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

Jonathan Rosen's investigation into his childhood best friend Michael Laudor traces the arc from brilliant promise to tragedy. When the Rosen family moved to New Rochelle in 1973, Jonathan and Michael became inseparable friends and competitors. Both sons of college professors, they were accepted to Yale University and appeared destined for success in the American meritocratic system. Michael graduated from Yale in three years with summa cum laude honors and secured a prestigious consulting position. However, he suffered a serious psychotic break and was hospitalized in a locked psychiatric ward. Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, Michael continued to experience delusions even as he pursued Yale Law School. Featured in The New York Times as a role model, he sold a memoir with film rights attached. While gripped by a paranoid fantasy, Michael stabbed his girlfriend Carrie to death, becoming a front-page news story. The Best Minds examines friendship, love, and self-delusion while exploring how we understand—and fail to understand—mental illness. The book presents an account of good intentions and their tragic outcomes.