The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions

Jonathan begins a doctorate fellowship at Berkeley. On visits home, he occasionally sees Michael. Although Michael tries to conceal it, he has anxiety due to work pressures. He also suspects senior staff members are “out to get him” (138). Michael says he wants to leave Bain but believes his employers will never let him go. At a party, he is reunited with Jo-Ann, who is studying to be a professional musician. Jo-Ann is flattered by Michael’s continued interest in her.

Michael quits Bain and returns to New Rochelle to become a writer. He works as a part-time telemarketer and plays guitar at a bookstore called Riverrun in the evening. Michael believes that his parents’ phone has been tapped by his former employers. He also claims that musicians from Riverrun have been following him home. Worried about his behavior, his mother, Ruth, worries Michael may be involved in a cult. The potential danger of cults was recently highlighted by the Jonestown mass murder-suicide.

Michael spends a lot of time at the Gatsby House with Jane Ferber. Jane is well-known for taking in people struggling with mental illness. As well as working at a mental health center, Jane heads “the Network.” She and the rest of