Local Author's New Book Explores Painful Past

Jeff Brandt lived a life that he wouldn't wish upon anyone else.

His new book, "Beware of the Therapist," is somewhere between a memoir and a novel, exploring his dramatic life experiences that all took place in Northville.

"After my ex-wife tried to commit suicide and got hooked up with the therapist … there was a lot that happened and a lot of drama," he said. "I had lost almost everything in my life, including my business, family and finances."

After dealing with suicide, abortion, drug and alcohol abuse, betrayal, depression, deceit, adultery, mental illness, and medical and legal malpractice, Brandt moved back with his parents and reached an ultimate low in his life. He used his pain to search for an outlet to help others. That search brought him to theNorthville Youth Assistance. He was paired with Jay Snyder, who he has now known for 10 years and who is a U.S. soldier. 

He said he was driving and saw a sign at the corner of Eight Mile and Taft roads that said "Volunteer Here in Northville, Become a Mentor Today." He said he dialed the number while at the intersection and that started his journey with Northville Youth Assistance. 

He was matched with Snyder when he was in fifth grade and saw him graduate from Northville High School in 2010 and become a soldier in the army, he said. 

"Jay is the personification of me getting outside of myself and helping the world," he said. 

That desire to help others and let them know they can survive whatever they have to face is what compelled him to write his book. 

"What I’d like people to take away from this story is that the human spirit is able to rise to any occasion," he said.

He included in his book two chapters of personal lessons that he learned, which he did as more of an afterthought, he said. However, those chapters -- “What I Learned on My Journey: Tips for a Bright and Responsible Life” and “One Simple Solution for Every Problem Known to Man" -- are with what people connected most. 

"Because of the last couple of chapters, the book took on a secondary and very unique nature that I never anticipated," he said.

Brandt said he saw a friend recently at Lifetime Fitness in Novi where he exercises regularly. She unexpectedly gave him a long hug, he said. 

"She said, 'I bought and read you book. How does somebody go through what you went through and be the man you are?'" he said. 

He said that encounter caught him off guard because he didn't expect people to connect to his story so much. His emotional story took him eight years to write, as he had to relive the troubled events of his past. 

"Every day I had to be mentally prepared to take that that trip down memory lane," Brandt said. 

"Beware of the Therapist" is available on Amazon for $13.47 and on Kindle for $9.99. Also find the book at The Next Chapter Bookstore & Bistro on the Michigan author's shelf. Those interested in meeting Brandt can visit him from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 24 at The Next Chapter Bookstore & Bistro.