

Gratitude became a means of grounding himself during moments of emotional turbulence and helped him recognize the progress he had made.

Gratitude also played a crucial role in repairing relationships. Saul expressed deep appreciation for his family, especially his sister Erika, whose unwavering support and encouragement kept him moving forward.

Similar to Certainty by Mike Mears, this book discusses how we have different brains--or at least parts and aspects of the brain that have different functions and inclinations. The book explains:

"... the brain is divided into three parts: reptilian, limbic system (mammalian) and neo-
cortex."

The book discusses how these impact our moods, attitudes, behaviors, and emotions.

Regarding helping others, the book tell us to "[o]nly intervene when you are asked to do so. Do not give advice if it was not solicited."

This advice echoed One Man's Journey by Donald T. Hardison II, which championed the idea of non-judgment. Often times, the best way to help someone is just to listen to them, not judge them, not analyze them, and not provide advice.

With that said, this book does seem like two separate books that somehow got written together: a memoir full of experiences and spiritual philosophies and a self-help book with a scientific and psychological emphasis. The contrast is interesting but can also be a bit jarring.

Also, a lot of the information and advice in this book—as we've alluded to—is information and advice that we've read in numerous other books. Fittingly, the book talks about how "I was always trying to discover how to invent black thread (which was already invented)."

With that said, some of the exercises near the end of the book are fresh and new. They get a little tedious at times, like the one exercise which keeps telling you to feel different parts of your body. It got a bit cloying, but maybe it will work for you.

This book is yet to be released. Visit the official website for updates!