"I lost my mind in order to gain my soul." Those are the words of a man who has lived through the struggle to conquer his mental illness through a journey of self-discovery that takes him to prisons and hospitals-and a world inhabited by saints, angels, and devils.

Author Paul Arthur Bell begins his story with a riveting scene-a police officer points his .38 revolver at him. As Bell places his forehead against the muzzle, he shouts, 'Be gone, Devil " Later arrested and charged with drug use, Bell spends the night in jail, hallucinating and wondering how he got there in the first place. His...